Tuesday, 14 April 2026
Last night Bernie started feeling a bit frustrated about settling for a lesser lens for his camera so he spent a fair portion of the evening reading reviews on the ‘Traveller’ lens he had set aside at Diamond Cameras and the Canon RF 24-105mm f/2.8L a much more expensive lens! Then he Googled and found some more camera stores in Adelaide, that hadn’t come up on his earlier search, including Camera House which had the lens he really wanted, the RF 24-105mm f/4L. He was able to purchase that online last night to collect this morning. Fingers crossed.
But first, we were up early at 6.00am. I had my shower and then I sat down to eat my berries for breakfast … and they were semi-frozen. No idea why the berries were not frozen yesterday morning after being in the room fridge overnight but, this morning, they are?? So slightly crunchy mixed berries. Then I took my muesli out of the fridge. To be super organised for this morning I had prepared it last night à la overnight oats or Bircher muesli. Bugger, it was also frozen and didn’t seem all that appealing.
Oh well, we’ll buy a pastry or something on our way. So much for a healthy breakfast!!? We cleaned our teeth and packed the truck and pulled out from the motel about 7.20am with the SatNav set for Gawler Place in Adelaide. We started travelling towards the city on the Sturt Highway via Barmera and Blanchetown.
Passing through Truro we just couldn’t remember why that name scratched at our memories. Google to the rescue, it was, of course, because of the series of murders of seven young women from Adelaide in the summer of 1976/77 whose bodies were discovered in bushland near Truro in 1978 and 1979.
We continued through Nuriootpa to Gawler where we were funneled onto the new M2 motorway that runs through the salt evaporating ponds and into the city. Syri duly directed us right into Gawler Place, which we noticed was a No Through Road just as we turned into it. Undeterred, Bernie pulled into a Mail Zone in front of Camera House and left me sitting in the passenger seat – parked illegally – while he dashed into the store to collect his precious camera lens. I didn’t half feel conspicuous sitting in the truck parked illegally in a Mail Zone!!
Fortunately we were not moved on, or booked, thank goodness and, after managing a three point turn, in what was essentially a pedestrianised zone, we were on our way again, reversing our route on the M2, to head back out of Adelaide. Desperate for some food, I Googled ‘Woolies near me’ so that we could take a detour into a shopping centre. We managed to find our way to the Armada Arndale shopping mall in Kilkenny without any difficulty. Walking past a cafe in the centre we spotted their promotion for egg and bacon muffins. That sounded good for a (very) late breakfast!
We picked up a few things in Woolies, topped up at the BP servo on Torrens Road and then headed back onto the M2 before turning onto the A1 towards Port Wakefield. After managing to stay awake all the way into Adelaide, I found the egg and bacon muffin making me drowsy as we motored towards Port Wakefield. I came to soon after we had driven around Port Wakefield to continue north on the A1.
We took a short leg stretch at Bumbunga Lake when we spied a Loch Ness Monster look-alike on the lake. Taking a photo of the ‘monster’ was as good a reason as any to take a short break from sitting in the car. We were probably lucky to see the lake with water in it rather than it being a salt pan.
Soon after we were passing by Snowtown! Another South Australian town remembered for nefarious reasons. This time the discovery in 1999 of eight bodies in barrels filled with acid in an unused bank vault. We were having a bit of a true crimes sort of a day.
Still on the A1, we skirted around Crystal Brook and Port Pyrie before arriving in Port Augusta around 3.00pm. On the way in we topped up the tank again with some premium diesel from the BP. The fuel continues to be readily available if somewhat expensive.
Our next stop was at the J.M. Deli & Bakery on Carlton Parade in Port Augusta. We discovered this bakery on another journey around the top of the Spencer Gulf. They make the BEST salad rolls. We were really hoping that we would still be able to buy salad rolls for a very late lunch. Yes, we were in luck! Although the salad bar was closed, they did still have some salad rolls made up. One ham and salad and one beef and salad and … every bit as delicious as we remembered from last time. Worth the wait.
Out of Port Augusta we turned onto the Stuart Highway. We started today on the Sturt Highway (named after British explorer and soldier Captain James Sturt 1795-1869) and finished the day on the Stuart Highway (named after British Explorer John McDouall Stuart 1815-1866). The Sturt Highway connects Sydney and Adelaide, while the Stuart Highway travels from Port Augusta to Darwin.
Locally known as ‘the Track’, the Stuart Highway is the Northern Territory’s most valuable legacy from the Second World War. Until the war it was little more than a bush track, but the war saw it upgraded to a road capable of carrying military personnel and supplies critical to the war effort north to Darwin, after sea routes to the northern capital became vulnerable to enemy attacks.
As we left Port Augusta we felt like our Outback Adventure has really begun, as we are now travelling on roads that we have not driven before. We made a short stop at the Ranges View Rest Stop to photograph the Baxter Range. It was a our first introduction to the flies of the outback! Something we are going to have to get used to. We made a second stop at the Island Lagoon Lookout which looks out over … Island Lagoon and Erna Island, ha, ha.
Not far from this second stop, we arrived in Pimba which is basically Spud’s Roadhouse and not much else. We turned right onto the Olympic Way to drive the eight kilometres to Woomera, where we booked into the Eldo Hotel. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. I thought this stop was going to be very, um, rustic, shall I say? However, we have a lovely room for the night. The building might look a bit plain from the outside but it’s very nice on the inside.
Steps: 5,404 (3.61kms)
