From Andamooka to Woomera

To get the dictionary out of the way, Andamooka is a hot, unforgiving little town 600 kilometres north of Adelaide in amongst opal fields. Many local stakeholders live in dugouts to escape the heat and, if you ask, you may get permission to search for opals on the mullock dumps. Woomera hasn’t much to offer. It was once the site for British rocket launches (‘woomera’ being an Aboriginal spear thrower), but is now more associated with the notorious detention centre for asylum seekers. One day it could be quite a tourist attraction – in the same way Dachau in Germany is. Busloads of people will arrive and shake their heads in shame and disbelief. Every country has its warts, but this episode in Australia’s history is more a cancer.

Now, let’s head to the bottom eastern corner of the map. Entering South Australia from Victoria, the border goes pretty much unnoticed and, travelling west along the coast road, you can’t help but bump into Mount Gambier. It’s a large town pretending to be a city (or maybe it’s the other way round) and is home to the mysterious Blue Lake. This large crater lake sits up the hill from the main town and supplies the population with water. Every November, over a few days, the lake changes from a greyish blue to brilliant turquoise and then returns to its winter colour in March. For the adventurous, another attraction is to dive the Engelbrecht Caves.

Penola, half way between Mt Gambier and Naracoorte, has some fine examples of 1850s slab and timber cottages in Petticoat Lane but is mainly known for Mary MacKillop. Here’s a nice irony: having taken her vows of poverty and chastity, Mary MacKillop was also against the ‘demon drink’, yet she befriended John Riddoch who founded the Coonawarra wine industry. And it’s that link that takes us around 8km north of Penola. The Coonawarra has to be the most accessible wine-producing area for those who want to sample some great grapes. The region is famous for its full-bodied reds. Either side of the straight road are around 20 wineries offering cellar-door tastings. It’s a Disneyland for tipplers with the big names including Riddoch, St Hugo, Limestone Ridge, St George, Jamieson’s Run and Rouge Homme, along with many boutique wineries. Unlike the Barossa or the Hunter where you can travel a bit between wineries, these are pretty much back-to-back. The landscape brings Noel Coward to mind: ‘Very, very flat, please send alp’.

It’s only a short hop north to Naracoorte and the World Heritage limestone caves. In my opinion, Naracoorte should be considered the heart of this region, rather than Mount Gambier. It’s usually a few degrees warmer than down south, and it’s a big enough town to have both country relaxation and some nightlife (population around 5000). It’s about an hour from the coastal town of Robe (west), Mount Gambier (south), Horsham in Victoria (east) and Keith to the north. Mind you, someone told me that a popular souvenir there is a t-shirt that says, ‘I’ve been to Keith and it was closed’. Having passed through Keith a few times, it’s the sort of place designed just for that – passing through. If you do stop, the former Congregational Church has 11 locally made leadlight windows telling the town’s pioneering history.

You need a full day to do the Naracoorte Caves justice. The self-guide Wet Cave will give a feel for what’s there, but also allow time for Blanche and Alexandra caves, which have spectacular stalagmites and stalactites. There’s a high-tech bat-viewing interpretive centre (and nightly bat tours) and, in school holidays, fossiling for kids.

My spell check says fossiling isn’t a word but, whatever, it’s a well-run activity where kids become palaeontologists for a couple of hours, while Mum and Dad can either join in, explore a cave or two or have a coffee in the civilised little restaurant.

My yardstick on attractions is the children’s boredom factor. My two (aged 9 and 5 at the time) showed no sign at all over more than 6 hours.

Just south of the Naracoorte Caves is Bool Lagoon Game Reserve, a must for birdwatchers. Back in town, the Naracoorte Museum has more than 100 collections, including butterflies, artefacts, gemstones, clocks, bird eggs, antiques, guns and horse-drawn vehicles. Local reptiles, including venomous snakes, lizards and turtles can be viewed in outdoor enclosures and under glass. For those not familiar with Australian snakes: of the world’s ten most venomous, Australia has them all. Naracoorte is about three-and-a-half hours from Adelaide, but we’ll head west to the coast.

