AT LAST WE ARE SERIOUSLY ON THE ROAD AGAIN - ADELAIDE TO CRYSTAL BROOK AND A VERY SMART PARK (27 -29 APRIL 2019

To quote no less a personage than Elizabeth Regina, there can be little doubt that 2018 and the early months of 2019 were our 'anus horribilis'. But that is now behind us (almost...some messy legal stuff is still in train) and we are well and truly back on the road again.

Once the majority of the dust had settled after the death of Liz's mother, Liz and I had the pleasure of spending a few weeks in March-April with our grand Victorian friends, roaming around beautiful Yorke Peninsula. They were putting their new van through its 'sea trials' in preparation for the trip north this winter and were more than happy to spend time showing them around this well kept SA secret (or so we have been told by many we meet!)

We spent a couple of days at Edithburgh before moving on to Marion Bay for a week and thence north to the top end at Port Hughes. Liz and I stayed on here once Rhonda and John had left. We were giving some thought to possibly moving to this area once our roaming days were over, but after having a good look around, have since shelved that plan for a number of very practical reasons.

We returned briefly to Windsor Gardens in mid April for the last of a few medical appointments and for Anzac Day, where yours truly unexpectedly found himself (by default) tasked with leading my UN contingent in the march through the Adelaide streets. 

It had been almost 40 years since I had been barking drill commands at a squad of hapless young Police cadets. Practice was needed....Liz dined out for some time on the sight of your scribe pacing up and down under our awning muttering 'eyes right', 'halt' and other necessary orders to make sure they were given as the correct foot hit the ground (there is much more to good drill than any who have not participated could imagine!). It was worth the effort.....all went well on the day and I did not embarrass me or our group in front of thousands. But it was thirsty work!

For the first time on record neither Liz nor number one son Cameron came into the city for the event which left yours truly to participate at will in the 'after march fluid recovery sessions'. I did so with gusto at my old stamping ground the Combined Ex-Services Mess, where, as so often happens, 'one thing led to another'.

Our plan to have a lay day on 26 April was again a smart move, but by late that afternoon I had managed to pull everything down. We were all shipshape (as was I!) and ready for an early departure the following morning.

I find it a little difficult to describe just how good it was to again be back on the road with no end date or pressing family obligations in sight. The gypsy in both of us, which had been tightly bound for the past year and a bit, had been released. The Marshies were indeed Mobile!

The smallish mid-north SA country town of Crystal Brook was the target for our first day out. Liz was keen to catch up with an old work colleague who now makes this town her home, and I had, in days of yore when working in this area from time to time, been most impressed with what I saw of the local caravan park.





The run north up the Port Wakefield Road was so familiar I suspect the Cruiser could have almost done it hands free, and after just over 100 kms, the rather grand and very picturesque town sign slipped by.






The highway through town, lined as it is with service stations, two bakeries and other assorted food outlets, was its usual busy self. A stop here when coming or going from the north of the State or Yorke Peninsula is almost mandatory in the minds of most travellers, but we had no need of fuel or a freshly baked pie or pasty. We pushed on without stopping.


  






Crystal Brook lies a few kilometres to the east of the Princess Highway (the A1), the main road north out of Adelaide,












where the approach to the town centre takes those arriving here past a rather spectacular stand of large pine trees.














From here we drove in past the small CBD and on to the other end of town where this very neatly painted sign told us we had reached the park entrance road,











which took us down a gentle slope under an avenue of gum trees to the park office below.














Here another set of signs, equally neat and informative as the first (these were a real feature of this park) directed me to the booking in lane








where I came to a halt opposite a group of park cabins and the row of vans backed up along the southern creek bank. The sites in this very well organised park are laid out on both sides of the small stream from which the town takes its name.









Because we had asked for a large drive-thu site, we were directed to the other side of the all but dry brook
















where we were soon set up with a minimum of fuss on a very large site with good gravel surface underfoot. 





