Renmark SA 1st August 2026

 Renmark SA 1st August 2026

Crossed the line and into South Australia. But first, the quarantine, where they come and poke through every nook and cranny looking for fresh fruit and vegetables. Some question about potatoes but it seems washed potatoes are OK, just not allowed to take anything with dirt across the border. 

We were heading for the Riverbend Caravan Park, not to be confused with the Riverside CP, which happens to be right next door. Getting into and out of the Riverbend is not for the faint-hearted, you have to turn hard right at the immediate end of the dodgiest bridge in Australia. It appears to have been a railway bridge which has had a road lane stuck on either side of it. The railway has of corse long disappeared, so you are left with this bridge that is empty in the middle. Drama is when you come out of the van park and turn want to turn right to go into Renmark, some several kilometres away to the west. Now this is a very busy highway, so you pull up from the lower level of the park and wait at the edge of the east bound roadway. You have good vision to the west but its anyones guess what is coming across the bridge from the east. Luckily they have a small slip lane to turn into, but it's hairy enough in a car, let alone with 7 meters of van hanging out the back.

Anyhow the park was great, just a few folk in, no pretences but not rough. Just our style.

Bridge over the Murray. Renmark August 2026

I managed a Parkrun at Renmark, which involves a 5k stroll along the river's edge. Would be pleasant if one wasn't killing oneself trying to stay around the 46 minute mark.

Murray rive, PW Industry. Renmark, SA August 2026

We drove the 15k south to Berri to go to Bunnings, where I bought the signal strength metre for the TV aerial I should have bought in West Wyaling or Woop woop or wherever I was when I had it in my hands recently.  Anyhow, great idea was able to tune the TV aerial and get a great picture straight up; looks like FWAW viewing on Sunday will be OK.

Midura Vic 30th July 2026

 Midura Vic 30th July 2026

The only reason we are in Mildura is to have the degustation dinner at Stefano's two-hatted restaurant. Our last visit was 15 years ago! We ended up in I what I personally thought was a horrible van park, some way out of town. The clever people have put in these round ensuite buildings, so six vans can back up to them and form the spokes of a big circle. Only trouble is that the place just isn't big enough for the vans and the result is that they are all squashed in and living each other's pockets. We were 'lucky' in that we had a normal powered site but as the van wouldn't fit backed in we ended up parked longways. 

Anyway back to Stefano's. You hype yourself up to expect a brilliant meal by a first class chef using only the very best of fresh available local products. To be frank, I thought it was a bit plain really. The first and dessert courses were really nice, but the second, which was pasta (orrechi - ears) and broccoli was not particularly nice , the third totally forgettable and the main, well the main was roast chicken. I could have had that at the local RSL....  I elected to have a raft of wines chosen by the sommelier and one of them, a Cabernet Sauvignon was brilliant, the others not so much. To cap it off you would like a coffee of course, but you just have to understand that they don't do cappuccino, long black, macchiato or affogato. Perhaps it was beneath their standards, perhaps it was too much trouble... Great way to make a dollar though, few drips of brown sludge in a tiny cup and call it espresso. Or maybe I'm just not sophisticated enough for them.

Stafano's Roast Chicken. Ok so it had a fancy sauce and raw vegetables.
Still, not to the standard I was expecting. Stefano's Mildura Vic July 2026

Coffee? Stefano's Mildura Vic July 2026