Robe is one of South Australia’s oldest and prettiest towns. Nestled around Guichen Bay, it’s a sort of quaint fishing village for yuppies. There are fine old stone cottages with plenty of fine dining for the café set. The coast is rugged, yet there are plenty of good, secluded beaches. During the Victorian gold rush in the 1850s, 16 500 Chinese men landed here and travelled overland to the goldfields to avoid the Poll Tax. You see, boat people and tax dodgers are not just a recent occurrence. Other picturesque seaside villages include Beachport, Kingston and Port MacDonnell. The Coorong (a shallow lagoon in Coorong National Park) has abundant birdlife with over 240 recorded species.

For further sampling of the coast, head to Goolwa, Port Elliot or Victor Harbour. It’ll take a while to get there from Robe; it’s quicker from Naracoorte to head to Adelaide and turn left at Tailem Bend. Like Keith, Tailem Bend is not what you’d call a ‘destination’, although it’s a lively enough (or depressing enough) place to warrant a syringe receptacle in the park’s public toilets.

You can take the punt across the Murray and head through the wine region of Langhorne Creek to delightful Strathalbyn and on to Goolwa (see Fleurieu Peninsula).

The mighty Murray River can be explored by car or boat. This is a serious river, up there in length with the Mississippi, Amazon, Nile and Zambezi rivers. Houseboating on the Murray is a wonderful experience for the scenery and the relaxation. Most people pick up the ins and outs of skippering their own boat in a simple lesson, or you can take 2, 3 or 5 night cruises on the Proud Mary. The river area is rich in wildlife: kangaroos, emus, wombats and numbats, as well as the lesser known woylies and boodies which, in case you’re wondering, are like burrowing bettongs or tungoos.

You can pick up a houseboat at Murray Bridge. It’s not the prettiest of towns and, unless you live there, it’s probably best to follow the river’s advice and just pass through. However, wandering the main street and dropping into one of the pubs will provide an insight into life in a country town.

The nearby Monarto Zoological Park is worth a look. The 1000-hectare sanctuary has one-hour guided safari bus tours through habitat areas where rhino, giraffe, cheetah, zebra, bison and ostrich roam free.

And across to Bordertown, which is actually 18 kilometres from the border. Bordertown’s main claim to fame is that former Prime Minister, Bob Hawke, was born there. In fact, I think it’s announced as you enter the town: ‘Welcome to Bordertown, birthplace of Bob Hawke’. If not, there must be statues or plaques around town because I certainly came away knowing where Bob was born (his childhood home is in Farquar Street). And isn’t that a curious thing: the pride a town can have for an accident of birth?

Apart from the makes and models of the cars, a video outlet and a couple of bank closures, the town probably hasn’t changed much since young Bob was being wheeled up the main street in his stroller. It’s a sleepy little town where you can feel very much at home, circa 1958. It’s a place where, if you asked a local, ‘Have you lived in Bordertown all your life?’, you’d expect the reply, ‘Not yet’.

Postscript…

My sister and family live in Adelaide, as do some close friends. And they live their because they choose to – for the lifestyle South Australia has to offer. The weird thing is though, I bet they haven’t seen half the attractions described above. It’s a funny thing about human nature – you look at things differently when you become a tourist. On and off, I’ve lived in Sydney for more than 30 years, but it wasn’t until I started researching this book that I realised I hadn’t had a good look at Sydney for a long time. So, there’s a tip for a cheap holiday if you live in a city. Stay at home but use every day to visit the tourist attractions you haven’t seen, eat at restaurants you haven’t tried, drop in to an unfamiliar beach and treat yourself to some theatre.

More Information

For more information about South Australia:

• Events And Festivals
• Accommodation
• To See And Do
• Adelaide
• Barossa Valley
• Clare and beyond
• Fleurieu
• Kangaroo Island
• The Outback

South Australia Tours With Tours To Go