The changes of plan continue…..

I had planned on going a little further along the Bight while waiting for that house sit I had scored but life is still living me and so plans once more were changed. I decided to come back to Victor Harbour that morning, thinking I would empty the cassette in my toilet and get my fruit and veggies from the Farmer’s Market held every Saturday in the Rotary park just in front of the Information Centre. I had a feeling that I was meant to go back though I couldn’t imagine it was only to visit the market lol. Funny how your instinct is more spot on than your conscious self, isn’t it?
As it turned out, my time in this part of SA was not yet over. I headed straight for the Farmers’ Market, highly amused by the signs on each stall that told me they were from the surrounding countryside, much of which I had enjoyed on my way to Cape Jervis and back again. What a great market! I got a whole butternut pumpkin for a mere $2.25. Perfect weather coming up for soup, I knew, and I could cook it up in my crock pot next time I was plugged in. I just love pumpkin soup and am constantly adding or subtracting ingredients to give a bit of variety to my meals so I don’t get bored. There was fish there but money was a bit low as I waited for ‘pay day’ to come around after the weekend (another reason I came back to where I could free camp just quietly).
Having rushed my last blog I neglected to mention meeting a lovely couple who own a large working property close by, on one of my trips to that parking bay. It was a wonderful ‘accident’ that happens so often to me, blessed as I know very well I am. They were in a four wheel drive with a trailer on the back in which rode a Llama. Yes it was secured by a lead and the surrounding ‘cage’ that was completely open at the top. They were trying to squeeze in beside me and were worried I couldn’t get out of my door until I showed them where that door is. Not next to the seat on the passenger’s side but a little further back and what’s more, it opened in not out!
As it happens I am one of those bubbly, chatty beings and an animal lover to boot lol. First thing out of my mouth was an enthusiastic hello to the Llama. Forget the humans mate, its the animals I talk to first 😀
He seemed pretty unhappy and the driver, his ‘daddy’ was quick to inform me the poor boy had just been relieved of his balls. Well I guess any male would be a bit shirty about that. At least he didn’t spit at me as I turned to go back into the motorhome (the llama not the man lol). I heard the man say: “Won’t be long” and assuming he was reassuring me, I answered that I was in no hurry. He was apparently talking to the llama, obviously much loved by him, and we all burst out laughing.
The wife then started asking me about my little home on wheels and how I enjoyed travelling alone, confiding it was something she was looking at doing since her hubby was not the least bit interested in going with her. Of course I launched into how much I love my life and where I had been. The hubby said I should take her with me LOL and I politely declined. We all talked for about another 10 minutes or so before they went off to get their groceries and I assured them I would keep their precious fur baby company.
When they returned, the wife asked me for my email address so we could keep in contact and they both insisted that when I come back … none of us realising that would happen so quickly lol… that I must not look for anywhere else to stay because I was welcome to stay on their property. She added that she wanted to talk more about my travels and have a look around my motorhome. I was more than happy to agree to that and I waved them off with a grateful heart. This is just one of the many joys of travelling; meeting such genuinely friendly people with no agenda other than curiosity and a warm spirit wishing to share.
That evening there was a message from a very dear soul sister and friend who I had not seen for at least 16 years asking if I would be in the area for another couple of weeks. Well I had planned on going further west along the southern coastline but I love this woman and was thrilled to be able to catch up. She lives in WA and is an extremely talented make up artist and part time actor. It just so happened she was working on Matilda the Musical as a make up artist for a couple of weeks, including their grand opening. Bless her, she offered me a ticket or two for the Pre-Opening Night, a dress rehearsal to see how smooth their prop changes and acting were before facing the general public. It is an honour to be asked as close friends and family as a rule are the only ones let in.
Of course I said yes; I would get to see her again, though not on the night, and I would get to see a bit of wonderful theatre which is something I do love when I get a chance. That meant of course that going further along the coastline was out. I had to sort out somewhere near to stay on the night as getting a park in Adelaide CBD is a bit of a nightmare and expensive at the best of times, let alone when you are the driver of a 7 metre bus! We were to catch up properly the next day in Rundle Mall so a caravan park seemed to be the only answer and use public transport. I asked in one of my fb groups where would be the best place as googling had only brought up expensive and booked up places. Lets face it when you are travelling in a shoestring budget, big splurges are out of the question no matter how much you might want to ‘do it in style’ on some occasions.
Thankfully I was guided to one that, while not cheap, was very reasonable for being so close to the CBD. I booked in and thought about what else I could do to keep me out of mischief while I waited. Well at least kept me out of trouble of the not so nice variety lol. I couldn’t keep free camping around Victor Harbour though I had not received any complaints. I just didn’t want to take a chance on ruining it for others! I stayed one more night as the next day was Mothers Day and though I was away from home by my own choice, I still felt a sadness that I wasn’t going to be spending it with any of my grown up children and grandchildren.
