Norman's Blog: Across the Murray River

Across the Murray River

We were up early and had left our motel by 7.15. It was a long drive day and we had a ferry to catch. The advantage of getting on the road early is that there is more wildlife to see. Animals tend to be active in the morning and evening but many rest in the middle of the day to avoid the heat. We saw several species of birds. Only those lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time looking the right way had seen wallabies and kangaroos earlier on the trip. This time we saw both from the comfort of the coach.

After a few hours of driving we stopped for a mid-morning coffee break in Coonalpyn. The community is on the main road but it was struggling and the road was busy but people weren't stopping. A well known artist, Guido van Helton, was commissioned to paint a mural on the otherwise drab concrete of the silos. He took photos of people in the community and choose to represent seven children on the silos. People stopped to check on progress.

Another view of the mural. The silos were built in 1965. It has ten silos and a capacity of 16,400 tons. Other communities have followed suit and now there is a self guided Silo Sights that people can drive around the country and see other murals.

A cafe opened to supply the passing trade. A snail farm opened as a community project that brought elder people together and gave them purpose and support.

Another project was a giant mosaic mural. It took 12 months and 3,000 hours and 27 local volunteers to create it.

There is also an art tunnel, it is a public walkway under te railway lines with its walls adorned with pictures.

As we drove on, we left an area dedicated to the dairy industry and noved deeper into a wheat growing area. There were somw patches of eucalyptus. These are mainly Mallee trees. Unlike the eucalytus further east, these only grow to 10 metres. They don't have a single trunk with multiple branches but they sprout several stems from ground level producing a wide open canopy.

There is also a malleefowl. It is a ground living bird the size of a chicken. They don't build a nest but the male builds a mound in which the feale lays her eggs. She has a sensitive beak. She will check the temperature of the mound and if its not the right temperature or out by ore than one degree, she will wreck it and move on to find another male's mound. We looked long and hard but it is difficult to see much when you are driving along the road.

We had a late morning break at Tailem Bend. It has a race tack and a ferry crossing over the Murray River. It is Australia's longest river at 2,530 kilometres.

Another view of the river.

The ferry.

The area we were passing th4ough was full of wheat fields being harvested with large round bales in the fields.

We reached Victor Harbour. The architecture had changed. There was less forest in the area so less timber to build with. The walls were made of stone and the roofs were corrugated iron sheeting.

There is a steam railway that connects with another steam railway that runs along the coast from Victor Harbour. There is also a horse drawn tram from the town centre to Granite Island across the causeway. We had lunch here.