Author: Mr A
From: Tanunda, Barossa Valley
To: Plushy’s Bend, Murray River
Despite the dire warnings of storms, the morning dawned dry but overcast. We dragged ourselves away from the Barossa and headed inland to our next camping destination on the Murray River, near the town of Renmark. We didn’t enjoy the drive very much on the A20, traffic was pretty heavy, and drivers anxious to get somewhere fast.
We had to do a mad midday cook up as we didnt realise there was a quarantine on bringing fruit and veg into the Rivererina. Half an hour of peeling and cooking before on reading the website we saw if you have a valid receipt from SA for your fruit and veg then its OK! Ah well less work for dinner tonight.
It wasn’t a long day behind the wheel though, and by early afternoon we were pulling up. It was a great location on a bend of the Murray, with only a few other vans here.
It was good to get in the bush again after our caravan park. Tas was happy to see a bit of greenery she could sniff around in, and didn’t seem phased by us being right next to such a large body of water. She really is developing a higher tolerance for new things!
I had been looking forward to getting the Packrafts out on the water, but with drizzle and wind it wasnt too appealing. Our neighbours also wandered over to warn us about a large brown snake that had driven off the previous occupants of our pitch. Ah well, better keep our eyes peeled.
We wandered along the river and saw a pied cormarant looking for an afternoon snack in the water. Black swans and pelicans floated along the river, while whistling kites glided around overheard.
After a cuppa we headed out for a quick explore, with half an eye on the gathering storm clouds. We really have landed in a beautiful spot, a giant grey kanagaroo bounded off when he saw us, more cormorants were splashing in and out of a backwater of the Murray. We really like this location – it’s free to camp here too!
Back at the van, thunder was soon rumbling across the sky, lightening added to the drama of the scene. Rain started lashing across the Murray, no problem for us all snuggled up in the Zone. Catherine noticed with some relief that the flood warning had been cancelled for our area, good job as we are parked a couple of metres away from a very big river.