I took myself down to the little park by the Rescue Marine shed, being assured by one of the volunteers there that since I had parked out of the way, no one would mind in the least if I stayed for awhile. Mothers Day dawned with vivid oranges and pinks that turned into a beautiful, sunny day. I could hear the sound of the ocean as Her waves lapped none too gently at the shore there. What a fantastic way to wake up!
I treated myself to a breakfast that morning in one of the many cafes before heading back to my little hideaway. My policy these days is you need to nurture yourself before anyone else will feel like doing it. If they don’t at least you have enjoyed a special outing, cant be all bad eh? I have to be honest though and admit that I hovered over my mobile phone, secretly hoping one of them would call.
I didn’t hear from any of my kids other than a ‘Happy Mothers Day, you are so special’ type meme on Facebook lol and silly me had a bloody good cry. Really woman, I chided myself, they are all grown up and are parents themselves. What on earth do you expect!! Just then, as if to assuage my pain, I spied a whale tail slapping the ocean just in from the horizon. I smiled through my tears and remembered how lucky I am to be doing what I am doing, reminding myself that Mother Nature Herself was doing Her best to nurture me despite the fact that She too was being largely ignored by Her children! Honestly a good proverbial kick up the butt was in order and I wasted no time giving myself one lol.
After that, I tried not to think what day it was. It is after all mostly a money spinner and every parent/child/family member/friend etc deserves to be loved and appreciated every day, along with our fellow creatures and the Earth who is the greatest Mother of all.
I did talk to my daughter about how I felt but not on that day; to be honest I couldn’t really point a finger of judgement at anyone; my faults are too many for that. It was one of those synchronicity things where she contacted via another medium and opened the subject which then gave me a chance to air my feelings albeit in a deliberately non judgemental way. She said that she too had been largely ignored by her kids and that actually made me sadder still. Why is it this way now? It seems to me that society is becoming colder and more isolating but enough of that; its my adventures I am wanting to share. The trouble with me is I tend to share my feelings too! LOL
The next day I felt quite strongly it was time to leave Victor Harbour and find somewhere to plug in maybe? Well I hadn’t seen Goolwa yet and I would have had to wait for Wednesday to take the scenic train in from Victor Harbour. Even then it would not be the steam engine but the diesel and I wanted to do it right so I decided to drive to Goolwa and investigate the history I had been told was there, along with the Hindmarsh Island whose bridge began at Goolwa.
I noticed I was going past Port Elliot on my way and there was a great showground there who allowed camping for a reasonable price so I decided to stop and see what if anything might take my fancy here. I could always stay in that showground if I liked the place, giving myself more time to check it out.
My first port of call was to find the ocean and take it from there. A lover who still holds a large part of my heart always said I was his mermaid; I guess he wasn’t far from the truth as I need the ocean almost as much as I need the air we breathe.
What a wonderful find Port Elliot turned out to be! I walked up to the coastline, looking for ‘Horseshoe Bay’, an interesting coincidence as I am based at another Horseshoe Bay in NSW. I had this idea that I would find the local café and put up a post that I was having coffee at Horseshoe Bay and wait for my friends to ask me what I was doing back LOL. Well before I could find a café, I happened upon a little walking track that went through the Anzac Park Memorial erected in honour of the local heroes who sacrificed their lives so we could stay free.
I am not as fond of such places as I am very sensitive to energies, especially those from people who have passed but for one reason or another do not move on.
I have to say this park though was somewhat of a pleasant surprise; they had actually planted a long, long row of Pine Trees that had long since grown into huge beings beside which a silver plate resided. On each plate was the name, date of birth and death of a single service man who had died in the first and second world wars. Though I could still feel the presence of a few, I sensed a deep peacefulness emanating from them. I think they were well pleased to be remembered this way; in their own way they were still defending. This time they were part of the beautiful guardians of life on land; the trees give us clean air amongst other things and these would not be cut down in my lifetime or even my grandchildren’s I hope, making them a legacy of life for all.
As I came out of the tree-lined path into the sun, I could see this path continued to wind around one of the most beautiful parts of this coastline down here. There was also a couple of islands out there, a long pier up ahead and of course the never-ending ocean stretching far out into the horizon. I wondered if I would be lucky enough to see a whale or even a seal, as they were known to rest upon the rocks of one of those rocky islands hereabouts.
I could not see an end to the path, was tiring and a tad sore but dare not go back to the café I had glimpsed from the Anzac park just in case I couldn’t find the energy to get going again lol. On I plodded, stopping here and there to take some pictures of the stunning vista, the trees and their plaques and the pier of course. I did find a bench about 20 minutes later and sank onto it, contemplating the wisdom of pushing on. My back was a mass of pain but I am a bloody minded sort and besides, I would be annoyed with myself if I missed out on something special just because I gave in. Yes, I could come back another day but the child in me demanded that I must finish this walk today!
