Into Adelaide for the Motorhome Show

By the time we left Mildura on Sunday both the motorhome and jeep were sparkling again. The red mud was gone and if you had seen us on the road that day, there was no evidence of our ‘misadventure’ the day before.

Our stay at Loxton on Sunday night was a very relaxed affair. Loxton is a RV friendly town and as such provides free overnight stops, fresh water and if required, power. While not requiring any power or water, we certainly took advantage of our overnight stay on green grass – a luxury in the summer months in South Australia.

Loading the motorhome onto the barge at Swan Reach

On Monday we continued to follow the Murray River and found another lovely free camping area directly beside the river at Swan Reach. Swan Reach was first settled in the 1850s and was originally the largest of five sheep and cattle stations in the area. It soon became one of the first riverboat ports in South Australia and was a loading port for grain and wool.

To get to our camping spot we had to use the cable ferry crossing operated by the state government as part of the state’s road network. We were a little more relaxed about loading the motorhome and jeep onto a barge this time so took the journey in our stride.

Our entertainment on the Murray from our parkup at Swan Reach

Again we cannot believe the free camping locations that have been made available to the ‘gypsies’ travelling along the Murray. We were parked six metres from the water’s edge, had a few trees for shade and there was nothing to interrupt our view of the wildlife, houseboats and paddle boats sailing the river. It was such a great spot we ended up staying there for two nights.  The Captain threw a line into the river and was rewarded with a large ‘inedible’ European Carp for his efforts.

Sunset on the Murray at Swan Reach

We found it very difficult to leave Swan Reach on Wednesday but the journey must go on and we needed to get into Adelaide for the Motorhome and Caravan Show. There is no such thing as free camping in the cities so we had booked a site at the Adelaide Shores Big 4 Holiday Park, about 10km from the show venue at the Adelaide Showground.

This morning it was up reasonably early and we made our way in the jeep to the Show. We thought it was an excellent event and certainly provided us with some ideas of what a ‘future’ motorhome might look like and contain.  Our motorhome is only 2.5 years old but there were certainly some exciting new concepts and innovation in the latest models.

We leave Adelaide tomorrow and head down into the Fleurieu Region. We thought we might have a look at the Wooden Boat Regatta and Boat Show at Goolwa (just east of Victor Harbour) on Saturday.