As may have already been obvious, huge gum trees are another feature of this charming park, but past experience has left me very shy of parking directly beneath any of them lest we become victim of a sudden bough drop. There were no such problems here, and as this shot shows, the camp kitchen was no more than twenty metres away.





Here again, the little council owned Crystal Brook Caravan Park punched well above its weight. The almost fully enclosed camp kitchen was spotlessly clean. One end housed the stove, sink, fridge etc.











whilst at the other end  two BBQ plates stood ready for use. Three large tables and plenty of chairs completed the picture.





I was quick to take advantage of these facilities on the second night of our stay....and no, I was not feeding an army (as many have commented in circumstances such as this). We have learnt the trick of cooking enough for two meals on these occasions. Sausages and patties reheat very well in the micro wave, so why not?









A short footbridge took us across the creek to the amenities block which was on the other side of the park.









Those currently in use were old but perfectly functional, but any who pull in here in a few weeks,













will have the benefit of a brand new ablution block which is currently under construction.






What a real pleasure it was to find that this park was every bit as good as it had appeared to me from the road (and something of a relief given how I'd sung its praises to herself). Excellent, level sites, with good large gravel under foot where there was no grass, magnificent stately gum trees throughout, and first class facilities, and a most obliging, hard working manager, all make this a spot to remember. The very smart signage which greets new arrivals is no coincidence and sets the tone for what is to follow.

A SURPRISING FIND EN ROUTE TO ADELAIDE - COONALPYN (APRIL 2018)

Well, now that we are back on the mainland it is time for another 'electroinc fast forward'. After spending yet another brief but most enjoyable sojourn at Mouth Martha, the time had come to make our way back to Adelaide.

We took the familiar route west along the Western and Dukes Highways, through the Wimmera region and into South Australia via Bordertown and beyond. We revisited Dimboola for our first overnight stay and then had to make the decision as to a destination for our second stop-over. Because we were travelling over the Easter long weekend, many parks on our list of options close to Adelaide were fully booked out, so we decided to take a punt on the small Dukes Highway town of Coonalpyn. What a good choice that proved to be.

You may remember from previous offerings, this is the town which put itself on the map with the first of the 'silo paintings', huge murals decorating the massive grain silos in the centre of town. 

Reports we had gleaned from various sources suggested that the council owned park here offered grassed and shady sites and that the amenities which formed part of the nearly town swimming pool were basic but adequate.

We approached the tell tale blue sign ahead of us on the highway just beyond the 'CBD' with some minor sense of anxiety but with a 'we'll make do no matter what' attitude.

From the moment we turned off the highway and made our way towards the park entrance













we began to relax. This all looked pretty promising...and it was quite!











For a small country town park, this one is expansive. We hove to just beyond the entrance whilst I did a foot recce before deciding on a site at the dead end of one of the entrance roads.










This did prove a tad tricky to get on to, but once we had settled, we had plenty of room, only one neighbour, no potentially damaging branches immediately overhead,









and a patch of thick green lawn at the rear of the van which provided just the spot for a late afternoon happy hour.













As you can see looking over our rear tool box and heater tank, the pool changing rooms, toilets and showers were but a short stroll across the intervening sward, and the facilities were, as we had hoped, rustic but perfectly adequate.

Although our chosen site did abut a local road, the traffic along here could best be described as minimal. We were as happy as pigs in the proverbial with our decision to overnight here.
















We had passed the silos on our way into town












and later did pause in our wanderings to capture yet another shot of this magnificent work of art which has spawned so many like it around the SA countryside and, as I said earlier, done so much to reinvent Coonalpyn.






And it was when we set off to roam around the town we soon discovered that this has become a place where the artwork on the silos was just the beginning. 








We had barely reached the main thoroughfare again when we came across this fascinating work on the cyclone mesh fence surrounding the local basketball courts.






A close inspection showed us that this arresting eagle's head, cleverly incorporating a road safety message in its title of 'Eyes On The Road', had been made of massed coloured metal tiles attached to the wires of the mesh. What a very clever and innovative piece of work.



