Plains, Trains and Automobikes

One good night's sleep in Clare has really improved our spirits. The forecast for today is more drizzle but it's dry when we gear up and ride off.

Dave confesses he's never been to a winery cellar door before. He doesn't want to spend the whole day in Clare tasting wine (nor do I) so he settles for just one, Annie's Lane. Some cellar doors are a sham because the wine is made elsewhere and shipped back to Clare just for show. Sometimes even the grapes are grown elsewhere. Annie's Lane is guilty on both counts. It's all in good fun though.

The show is soon over and we're riding north. Dave wants to stop in Burra, an old mining town where previous generations of his family once lived. The pie shop in Burra makes a fantastic Cornish Pastie which ends up being my lunch and dinner; miners obviously eat more than average people. We check out the various tourist exhibits and also the local church before continuing north.

We're heading into a large flat expanse of SA desert. The roads become predictably straight and flat. With no trees or hills to obstruct the wind it quickly reaches gale speeds, making it difficult to control the bikes. Occasionally the wind gets under my helmet which lifts like a parachute and makes me swerve unpredictably. Fortunately the roads are almost empty of traffic.

We are stopped at the railway tracks in Peterborough by the Indian-Pacific train. This particular train only runs twice a week and it was blind luck we arrived at the exact same moment it was passing. This chance encounter inspires us to visit the Peterborough vintage train exhibition, which has the silly name of Steamland. The restoration society has had bad luck recently with a tornado destroying the shelter and rain damaging the subsequently exposed carriages. Despite the damage there is still plenty to see. We get a guided tour of the trains and workshops by an extremely enthusiastic volunteer. It was well worth the time.

Our destination today is Wilpena Pound in the Flinder's Ranges and it's getting late in the afternoon with a fair distance still to travel. The roads are chockers with sheep and kangaroos who apparently think the highway is the safest place to hang out. The dead animals by the roadside might have thought otherwise, even if only in their final moments. Dave is in the lead and sensibly slows down but the downside is we arrive well after dark. I was hoping to see Wilpena Pound as we rode in however that will have to wait until tomorrow.