MENINGIE TO COONALPYN



MENINGIE TO COONALPYN = 52km
CUMMULATIVE TOTAL = 2377km
COONALPYN CARAVAN PARK = $16 unpowered ($22 powered)

We had a good rest day yesterday at Meningie - the weather was coolish and cloudy so we sat in the tent reading all day (recovering from a very tough 3 days previously!)  Kouta also spent the day sleeping ...

Now is that not the face of a seriously exhausted dog?

We woke this morning and as we were packing up the wind also woke up and today it was a forecasted south south easterly so it would be a crosswind for us as we are going straight east ... but once on the road the wind was a south easterly and so it was a head wind the whole way.

It is a very quiet road and I think we saw a total of maybe 20 cars today before we got to Coonalpyn.  The road is a bit bumpy but since there is a serious lack of traffic we could pick and choose our spots on the road!



Not much to see along this road - lots of farms either grain, cattle or sheep.  The highlight of the day for us was a paddock of cows deciding to run along with us!
There is a memorial sign about 35km along and it is for the Gold Escort Route ... something about a heap of gold (about 10 tonnes in modern day weight) was transported from Mt Alexander (in Victoria but not sure where) to Adelaide in 1852-53.

what they should have done with this memorial is substituted the stone for gold! LOL

I also noticed along this road my favourite native plant ... Kangaroo Tails and they normally straight up but this lot was really gnarly ...

We got to Coonalpyn at around 12.30 and the caravan park is a community one next to the local swimming pool and soldiers memorial.  No one here at the moment and not sure if anyone else will show.  Plenty of powered sites and shade and since the laundry is open we charged up the computer battery and have gone unpowered.

Not much in the town - the local shop and roadhouse have closed down ... I suppose because Tailem Bend is a little further on.

Tomorrow we have to ride along this Dukes Highway (8) to Keith as there is no alternative road like there is to Bordertown and Kaniva.  It is an incredibly busy road and last year we rode along it from Kaniva to Nhill so it has a pretty wide shoulder although we did look at it today and the shoulder here in Coonalpyn looks okay and wide enough for us not to worry about winds blowing us in the line of traffic ... lets hope the condition of the shoulder is ridable!