We soon discovered similar works like this in other parts of town, but first, a quick look at the Coonalpyn main street (the highway) to find what else is on offer here.

Needless to say, as was hoped by the locals, the advent of the silo painting has resulted in many more tourists now stopping to take a close look. This, of course, has led to the establishment of several nearby cafes,

including one inevitably named 'The Silo'
















and another which, to our amazement, specialises in waffles of all things (an by all accounts they are pretty good).











Needless to say, the Coonalpyn pub, which has stood here seemingly unchanged since the days in the late 1960's when I was stationed as a very young copper in nearby Keith, has taken full advantage of the increased tourist trade,












as has the local bakery. On each occasion we have passed through, all seemed to be doing good business.









Another feature of Coonalpyn, which our stroll around town gave us time to appreciate, is the array of old stone buildings. Local sandstone was extensively used here in the early days such as can be seen in this church,











the impressively large original Coonalpyn Institute building (now the community hall)















and the local RSL.













Apart from the public buildings, many of the town's homes were built of the same material and continue to exude a sense of stability and quite country charm.










But now it's back to the town artworks, beginning with the colourful wall of the public toilet block on the western side of the highway.

This striking mosaic is a creation by artist Mike Tye. He worked with a team of 27 local mosaic enthusiasts who painstakingly cut each tile by hand. The finished wall, which features flora and fauna native to the region, took over 3,000 hours spanning a year, to complete.



Apart from the arresting effect of the end result, this work also contains a very clever twist in the tail. The nearby information board, which amongst other things shows photos of some of the locals

hard at it, also presents this challenge, clearly directed at children, but what adult could resist? We certainly couldn't! 





Like a pair of overgrown kids, Liz and I persevered until we had spotted  the lot. Here, for example, is the bee and the lizard, 










and here the ladybird, which did take some finding! What a simply stunning piece of artwork this is, one which brought so many of the community together (at a time of severe drought in the area), taught them new skills and left the town enriched in more ways than one.








The same can be said about the tunnel which takes folk under the main railway line which parallels the highway. As we wandered off down to take a look I could not help but admire yet another innovative feature of this town park, a public water fountain which is not only of a colourful and interesting design, but also caters for the four legged companions of passers by in a very clever way. If you look at the bottom of the unit you will see a small circle and adjacent knob.








When the instruction to 'press' is obeyed, the dog bowl disc is depressed to form a bowl which then fills with water and allows any passing fido to lap up some cool refreshment.  How good is that, I ask you?












Now to the tunnel, where we were treated to yet another community art project, and another clever play on words in its name .....'Tunnel Vision'.





And here a further surprise awaited us. This project, which involved the children of the town,

was born out of an idea put forward by the local Police Senior Constable. Now that's community policing at its best!








Again, the end result is well worth seeing 
















and has transformed this otherwise functional but dreary public space with an injection of colour and interest.











Of the pieces on display here, many depict local life and the seasons
















and events which bring the community together. These are but two examples.













Mixed amongst the more definitive works we found a number of examples of a more abstract nature,













and again I've restricted this presentation to but two of them. Frankly , I'm no expert when it comes to art, far from it, but both Liz and I were blown away by the variety and standard of the work of the local kids of the area still known by the locals as 'The Ninety Mile Desert'.



That name still resonates with yours truly. When I was roaming around this district in my official capacity (as twenty-two year old) the entire area, which had indeed been unproductive desert country, was being transformed by the addition of trace elements, most notably cobalt. The resulting change went well beyond the expectations of those involved, and today this is, apart from times of inevitable drought, productive cropping and grazing land.




As we strolled back to our digs, where we took a last look at the silos which dominate the town and sparked this remarkable community focus on town decoration, 






we could not help but reflect on the extraordinary way in which the Coonalpyn community had embraced a grand idea and progressed it so wonderfully well. We were also more than pleased with our decision to say here and were again reminded of just what incredible sights country Australia can offer those who take the time to look.