Murray River Valley and the Limestone Coast

It's hard to believe that we'd find ourselves on the road again so quickly after our road trip to Western Australia. We're budget conscious travelers though, and that means we can squeeze in a few extra trips now and then. This time we were celebrating Craig's 41st birthday. That's almost an old man number, isn't it?

Because the weather was grim right around Australia, we carved out a path through the southeastern part of the country ducking between storm clouds and moving as they swooped in. Our plan was haphazard and carefree. We knew we'd traverse the roads near the Murray River and then head along South Australia's Limestone Coast.

We didn't go the fastest route or the most direct one. We randomly dribbled around the country changing our course on a whim. Our jaunty path through Victoria and South Australia meant that I got to add a few more light blue and dark blue pins in my Google Maps Engine record of where I've stayed in Australia. For Craig, it was an even bigger accomplishment as he'd never been to South Australia before. It's a very big country, and we're determined to see as much of it as we can.

The Murray River is a lifeline for Australia's fruit and vegetable community. It's also an important resource for water for the southeastern states. Though not as large as the Mississippi River in the US, the Murray River has a similar aura about it. It is the heart of Australia.

At times, it is a very sad river. Through water manipulation and drought, the river dipped to all-time lows. The lakes at its mouth were dry, docks led to barren land instead of water, riverboat travelers found themselves stuck on sand banks and unable to move. Luckily for many Australians, the river has started to fill again, and we got to enjoy the beauty of camping along side it.

While Australia has many wonderful caravan parks, we opted to do a bit of freecamping right beside the river banks. Our first night, near Yarrawonga, saw flocks of birds in numbers that I'd never imagined come to roost above our heads. It was strangely serene and Tippi Hedron at the same time.

From there we ventured via Echuca and Bendigo, where I did some back room cotton shopping, to Mount Gambier. It was a bit damp and overcast for the normal highlights of the Blue Lake and the Sinkhole Gardens, but we stopped for a gander and ran into a gaggle. 

I'm not a nervous traveler. In fact, I'm pretty brave, but I have to admit that I felt wholly uneasy standing in a giant sinkhole under rainy skies.

Our next stop was Beachport which was a cute little seaside town. It was apparently the ideal place for our tent post to snap. What would a trip be without a few hiccups?  A couple of hours and 200km later, we were set up again and back to camping.

When we rolled into Robe, we were fairly certain storms would wash us out.  Ominous skies lingered and we took in the Obelisk.

The headland at Robe has a cracker of a few. 

Let's be honest. Are those signs pointing out idea camera locations really weren't necessary?

We make efforts to keep our costs down when traveling and places like this are the perfect spot to roll up and have a tailgate breakfast.

The skies lifted and by sunset, we'd settled into the Sea-Vu Caravan Park.  Idyllic doesn't cover it.  From there we bounced up the coast landing Berri for another free camp and Swan Hill where the Big 4 Riverside looked after us. All-in-all, a stellar journey.

Anyone who has visited Australia knows our roads can be exciting. Craig hit a brown snake, but managed to miss the echidna. Lucky for both him and us as I'm not sure our tires would have coped.

Our roads are littered with Big Things too. These giant objects are meant to lure travelers and their wallets into smaller towns. They are sign posts of sorts representing local crops or industry. Some are amazing and some are down right scary.

I've been to many Big Things in my decade here. I don't seek them out, but stop for a photo when I get the chance. We saw the Big Lobster of Kingston which was 17 meters tall...

...and the Big Ram of Karoonda which was no bigger than an average cow.

The Big Orange of Berri was closed.

 The Big Tyre at the South Australia border bid us farewell to the state.

...and the Giant Murray Cod in Swan Hill was a perfect reminder of that gorgeous river - the heart of Australia. I only wish I could have lured Craig out of the truck do to a fisherman's pose with his hands saying we got one that was 'this big'.  I guess that's the one that got away...

Are you ready to hit the road in Australia?

One tip we picked up on this journey is that WikiCamps is a terrific mobile app for helping locate freecamp and caravan sites around the country. I've already started adding my own campsite reviews. I highly recommend it.

And if I've sold you enough that you'd like to move to this beautiful part of the country, Kingston's Big Lobster is for sale. Butter sauce, optional.

happy travels from amy at badskirt.