After a few weeks of camping along the Murray River I really need a beauty day. Or at least a shower and to wash my hair.
It’s surprising how much swimming in a river all day can dry out your skin. And my hair was so caked with river mud my comb wouldn’t go anywhere near it. Not that I really tried. I rarely comb my hair at the best of times, why would I bother when I’m out camping?
After a couple of days at Mungo, with the temperature forecast to hit 45o I decided I needed to go somewhere with water that I could swim in, to cool off. It was a toss up between the Yindi/Milawa-Murray River or the Barka-Darling River.
I decided the Yindi/Milawa-Murray would keep me close to Adelaide in case I wanted to go and visit my mother, and it would probably have more places to swim, and more towns with pubs. So the Murray it was.
Bush camping places
I started at Mildura where I topped up supplies. Then I headed out to Murbein and a gorgeous bush camping spot at Murbein Common with easy access into the river – it was going to be 45o after all. No facilities, private, quiet and peaceful. And only a 5 minute drive into town if I needed to top up supplies or needed airconditioning. I enjoyed it so much I stayed for a few days, just swimming, reading, and generally having a lovely time.
But then it was time to move on. I meandered down the river, following every track that pointed to river access or “…put name here.. Landing/Flat”. I figured if it’s called Landing or Flat there will be access to the river and probably camping. I found some beautiful, peaceful campsites some of which I stopped at and camped. My only criterion was easy access to get into and out of the river.
Some days did get up to and even above 40 degrees, so that river access was a godsend. Ditto the gums lining the banks of the river providing the shade to sit in. I was a bit concerned with the heat that my fridge might stop working, but it did a its job and kept the champagne icy cold.
I found so many beautiful campsites all the way down the river that to spend even one night at every one would take over a month from Mildura down to Wentworth, where the Murray opens up into Lake Alexandrina. While I had that much time I wasn’t really interested in just moving from one campsite to another. I was trying to slow down, to stay in one place when I felt like it. To relax and just soak up the ambience.
To go with the flow.
I did go bush to try to find the corner of NSW, Victoria and South Australia. I’ve driven that way many times on my trips to and from Adelaide and often thought about visiting McCabe Corner. If not now, when?
I’ve been to Poeppel, Haddon and Cameron corners, which leaves only McCabe and Surveyors General. So I looked up the directions and went off track.
Through gates, over corrugations, along rutted and washed out tracks. Between gum trees. I loved it. I hadn’t been offroading like that for a while. But I didn’t get to the corner.
I was following google maps (yes, I know), and it kept sending me round in circles. Oh well, getting lost is half the fun isn’t it. It seems McCabe Corner is only accessibly by boat, so I couldn’t get there. But I had a great time trying.
