A little bit of trouble

We loved our stay at Roxby Downs and sadly headed off along the Borefield track, which was surprisingly very good. We cut some wood along the way and hit the Oodnadatta track with plans to have lunch at Marree.

The track however had different ideas as 15kms out of Marree we had not one, not two, not three but four punctures between us! The track was in very good condition except it was stony, which we have learned is bad news for our tyres! As you could guess, we’re pretty disappointed to have new vehicles,  purpose built for off road driving, not meeting that criteria. As well as it being expensive - we’ve had to buy 2 new tyres, it was rather stressful and disappointing to be too scared to go off road. 

After 6 punctures all up, Darryl & Dennis are becoming experts at tyre changing - it’s always on the dirt, giving Tops and I more washing, and getting the tyre up and down is not that simple in these modern cars. 

However, things turned out ok as the people at Marree were just wonderful and even though it was a Saturday afternoon, we got 2 tyres repaired to get us both mobile again - albeit it with no spares. We set up our vans behind the pub and enjoyed a great night - live music, good company and an excellent meal.  

We enjoyed morning tea at Farina as the bakery was open and the hardest decision was which delicacy to choose! Copley was our next destination - this little place has been our fix it place quite a few times and we’re very happy to stay there. The local chap found our tyre was not able to be repaired so a new tyre for each of us it was! It rained in the night and overnight we went from dust to mud!! The creeks towards Hawker were flowing and the road was closed for a while - we saw the bus being recovered from being stuck earlier in the day. 

The magnificent Flinders Ranges were veiled in low cloud and it looked like it would rain all day.

So we decided to come over to Spencer Gulf and have set up at this lovely park at Port Germein. Then we realised a long weekend is coming up, so rather than try and find another location, we extended our stay for another 6 nights. We did have to move sites but the owners were very considerate and accommodating. It’s a lovely spot here and we will be able to visit Port Pirie, Port Augusta,  and inland to places like Melrose and have even booked a trip on the iconic Pitchie Richie train at Quorn. The long jetty also means there could be some fishing! 

We are sure we’ll be happy here and next blog will tell our adventures in this neck of the woods. Happy long weekend to everyone ❌❌❌❌❌from the travellers.