When I left Lobethal my plan was a short drive south to yet another famous SA wine region, Langhorne Creek. It took ages to pack up camp cos it was drizzling and everything was wet. Not only that but l had connected with a few people while doing my BlazeAid stint and had some farewells to bid. I finally hit the road around 1pm, bound for Frank Potts Reserve, a spot recommended by a couple of Adelaide locals from camp. It was located at the town of Langhorne Creek and across the road from Kimbolton Wines and The Winehouse. Very convenient! I was only planning an overnight so stayed attached. It was a pretty little place and fairly popular, with several other campers in. The drizzle that had persisted in the Adelaide Hills had dissipated as l made my way, through stunning scenery, to lower pastures, and the weather was lovely at Langhorne Creek. James and I settled in to a flat, shady spot at Potts.
Late in the afternoon James and I wandered across the road to the Kimbolton cellar door. There were three guys in there visiting as well - one old and two young. Whilst tasting we got talking, about what we were drinking among other things, and I discovered one of the youngies, Jeremy, was also camped at Potts. I bought a red before strolling a bit further up the road to The Winehouse which is also the home to the Meechi Brewing Company. The lady behind the counter was lovely and we got into some really interesting dialogue, while, of course, I tasted wines (not the craft beer). The establishment showcases Ben Potts wines as well as John Glaetzer's (formerly the winemaker for Wolf Blass). John's Blend was the yummiest and most expensive, and to my surprise and delight the lady gave me the opened tasting bottle which was two thirds full. Woohoo! Ah, I did buy a bubbles there as well...
As I walked back into the reserve I ran into Jeremy and invited him over to partake of my booty. It was really nice to share the bottle and some conversation, mostly about travelling, which we were both doing solo with our fur babies. By the time it got dark I had met two other ladies who were both by themselves, and a couple in a huge bus. It was fun.
FRANK POTTS RESERVE gets a 3.5. It's a small, flat, shady space nestled between the main road (very quiet at night) and Langhorne Creek about 1km out of town. It's really an overnighter rather than a destination, but a good one, and handy to a couple of local haunts. Dog friendly, good TV and phone, drop dunny and feels safe. I liked it.
Next morning I pulled up stakes and drove up the road for less than an hour to Sturt Point Lookout on Lake Alexandrina. Given my home is on the mighty Murray river, not far from the source, I was keen to see how it ended up near it's final destination. The beauty of the Adelaide Hills and the lushness of Langhorne Creek faded quickly as I moved into the flat, bland grassland which bordered the lake. When I arrived at Point Sturt after 10 km of average rocky road on entry, I was not that excited about the space. It wasn't all that scenic and it was windy as buggery. So much so that not only couldn't l really go out of the van by day or cook outside, but during the night l was shitting myself that the van would blow off the precipice!
While I did meet some nice people there (including the dad of the girl who works the Clydesdale-driven train on the rail link connecting Victor Harbor to Granite Island), by morning I was ready to go. It was a bit of a disappointment. I was expecting more. Ah well....
POINT STURT LOOKOUT is, or was, sooo windy. It's very exposed, has no facilities other than phone and TV and while it felt safe with others there it was remote. 2.5 is my rating.
However....my next discovery was the southeastern coastline of the Fleurieu Peninsula. OMG it is beautiful. There are no coastal free camps available so my next cheapest option was Port Elliot Showground located a couple of kms from the beach. I opted for an unpowered site, not so much for the $5 saving per day but more so cos it meant l could set up away from others and try to get away with not tethering James. That worked a treat! We stayed 5 nights.
During that time we did lots of walking and sightseeing on the fabulous coastal trails between Goolwa and Victor Harbor (Port Elliot is roughly in the middle), and drives into the hills surrounding and coastlines bordering. Stunning! I loved it.
We drove across the relatively new bridge from the historic and quaint township of Goolwa to Hindmarsh Island from where we could see across to the mouth of the Murray which has to be dredged constantly at, I might add, a cost of $6 million dollars per year. Fuck me!
I visited Granite Rock (without James...no dogs due breeding fairy penguins) which is connected to central Victor Harbor via a bridge. It showcases some great sculptures.
Saturday we drove into the hills behind the coast to Myponga via Hindmarsh Falls. From there it was a short hop to Willunga which has a fabulous Saturday market with great wine tastings. You beauty! On the way back via Mt Compass I dropped into an op shop and picked up a couple of $2 bargains. Yay!
We went to the local beaches a few times and loved the sun, surf and vibe.
I even visited the Victor Harbor Golf Course and checked out the first tee. Mmm....a bit hilly for a Yarrawongan.
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