Off I plodded after a short rest, the track winding ever upwards. To set off the discomfort was that ever more enchanting view! Finally I came to what appeared to be a monument on top of that bloody high hill I had been climbing lol. As it turned out it was an Obelisk but yes it was dedicated as well as being used to warn the ships of land via a beacon on its top. A little further along the now smooth path was the remains of the original mariner’s cottage and then to the right of them both a walkway that took me to a semi circle of brick proclaiming where I was. Dead ahead was the point and on the way to it I came across a couple of tourists chattering in their own language to each other. I greeted them, commenting on the beautiful day and matching view and one rewarded me by telling me there was a very large telescope on the point through which I could sea a fur seal and her pup sunning themselves lazily on one of the rocky islands in the ocean.
I thanked her effusively and headed straight for the telescope! Happily I was the only one wanting to look through it even though it is free to do so. I focussed it, swept across the ocean slowly with it until at last I saw them! I must have stood there for a good five minutes, the agony in my back temporarily forgotten in the excitement of the moment. At last! I was being treated to something I so hoped I would see here. As I gazed happily out at the seals, another busload of tourists pulled up. Not wanting to be greedy or keep the news all to myself, I greeted the first couple to get to where I was, told them about the seals and informed them I had deliberately left the telescope on exactly the right place for them. They were so excited that they couldn’t stop thanking me and I began to move off to allow the others to get close while they waited their turn.
There is something so uplifting to the spirit when you know you have given someone else as much joy as you have been blessed with and I found myself grinning foolishly at all and sundry as I babbled about the find and how to see them lol. By the time I got back to that park I was feeling every little pain in my body and I dreaded trying to walk back to where I had left my motorhome parked in the town itself.
Now is the time for that coffee my girl, I mused aloud and headed for the café I had seen earlier, knowing full well I needed to get off my feet and rest my back! The name of the café itself would have brought me here; so imaginative and brought an instant smile to my dial. The Flying Fish Restaurant and Café was an unpretentious sort of building but when you are situated right on the beach you don’t need any ‘bells and whistles’ to give you popularity do you?
I liked it straight away though sadly there wasn’t anything gluten free on the menu. I did brighten up when I found I could have a Lactose free coffee though as I didn’t fancy the side effects of the normal stuff; nor, I knew from experience would anyone around me. The staff were lovely and since I had managed to snaffle a table closest to the beach, I was in heaven. I took my time over that coffee and was not hurried along by the lovely staff, a bonus as many busy places like this one tend to rush you out… bums on seats is what its all about lol, the more the turnover, the higher the financial turnover. One cannot blame them but this time I needed to be able to just chill and my needs were met here, thankfully, and I spent a serene half an hour or so enjoying the beautifully smooth coffee and view while my pain eased up enough for me to continue back to town.
By the time I got back to my motorhome it was late afternoon. I couldn’t think about anything other than finding somewhere to rest my weary bones and I didn’t mind paying for the privilege either as long as it wasn’t over the top. I rang the caretaker at the showgrounds, having been told that was a good idea as it is very popular and one cannot always get in. My luck was still good and I found myself on a flat, gravelly type site with power for $20 a night. The next thing to check out was the showers. Yes I have one but its a bit poky in there especially for washing my hair lol so when I find somewhere with a lovely large space and good shower head, its a real treat and I like my treats 🙂
I ended up spending three days there, a mere 1 kilometre from the lovely little town. I checked every part of the township, delighted to find there was a butcher whose meat was all grass fed and from a local farm too! Further delighted by the organic fruit and vegetable shop which also housed many of the things I use in my paleo cooking as well as local honey! Yum; any wonder I was happy to linger!
Next stop Goolwa. I always try to keep my toilet cassette as clean as I can so of course it gets emptied anywhere from every 3 to 5 days, depending on availability of dump points especially designed for such things. The only downside to the showground had been its lack of a dump point; most showgrounds have them but however there was a public one in the car park of the Goolwa Aquatic club so I decided that was the next place to go
When I got there I noticed there were some extra large parking bays and they were right next to the public toilets.. well not so close as to be right next door of course, but close enough that it would only be a short walk from my home. Hmmm … I emptied the cassette and parked in one of those bays, turning on the gas in readiness to make a cuppa for morning tea and maybe, if I decided it was worthwhile staying, a spot of lunch too!
My view out of the windscreen? The Murray River! To my left more parking spaces and the Aquatic Club which seemed to be filling patrons at a fast pace, leading me to think it might be a nice place to eat that night.
I fancied a wine, something I don’t do often but I had already noted I could park overnight here, indeed it was a common thing for caravans to do so I was told. That would mean I wouldn’t have to drive straight away the next morning….sounds like a plan!