Travel Diary. Day 7 – South Australia

Day 7: Barossa Valley to Kimba

We were surprised today how the landscape was so barren. We drove through extremely dry countryside. Barossa Valley is not too far from the capital city of Adelaide but is basically farming area. Driving from Barossa Valley west we could have been in the middle of nowhere. So close to a capital city, but so far away! Long straight roads leading to more long straight roads!
Morning tea stop in a quaint little town of Crystal Brook with a few shops, a park, green grass and toilets! They obviously work hard a watering that grass! It’s a nice little town.
We kept driving through picturesque Port Augusta and enjoyed the scenery along the way. A bit further on was Iron Knob. We had considered staying at the free camp here, but it was a bit early. We made a sandwich to eat in the park and kept driving. The campground at Iron Knob has everything you would need for an overnight stop, it is a mining town with some history to absorb. But given it was only 2pm, we drove another 89km’s to Kimba.
Kimba is the central point of Australia, east to west. The lady in the roadhouse was incredibly welcoming giving us tips and advice on what to see in the area. The silos are painted absolutely beautifully! We could have stayed for ages looking at all the intricate detail. A real credit to the artist and to the town.
We stayed at the freecamp in town, Kimba Recreational Reserve. A great camp away from traffic noise and even has showers $1 for 2minutes. Please leave a donation at camps such as this.
Dinner tonight was prepared this morning using our Shuttle Chef Thermal Cooker. Chilli Con Carn and fluffy white rice was ready for us after our showers.
Unfortunately, we are still craving a campfire. We have been through extreme heat heading south. When we arrived south there were restrictions as it is so very dry. We head further west tomorrow and have our fingers crossed. We are really missing the campfire experience. We usually make it a daily occurrence, but here we are, day 7 and still no fire. We would never disobey the rules or laws of the time but tomorrows planned campsite is looking hopeful! Fingers crossed 🤞