Author: Ann Bradshaw

The Stuart Highway between Adelaide and Darwin is called The Explorers’ Way and it largely follows the route of John McDouall Stuart, the first man to successfully cross Australia from the South to the North.  He appears to have been blessed with more common sense than Burke and Wills.

When you’re heading for the centre of the centre of Australia, even if it is on a very good sealed road, it’s a little nerve-wracking.  There’s a whole lot of nothing, phone reception if you’re lucky, a handful of roadhouses selling fuel, very little drinking water, dingoes, oh yes … and billions of flies.  Here’s a little guide to the places we stopped at after Coober Pedy.

Marla Roadhouse (220km)

Fuel and a well stocked supermarket with reasonable prices.  Camping – $10 per person and an extra $10 for power.  Bore water which isn’t drinkable.  Good amenities.  Most of the grass is nice, some three corner jacks (see Peterborough post) to watch out for.

 

110km further on is the Northern Territory border.

Erldunda Roadhouse (200km)

At the junction of the Lasseter Highway which takes you to Uluru.

A popular stopping off point for tour buses and travellers and this might explain the exorbitant prices for fuel and groceries.  It does have probably the best grass we’ll see in the Outback and Winston took every opportunity to have a roll.  A powered site was $32.  Good amenities.  No drinking water.  Winston saw his first emu at their emu farm.

 

Curtin Springs Station

Halfway between Erldunda and Uluru.  $40 for power, very basic amenities, showers cost $3.  We decided to camp unpowered which was free.  They have a restaurant and small bar and also run paper making workshops.  From what I can gather, the paper is made out of spinifex and poo.  This cattle station is over a million acres and has sitting on its land, a mountain that’s bigger than Uluru, called Mt Conner.  The only way you can get close to it is on a very expensive tour.

 

A top tip is to do a guided tour around this Botanic Garden before travelling north to Alice Springs, to learn all about the plants you will see on the journey.  I was the only one booked on the tour and a lovely lady called Chris Nayda showed me around.  They recently had a year’s rainfall in two days and, combined with the fact that the local MP is visiting tomorrow, the gardens were looking spectacular.

 

We’re now in Adelaide for the first time, staying at Windsor Gardens caravan park just on the outskirts.  Weatherwise, it’s been a bit of a mixed bag.  The first day we visited Port Adelaide and had beautiful sunshine.

The next day it was cold with a biting wind. I’m reliably informed that Adelaide is freezing in winter as the winds gust in from the Antarctic.

We had a good look around the city which is very elegant and spacious.

The Central Market is a must see.  It’s huge, with hundreds of food stalls and produce from all across South Australia.

Adelaide Hills

The town of Hahndorf was originally a German settlement and it still has a strong German feel which makes it a very popular tourist destination.  You can buy German pastries, German meats, cuckoo clocks and souvenirs along the main street.  Everywhere was looking very autumnal.

The only downside is that with its narrow streets, Hahndorf isn’t really motorhome friendly.

 

 

We couldn’t visit the Barossa without calling into the Jacobs Creek Visitor Centre.  It’s a beautiful setting and they certainly make it easy for you to sit and relax, with beanbags on the lawn, overlooking the vineyards.  You can also learn about the history of the winery and walk along the famous creek.

As well as all the famous wine names, Barossa is foodie heaven.  Maggie Beer’s farm shop is just outside Nuriootpa.  For overseas readers, Maggie Beer is Australian cookery royalty.  There is a huge quince orchard at the farm.  It seems that quince trees thrive in South Australia even when neglected but no-one knows what to do with them apart from making quince jelly.  We bought a jar from a farmers’ market but it would have been better used as sealant.  Maggie Beer has developed quite a few recipes including her famous quince paste.  There is an interview with Maggie in the current issue of the Australian Women’s Weekly.  It was a very interesting path that led her to where she is now.

We stayed in the town of Auburn as our base for exploring the Clare Valley.  There are several walking trails to choose from including the Riesling Trail to the North and the Rattler Trail to the south, and also a walk through the historic town.  Many of its stone buildings are National Trust listed.  It was nice to see all the autumnal colours of the trees which we don’t get in Brisbane.

There are many cellar doors to choose from.  The Sevenhill vineyard is a must-see. It was established by the Jesuits in 1851 and originally produced altar wine.  Visitors can go on a guided or self walking tour of the winery and grounds, visit the museum and sample wines at the cellar door.

The area is also full of olive groves so you are spoilt for choice when it comes to gourmet olives and olive oils.

The NSW/South Australia border is 50km from Broken Hill.

South Australia is the only Australian mainland state that is fruit fly free and if you are carrying fresh fruit, you need to either eat it or bin it before crossing the border.  An official had to check inside our van at the inspection point.