Day 50

Our pre retirement trial trip- day 50
281 km Holder Bend SA to Walpeup VIC

We had a number of aims today
1. Visit the Loxton Historical Village. Job done ✔️
2. Cross back into VIC. Job done ✔️
3. Set up for the night before the rain arrives (expecting over 20mm). Job done ✔️

It was sad to leave the tranquility of the river, but with a heavy rain band coming through it was good timing to be moving on

Our first stop was Loxton.
We have passed through the town previously but only stopped for fuel and groceries- we had no idea what the town had to offer, and it’s a lot!
Our visit to The Loxton Historical Village took much longer than we expected, the displays have either been relocated or built to replicate the original constructions and tell stories of the region's early settlers. It was extremely informative and well worth the $15 entry fee.
We drive down to the river to see the BIG pelican and the Tree of Knowledge that records the flood levels of previous years
We had an awesome lunch with a great view at the cafe (The Fruit Packer’s Daughters) onboard the Murray River Queen. Built in 1974, it’s been lovingly restored and is now permanently moored and one of the largest Paddle Boats on the Murray River.

We then began retracing our original journey from Loxton back across the border into VIC, time traveling forward, and trying to out drive the heavy rains that were traveling slowly across the state.

Our aim was to travel as far as we could, but also set up for the night before the rains hit, and find somewhere that hopefully would not turn into a mud bath with the rain.

An hour before the rains were due we pulled into Walpeup, in the Mallee region of north west Victoria. 'Walpeup' is derived from an Indigenous word meaning 'big smoke', which is a little ironic given the town is so small you could miss it if not for the silo art in the highway 😜
The RV park has a shower/toilet, power and water available, and requests just a $10 donation, and we were more than happy to stop, stay and pay.

All set up and ready for the predicted 24mm rain over the next 9 hours 🌧️ lets hope we don’t float away 🚣Read more