Out by 10am we arrive at the train station for a ride on the steam ranger train. we by our tickets and then as we are about to leave the ticket booth i mention to the woman behind the counter that this will be the first steam train ride for the kids. the woman explains to me that the steam train is not running because of repairs and so t is a diesel locomotive. i hold her right there and ask for a refund. why would i spend $50 to ride a shitty old diesel engine. No Go! i want the kids to experience a true steam train ride... i guess we will have to wait for it further along the trip. So we go for coffee and prep for our long drive ahead.
We steer for a place called Parhnam which says it is a free camping ground just north of Adelaide.
Along the way we decide to have lunch by the ocean and let the kids play on some swings etc to loosen up a little. Finding a spot near Adelaide ocean line was just about impossible. even the round abouts in the area were testing me with the limits of size etc. Certainly not for a fully laden 25 foot caravan with NSW travellers inside. After what seemed 30 minutes of undecided entry points we found a roadside type of carnival. But as luck would have it South Australia was putting on its normal state of weather for us "rain". shitty bloody rain. everywhere we go it raining. hoe do people live with such a shitty ,gloomy outlook over everything. the beach was bitterly cold with icy winds and raining. crap crap crap. we are beginning to think SA will have one less travelling family and head straight to warmer weather.
Victor harbour had no tram service which we wanted to do. The Steam train was broken, and now the carnival has packed up as we arrive due to no-one participating. Awful time so far for all of us. We did mange to pop the girls on a Cool Merry go Round and we were the only ones on it. pretty sad place in general. but i put it down to weather related let downs. To cold for any more activities we watch the kids on the swings for 20 minutes and a push on their scooters and then back in the "warm" truck to soldier on.
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As we finally arrive at the destination it is the spookiest little town we have been in so far. unusual vehicles all around that the locals have hand made and when i walked down to see the beach it was 1 meter high in kelp ribbon seaweed. like a huge mattress on the shoreline. This area held nothing visually exciting for both me and heather. there was nothing for the kids to do or see. no Internet. no phones. Forget it. Sorry girls we are not stopping here. lets keep looking. 20 minutes more in the car on endless Flat as a pancake roads in the middle of dreary weather to places that looked like they needed some life pumped into them. How people live in these towns is beyond me. Ugly, lifeless and in need of a face lift. we spot another roadside stop on the map but this is just a gravel side road and again nothing here to see or do. it is getting late so we decide a van park it is.
We find a little park in balaclava. it is very quiet very clean and just nice enough for $23. Done we are all feeling better with the stop here.
More excitement tomorrow as we push through these very average areas on our way to Port Augusta.
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| balaklava Van Park |
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