Emmanjay

MORGAN, S.A., Friday, 28th May.

There have been some developments since the last post - mainly several cases of Covid in Melbourne which have prompted our W.A. government to cancel our G2G passes, effectively stranding us in South Australia for the time being. It's not all bad though as we will use the time exploring the Flinders Ranges and other areas of SA which we may not have visited on previous trips.

We left Echuca on Wednesday, 26th May a little after 9.am, weather overcast, and travelled in a north-westerly direction along the Murray Valley Highway, through the attractive town of Cohuna towards Kerang where we stopped at the Bakery/Cafe for coffee. Near where we had parked were two medical people doing Covid testing so we talked to them about procedures, as we'd had notification from the WA Police that we would have to test and isolate after crossing the border - our G2Gs were still valid at that stage. Next stop was for fuel in Swan Hill and just over 40kms further along the Highway we passed the Australian Cricket Bat Willow Project at Piangil

then shortly after, turned west at Tooleybuc on to the Mallee Highway, passing through Manangatang

on the way to Ouyen,

our overnight stop, where we checked out the Victoria Hotel and The Big Mallee Stump, estimated to be hundreds of years old and as a result of a competition is believed to be the largest mallee stump in Australia.

Passing scenery

It was 6 degrees at 6.45 on Thursday morning, 27th May, in Ouyen and we were surrounded by fog. We heard on the news that more cases had surfaced in Melbourne so decided we'd up stakes and leave Victoria while it was still possible and head for South Australia. We were accompanied by the fog for much of the 140kms, still on the Mallee Highway with not a lot to see along the way but we found the place names intriguing

The fog has lifted

Last town in Victoria before the SA border

and two minutes later - the Welcome sign

We stopped at the Border Control where we were asked if we'd been to Melbourne and/or Bendigo and when we replied 'no' we were admitted into South Australia. After surrendering our few grapes and a capsicum to the quarantine station, we drove 5kms down the road, pulled in to the service station in Pinnaroo for fuel, then at the supermarket for supplies, then stopped at the RV rest area where we had a late breakfast, cooked on the barbecue. It was while there that we heard from our sons, on either side of the country, about our premier's decision to close the WA/SA border to 'non essential' travellers and shortly after we had further notification from the WA police that our G2G passes had been cancelled.

We don't consider ouirselves to be 'non essential' anything but further correspondence with the police failed to change anything so here we are in SA, at this stage, for at least another two weeks.

From Pinnaroo we headed north via Loxton, Berri and Barmera to Morgan which is a very fine place to be.

It seems we escaped from Victoria just in time as they are now in complete shutdown, and we will use the extra time here by visiting the Flinders Ranges for the first time and the Eyre Peninsula for the second.

Today has been a relaxing day with a ferry ride across the Murray to the road to Waikerie, some shopping in that town, lunch at the Bakery/Cafe