Kingston Om to Paringa

Kingston Om to Paringa = 48km

Cummulative total = 1076km

I think all 3 of us slept like logs last night - neither neil or I felt Kouta climb all over us to sleep next to me during the night that is how tired and how heavy we slept last night.

The campground was very quiet probably due to the fact that there were only a few groups there.

We thought we would get going early and get some kms in before the traffic picked up - but that sort of didn't work as the traffic was already on the road at 8.30am when we left! we thought being a Sunday that there wouldn't be much traffic especially truck traffic but we were wrong and it was like being on the Bruce highway again!

There is a shoulder and it was a bit rough compared to the road but again we had a tailwind so we didn't mind. Not sure who is out and about but I did recognise a few trucks hauling grapes and going to the places where they make the wine, there was still quite a few b-doubles and off course people just out driving.

Just outside Kingston OM where the road meets the Sturt highway there was a huge winery making place - Kingston Estate and the vats are enormous. The other one we saw was just before Renmark but I am sure there are others around. And again every piece of land is taken up by vineyards - no wonder there is a glut in the wine market - too many vineyards and grape growers!

With the traffic today the cycling was okay - we have to stay on this highway when we got to Mildura so i guess we should get use to it!

Renmark is a big town and has a population of just under 10,000. We stopped at the woolies and stocked up on essentials and continued on to Paringa caravan park. We passed the Big 4 caravan park and next door to that was the Top Tourist both have prime spots on the Murray and both cost over $35 to camp! So we continued on to Paringa. Just before we got there we had to cross the murray and they have bridge - the pedestrians and cyclists go down the middle of the bridge where the train use to go.

I took the photo below from the bridge.

and here I am riding along the bike path. Paringa is just down the road from this bridge and the caravan park is alot cheaper - $25 for a powered site. No camp kitchen but nice water. The reason why I mentioned the water is that the water in the towns along the murray is pretty bad - town water is often a light brown colour and is pumped up straight from the murray - I hope it goes through some treatment plant first. last night the water at Kingston OM has got to be the worst I have experienced - the shower water is a light brown and has a very pungent sulphur odour to it. All the taps were linked to the murray river so all drinking water came from some rain tanks - the park had 3 - 2 where brown and the only drinkable one was marginally better. the water here at Paringa is okay - it is relatively clear and the rain water is good and not contaminated with pollen as some have been as we have come along.

I think we are resting here tomorrow (Monday) we have thought that we might push on because of the winds but we will see in the morning - it is forecasted for a southerly which would mean cross winds compared to head winds the next day! but we are expecting headwinds all the way home now and we have prepared ourselves for it!