Borthwick Memorial Gardens

Stuart Highway runs 2,834km from Darwin In the Northern territory to Port Augusta, South Australia. Seeing as we have passed the geographical centre of Australia and have now left Coober Pedy, we are at the tipping point and are now on the down hill stretch all the way to Adelaide.

DRIVE: Coober Pedy to Adelaide (844km).

It’s a long drive with nothing but desert landscape and spinifex for miles and miles. The brilliant morning sun rises and the light is perfect making for a clear view of the distant horizon. We pass a few eagles on the side of the highway feasting on a dead kangaroo, unfazed by our passing car. Nothing goes to waste out here and the birds are opportunistic feeding on a regular supply of road kill.

Reaching approximately half way on our drive, we pass close to Woomera and a number of restricted area signs on the side of the road. Woomera Prohibited Area (WPA) is a globally unique military testing range. It covers 122 188 square kilometres, 450km north west of South Australia. Its the largest land testing range in the world held under a veil of secrecy and used to test missiles, rockets, planes and other defence technology. It’s like area 51 in the Nevada desert of USA.

The place is so secretive that as we approach, on the horizon is what looks like huge dark mountains and we realise that we are driving into a weather front which suddenly engulfs our car and we are surrounded by fog...! The contrast from blue sky to white fog and dark clouds reminds us that we are in winter and getting closer to the southern lands.

Reaching the end of the Stuart Highway at Port Augusta at midday so it’s about 300km more to Adelaide stopping at Locheil for lunch. Locheil has its own Loch Ness Monster all be it made out of old tyres sitting up in the shallow lake.

The wind and the rain has set in as we approach the outskirts of Adelaide so we both shiver with fright.

Adelaide is the capital of South Australia and amongst many things, it’s renowned for its diversity of wine regions, Barossa, Clare Valley, McLaren Vale and the Adelaide Hills.

We are excited to be catching up with our fabulous Adelaide friends, Kathy, Manny & Bev and staying with Kathy & Manny (the Hatzi’s) for a couple of nights. So we park up the campervan to enjoy homely five star treatment including a real bed, shower, fine wine and a three course dinner. They take pity on two tired, smelly and nearly lost travellers, which is greatly appreciated. It’s always great to catch up with them and we basically laugh the night away.

Now Adelaide is known as the City of Churches and was firstly and foremostly a Christian State established by Christians for the free proclamation of the gospel to all who would live here. There’s no shortage of churches on many a tree lined street and the original stone buildings and victorian style architecture in and around the city is well preserved.

The city was founded and proclaimed as a British settlement in 1836 and was named in honour of Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen, queen consort to King William IV, The area around Adelaide was originally inhabited by the indigenous Kaurna people, one of many Aboriginal nations in South Australia.

There are two rival footie teams here, Adelaide and Port Adelaide but according to Kathy Hatzi a devoted Port supporter, there’s only one.Read more