Day 4: Fri 22 Mar 24

Fri 22 Mar 24 - Berri

Another fresh start; 9 Deg feeling like 6 Deg at 06:00. It was still dark too, so neither of us was in a hurry to step out of bed. It turned into a magnificent clear sunny day reaching 28 Deg.

We managed to score another night at the Caravan Park, obviously coming at a cost, $41.50 for the night. On reflection as I write, I don't know where the day went. After climbing out of bed I went for the most pleasant walk along the Murray, while Noel stayed behind to do her hair and catch up on some washing. On my walk, the birdlife was simply amazing. It's certainly is the place to visit if you're into birdlife photography (Greg!). Returning to the van I had a quick bite to eat, then another chat with our lovely neighbours John and Dot from Tasmania. What a lovely couple they are, having completed two laps of Australia, and making their way to Bundaberg to visit friends.

Afterwards, Noel and I drove into Renmark to Hervey Norman to look at a Star Link Kit. Unfortunately, the gentleman I spoke to on the phone before we drove 20km into Renmark was full of confidence - but no idea. Of the five (apparently in stock), one older generation was a click and collect order, the other four (latest generation) are embargoed until release on 12 April which was no good to us, and I'm not interested in the next Gen anyway. Not to waste the trip, we had a coffee across from the river before returning to Berri where we stopped at Bunnings on the way, and a young lady did a bit of searching and located a current version of Star Link at a store in Munno Para near Gawler. It's only a short detour for us tomorrow, so at this stage we will take a different route than originally planned. I've been contemplating buying one for a while, and after discussing it with Noel (after some good insight from John and Dot next door who have one), we decided there are more advantages than disadvantages in having one.

On the way back to the van, I re-fueled, not because I needed it, but at 10 cents a litre cheaper than yesterday ($1.94/lt v $2.04/lt), it made sense. Back at the van, we had a light lunch, then while Noel had a short nap, I went for a ride through the wetlands along the river to Martins Bend and back through town for a look around. When I returned to the van, Noel joined me for another short ride along the river and back again. At the war memorial, Noel left me while I took a couple of calls from Rockhampton Hospital and Capricorn Gardens Aged Care to provide an update on Uncle. Short story is Uncle is still in Day Surgery (should be Days), and they have no idea when or if he will undergo surgery. Furthermore, the scans yesterday have revealed other nasties which was the purpose of the call from the Hospital. I called the hospital again tonight for another update, but there was no change to the advice given earlier, and Uncle was asleep so I couldn't talk to him.

After dinner, I visited John next door for a farewell drink, then returned to make a few more calls, blogging, and bed, hopefully waking more refreshed. Tomorrow, we are aiming for Munno Para - 17km south of Gawler, then continuing in the direction of Snowtown (Noel says eeek), or Crystal Brook (Noel says yay) if feeling up to it.

It was a pleasant visit to Berri, with the wetlands, river walk and birdlife the main attractions. The Berri River Holiday Park is also very nice, well maintained, has large sites with wonderful facilities and reasonably quiet. Recommend a visit.