Postcards from South Australia
Local Adelaide television station, channel 9, has had a regular weekly programme called “Postcards From South Australia” showing for over ten years now. This is one of our state’s quiet achievers for all of that period. It has highlighted many hundreds – perhaps even thousands – of places unique to South Australia. Each episode focusses on a different place or aspect of life in SA. It is particularly strong on emphasising our history and rich heritage.
Newsletter
I received their fortnightly emailed newsletter today. An item included in it prompted me to access their website for the first time in many months. I had forgotten the extent and coverage of this site. It lists many delightful places in South Australia that are worthy of a visit. It also has text versions of the scripts used for the episodes. This is a planning resource that I have not used so far. My mistake. It would be a good starting point when planning anything from a day trip through to an extensive holiday lasting many weeks. For locals like myself the many stories on the site are a timely reminder of the hundreds of wonderful places to visit in our own state.
The Lavender Federation Walking Trail
The opening of a new section of the Lavender Federation Trail was an event that didn’t come to my attention until I read about it this week in our local paper, The Murray Valley Standard. This is of particular interest to me because a part of the trail goes past about 500 metres north of our home. I walked about 20km of this trail in my preparations for trekking the Himalayas in January of this year. (To read about my adventures trekking in Nepal, go to the Archives section on the right and then scroll down to the January 2006 entries.)
Terry Lavender
This walking trail is called the Lavender trail after Terry Lavender, founder of the South Australian Recreation Trails Incorporated (SARTI). Terry was instrumental in forging the establishment of many walking trails throughout South Australia. His untiring efforts are being continued by many who have grasped his vision of a countryside criss-crossed with walking trails.
New Section
The section from here in Murray Bridge to Mount Beevor was opened in 2002. The second stage from there to Tungkillo was opened in 2004. The latest section to Springton was opened recently by Terry Lavender’s widow, Ann. This brings the total length of the trail to 105 kilometres. The current secretary of SARTI estimates it would take four days of comfortable walking to complete the walk. Eventually, it is hoped that this walk will reach as far as Clare in the mid-north of South Australia. The fourth stage from Springton to Truro is in the planning stage.
More information
For more information about the Lavender Federation Trail click here.
Quick trip to Karoonda
Keith woke me up early this morning when he rang at 7:30am. Actually – I was already awake and trying to convince myself that the morning was really quite nice and wasn’t at all frosty outside. He rang to tell me that he had a job for me. Keith is a close friend and runs a courier business here in Murray Bridge. He regularly calls on me to be his relief driver. This job was a little different. A parcel should have been delivered yesterday to a business in Karoonda, a small Murray Mallee farming community about 65 km east of here. Keith asked if I could deliver it as soon as possible. That got me going, in spite of the chill in the air.
My wife decided to join me for the drive and we also took her mother with for the drive. Mother doesn’t get out all that much these days. This delivery job was work, but very pleasant work I might say. Being a relief driver for Keith is sometimes hard work, because some days are very busy and some of the parcels are quite heavy.
This parcel was small and only weighed a few kilograms. I had delivered it to the business concerned soon after 9 o’clock. On the return journey we detoured via Tailem Bend. We had packed morning tea before leaving. We drove down to the picnic area on the bank of the River Murray. We sat there for nearly an hour having a cuppa and some biscuits. While there we were entertained by a large variety of birds, including a flock of about 300 Silver Gulls.
Driving in the Adelaide Hills
This morning we did a few jobs around our daughter’s house and garden before heading home to Murray Bridge. We left after lunch. A short distance out of Clare we stopped at a native plant nursery at the little town of Watervale. I like indulging my wife in this way as she always enjoys looking at what is for sale and searching out some little treasure that she needs to add to her collection.
Perfect Autumn Day
It was a perfect South Australian autumn day today. Bright sunshine, no clouds, gentle breeze and a temperature of about 19 degrees. And I didn’t have to go to work. Actually, the trip meant little writing time was available today, but the relaxation factor was of paramount importance. Along the way we enjoyed the beautiful scenery. The green pastures springing up along the way promise a good year for the farmers. The changing colours of the autumn leaves in the fruit orchards and vineyards of the Barossa Valley wine growing area add massive splashes of colour everywhere. The ever present towering River Red Gums throughout the journey complete the idyllic setting.
Different Route
One aspect of visiting our daughter in the Clare Valley is the choices one has about the route taken. On most occasions we travel one route on the way and a completely different one on the way home. We have a choice of four main routes, each with several little variations. When we have time to spare we choose to go a different route each way. Distance and time are not always the determining factors; we usually choose variety.
This time we came home via Greenock, Tanunda, Angaston and Springton, one of the most beautiful drives in the Adelaide Hills. At Mt. Pleasant we turned off to take the Walker Flat road. This is an interesting variation on the route home. The road meanders through sheep and cattle grazing land and follows the ridge-top of the hills in that area. About half way along the road quickly drops down to the plains that surround the Murray River valley. Here there is still sheep and cattle farming, but far more cereal grain production, especially wheat.
Clare Valley South Australia
No Comments »14th May, 2006; Category: Animals, Art Galleries, Birds, Clare Valley, Picnics, Plants, South Australia
Morning Walk
We spent a very relaxing morning at home. About an hour before lunch we went for a walk. First we visited some ponds near my daughter’s home. Here I observed a flock of some 30 Australian Shovelers, one of the duck species. I hadn’t seen this species in 23 years; the last time was in the very same spot as this morning. We then walked along the banks of the beautiful Lake Inchquin, part of the Clare Golf Club. A delight here was the sighting of about a dozen Bill-Billed Ducks, another hard to see species. They seem to be resident here. We also saw about four Black Fronted Dotterels. This is a beautiful wading bird and a delight to see anywhere.
Model Trains
Next to the lake is a park where the local Model Engineers Club has set up nearly two kilometres of train track. They run their model trains twice a month and provide rides, for a small fee, for those who come along to watch. We stood talking to the members for about half an hour before walking home for lunch.
After lunch we drove to the nearby town of Blyth about twenty minutes away. We went to visit the Medika Gallery run by wildlife artist Ian Roberts. We’ve known Ian for quite a few years yet we’ve been negligent in never having visited the gallery. I love his work. He has an amazing gift of capturing the character of Australian birds in their natural habitats. When I’m rich and famous I plan to buy some of his paintings. He greeted us warmly, and after a few minutes discussion he invited us to visit his nearby bush block.
Windmill Cottage
The Windmill Cottage is in the nearby hills about halfway between Clare and Blyth. Ian is also interested in growing and planting Australian native species. He has a five acre arboretum just down the hill from the cottage, one of the many Bed and Breakfast accommodation places in the Clare Valley. We drove to the lookout he has on the property. Here he has set up a picnic table under one of the large old eucalypt trees. The view out over the Balaklava plains is simply stunning in the late afternoon autumn sunlight. The patchwork of fields, some green with the first growth for the new season, some still brown with the last of the drying grass from last year while others a chocolate brown after having been worked up by the farmers in recent days. The recent rain has been promising of a good cropping season to come.
Wonderful picnic spot
We had brought along a thermos for an afternoon cuppa plus a treat from the local bakery. Few picnic areas could rival our spot this afternoon. I managed some lovely photos in the late afternoon light, often the best time for such shots. As we left we stopped for a few minutes to have a look through the arboretum Ian had planted.
Kangaroos
We surprised a grazing family of three Western Grey Kangaroos. Ian had installed a rabbit proof fence to give the plants a fair go in getting going, this fence was no barrier to these determined animals. They actually seemed to be quite at home and were not at all upset by our presence. Perhaps they are residents.