Day 4: We box our way across the South Australia border

We got away at a reasonable hour, to the goodbye of our new friends (and their concerned looks about our free camping plans – it obviously wasn’t their cup of tea). We headed north, having to be stern with our new GPS who thought we were better off heading west and persisting in trying to turn us into every farm road heading that way. Persistence won, of course and we sailed into and through Warracknabeal and on to Hopetoun. From there we went east until we joined up with the Sunraysia Highway to Mildura – our path to Ouyen.

So we finally got to Ouyen, whose charms we had so callously spurned on the Big Trip of 2012 in favour of the better-known attraction of Mount Gambier. Well, it is a small place, pleasant enough to have lunch in the shade and get bitten by ants in the process. Then we set off for Pinnaroo, just across the South Australian border, our destination for the day. The road was very good – the Mallee Highway – and it runs between the two Victorian desert national parks. The land is fairly sparse, and mainly farmed for wheat. Just short of the border we investigated a free camp a couple of kilometres off the road, which turned out to be a set of abandoned tennis courts in the middle of nowhere. Along with nowhere there was no-one, and Joke could just not feel comfortable staying there. So on we went. Pinnaroo had a cheapo caravan park, but it was packed. What to do now? In the end we went on down the Mallee Highway to Parilla, 25 kms further on.

There we found a rest stop opposite the pub (and the other 2 or 3 houses that constituted the town). I grumbled about tennis courts and lost opportunities, but in the end we pulled up in between some trees and settled ourselves in. Camps 6 had said there was a toilet there, but the good folk of Parilla had also provided a shower (with hot water!!), all for free. What more could you want? The facilities were new, fresh and clean, so things looked good.

Meanwhile, we had found ABC local radio on the AM band which was broadcasting the Boxing Day Test. The commentary has always been better than the TV one, and we listened with great enjoyment and also concern when it seemed as if England would be in with a chance. We also heard that Kerry O’Keefe was going to retire from commentating after the Sydney test.