Saturday, 15 August 2026
This morning we woke up in Morgan, nearly 600 kilometres into our journey home. With another 800 kilometres to travel before we could wake up in our own bed tomorrow morning, we didn’t waste any time having another hot shower (we enjoyed the luxury of a shower before bed last night!) and eating our breakfast early. We even found fresh kiwi fruit at the IGA last night to enjoy with tinned pineapple. We are looking forward to a wide variety of fresh fruit being on our breakfast menu again shortly.
Although Morgan is a historic riverside town on the Murray River, known as South Australia’s busiest inland port during the paddle-steamer era, we didn’t do it justice as we got underway before 8.00am. I think we had both had enough of being tourists and just wanted to reach home. Which may have led to our squabble about vanilla slices?
We continue to be vanilla slice aficionados somewhat (OK, totally) obsessed with country bakery vanilla slices. I wanted to buy vanilla slices from Sharp’s Bakery in Birchip. Winner of Australia’s best vanilla slice 2009, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2022 and 2025 its record is impressive. The problem with this option was that Sharp’s Bakery is only open until noon a Saturday. I suggested that I could ring to buy the vanilla slices with my credit card and have them leave them somewhere for us to pick up on the way through.
Bernie on the other hand was happy to settle for vanilla slices from the Bridgewater Bakery, near Bendigo. This bakery boasts back-to-back wins in the Great Australian Vanilla Slice Award in 2018/2019. Although open until 5.00pm, it was further away and quite likely to sell out of its delicious vanilla slices before we could get there. A surly silence descended with us unable to agree on what to do about securing our vanilla slices.
We reached Renmark and pulled into the Shell Servo for fuel with nothing resolved. Bernie expressed his concern that we would be going out of our way to pass through Birchip. I assured him that this was not the case, so it was agreed that I should phone in our order. I spoke with a very helpful member of staff at the bakery, who assured me that people ring ahead all the time and they usually leave the vanilla slices at the Birchip Café. She even took my number so that she could walk along to the café to check what time they would be open until today. She called me back in no time to say that we would have until 3.00pm to collect our vanilla slices. Excellent, I’ll buy half a dozen please.
With that sorted, we continued on the Sturt Highway towards the border crossing. Arriving in Victoria made us feel like we were getting closer to home, although we still had about six hours of driving to go! We zigzagged through Werrimull to turn south on the Calder Highway (A79) at Red Cliffs, south of Mildura.
At Ouyen we made a comfort stop and had a change of driver. With me at the wheel we reached the turnoff onto the Sunraysia Highway (B220) continuing south through Gypsum and Woomelang towards Birchip. This was the only concession we had to make to call into Birchip. We could have continued through Sea Lake towards Charlton but this virtually parallel route would have us rejoining the Calder Highway at Wycheproof, without adding any extra kilometres.
I parked the truck in front of the Birchip Café just shy of 1.30pm. Since it was lunch time AND the café was good enough to hold our vanilla slices for us, so we ordered toasted sandwiches for lunch. Their toasted ham, cheese and tomato sandwiches were excellent with lovely hot, melted cheese burning the roofs of our mouths. I cannot stand having a toasted sandwich that hasn’t been given long enough in the sandwich press for the cheese to melt, so I was very happy.
With lunch done, and the all important vanilla slices stowed in our car fridge, we were ready for the final push towards Melbourne. Bernie slid behind the wheel again and he pointed the truck towards Wycheproof where we resumed our journey on the Calder Highway. Between Wycheproof and Charlton we encountered a police presence, this time signaling water over the road. It must’ve been decided that the amount of water warranted blue flashing lights rather than just a ‘Water Over Road’ sign or witches hats? We negotiated the water slowly bemoaning the fact that if we had been able to whoosh through it, it may have cleaned some of the red mud off the undercarriage of the truck?? Can’t be whooshing through with a police presence though.
Onwards we drove, heading south-easterly through Wedderburn and Inglewood before reaching Marong to turn onto the Calder Alternative Highway (A790) to travel around Bendigo, before rejoining the A79 at Ravenswood. Soon after we were on the M79 enjoying travelling on the dual carriageway that skirted around Harcourt, Kyneton, Gisborne and Diggers Rest before funneling us onto the Tullamarine Freeway and ultimately Bell Street and then HOME. Bernie was backing the truck into the driveway about 5.30pm to conclude our epic outback adventure.
We are so fortunate to have been able to explore this remote part of outback Australia. Taking a tagalong tour was a great way to do it. Being able to put ourselves in the competent and capable care of Dingo Trax was a stress-free way to undertake our route through the Simpson Desert. We were treated to great leadership, good weather and excellent company as we negotiated our way along the Oodnadatta Track, the Madigan line and, of course, the iconic, Birdsville Track. The desert was AMAZING with so much more vegetation than we ever dreamed of. It is certainly another incredible Aussie Road Trip under our belts.
We have just six weeks now to enjoy the comforts of home. In early October it will be time to load the truck up again, this time for a much easier ‘bitumenised’ road trip to the Sunshine Coast.
