Renmark and beyond -

 It was freezing last night and and I was tempted to leave the heating on but it was too noisy. When I woke after a chilly night (thank goodness I took a rug) I stayed in bed until the room warmed up so I was later than usual getting on the road.

Renmark is a very attractive town with excellent amenities and many opportunities to enjoy the water. I wanted to visit the Information Centre but being a little too early I wandered along the edge of the river enjoying the pelicans and chatting with some locals.  

I met a lovely lady -  Kay, who was a part of a group of Healthy Heart walkers: this group meets every Monday regardless of public holidays and enjoys walking and chatting along the river bank. They were an enthusiastic bunch celebrating good company, enjoying the outdoors and keeping fit. 

The Information Centre was very helpful not only putting me on the right highway out of town but making great suggestions for my days after the Flinders Ranges.

 

 

 Locals are surprised at how many pelicans are floating around - obviously the recent rains have attracted them.

 

I seriously underestimated time and distance today. 

 

I left Renmark far too late - at 10.30 and dawdled too much. The countryside was so varied: kilometres of neat grapevines, lush orchards of citrus fruits and almonds give way to open country of low bushes, red dirt and low coppicing gums.

 

At Morgan there's an historic port and a car barge to take you across the Murray.  It was a pretty slick operation and cars barely had to wait to board for the crossing. There is a huge amount of activity all along the river.

 

 The Goyder Highway travels through a number of small localities and tiny towns before reaching Burra.

 

 This is where I realised I had not given enough consideration to my day! 

 

It is a National Heritage-listed settlement in a valley surrounded by hills well decorated with Wind Turbines.  Founded on tin mining the town is a treasure trove of restored miner's cottages, traditional country pubs, boutique shopping and beautiful stone and slate homes. There is a dedicated heritage trail unlocking the secrets of Burra. Sadly I only had time for a quick coffee! Think old Berrima on steroids!

 

How could I miss this? I instantly revised my plans after the Flinders Ranges to go back to explore. I can drive back on a different route so I am not backtracking and see the Clare Valley too. 

 

So now I  needed to keep moving!  On to the Barrier Highway which takes you to Broken Hill but I turned off with Hawker, nearest town to my destination, at last making it on to road signs. The roads are excellent, mostly straight and quite free of heavy traffic, if you ignore the caravans, and the distances are not huge between them but somehow time slipped away. I drove through Peterborough intrigued by sights and activities advertised but couldn't afford to stop. The clouds were darkening again and  I could see rain squalls coming across the open plain.

 

 

 I love windmills and there were plenty merrily spinning in the brisk wind.

 

The mountains had been in sight for some hours yet somehow I didn't seem to be getting any closer. Finally I turned onto the Flinders Ranges Outback Highway and Hawker was only 10k away. After filling up my petrol and well warned about dusk and wildlife I hit the last 35k to Rawnsley Station arriving at 5.0 - around 2.5 hours later than I had originally planned. Plenty off wildlife and fortunately not even one near miss!

 

 Weather forecast is not entirely promising but I am armed with several maps and suggestions for walks and hoping to go on a 4x4 tour with a guide tomorrow.  As I am a lone traveler and the minimum number of passengers is 2 I will have to wait to see if anyone else wants to go. 

 

My accommodation is excellent, I have dined well at the Woolshed Restaurant and the place is hopping with wildlife. 

 

The heating isn't great but there's an electric blanket!