Tuesday, April 1, 2025

It was a very long day.

I didn’t get away as early as I had planned, probably because I was so tired. Anyway, I was on the road by 8:30. My original plan was to break for coffee at Pinnaroo but everywhere was closed. So back behind the wheel, for a drive past the Big Desert Wilderness (does exactly what it says on the tin!).

The next big place I reached was Bordertown, close by the border between South Australia and Victoria. I thought about stopping there but was so close (in relative terms) to Horsham, that after a pitstop, I kept on going.

I reached Horsham and met Jan in the café she suggested, just a few minutes after they finished serving lunch. We then tried another place, but they had also just finished. We finally found lunch and sat in the shade (until it moved) catching up with each other. I am looking forward to her visiting the Island in May.

Then the last lap to Halls Gap. I was driving down one of the main roads, when I saw a side road also leading to Halls Gap. I much prefer side roads, so I followed it. It turned out to be the scenic route – great I thought. I should have paid attention to the warning that it was unsuitable for caravans. The last 30km or so where driving though the Grampian mountains, on a road that didn’t stay straight for more than about 20 feet. It was hard work, with the added bonus of a steep fall off the road if I got it wrong.

I was glad to reach my hotel. I got talking to Kelly (one of the co-managers), who was so knowledgeable that I could have talked to her for hours.