Well, we made it to Keith… mostly

We made the climb out of the Adelaide Hills for the second time without issue and on to the Freeway heading south following the same route where the car last went into ‘Restricted Performance’ mode. Being somewhat lacking in confidence that the issue was finally resolved, a careful drive got us very close to the point where the car last failed. Something inside me was unsettled and, as it happened, with good cause. Just 2KM further on a passing Road Train ‘sucked’ the driver’s side extended wing mirror clean from the car sending it spinning across the road. There was no safe place to stop and we just had to continue.

Having previously had one of the caravan tunnel doors sucked clean off, the score now stands at: Road Trains 2 – Us 0.

Coonalpyn

We made it to Coonalpyn, home of the painted silo and stopped for a coffee and a bite to eat. Coonalpyn is also home to some impressive mosaics located between the silos and car park. Previously Coonalpyn had been the point we had to wait for the recovery truck to get us back to Adelaide but we were feeling a little more optimistic and our next stop was only 65KM away.

We set-off again through open countryside all a pale yellow from recently harvested crops. We were now in new territory once more and eager to see what else is out there as we continue our big adventure.

Keith – We made it!

It was just a relatively short drive from the Adelaide Hills but we had made it, mostly without issue. It was good to get off the highway and away from the northbound trucks.

The Keith Caravan Park is a lovely spot, close to the shops, plenty of drive-through sites and well maintained and we no longer felt threatened by the huge gum trees that were reaching over us at Belair and the greater potential for fire. It’s good to be immersed within a National Park but with the priority on protection of the trees and wildlife you feel public safety is secondary. You only need to see the number of trees with dead limbs ready to fall in a stiff wind to feel more than a little concerned walking near them. Even while we were at the caravan site we twice heard the creaking and thud as a large branch fell earthward. You certainly need to pick you car parking spot with some thought of what hangs above.

Time for a Coffee!!

We can confirm the Henry & Rose Cafe at Keith is just as good as we had been advised by fellow travellers. They bake great cakes and brew a very good coffee too. An adjoining shop sells a wide range of decorative crafts and clothes with a French Country feel. It’s clearly popular with the locals and comes with our recommendation. If you’re heading along the highway, pull-over at Keith and take a break at the cafe.

Confidence levels in the car may be returning but we have much more driving to do yet and more challenging too as we head further south and then over the border into Victoria – our sixth Australian state on our Big Lap.