Guess who came to the motorhome for scrambled eggs & bacon?

Our tickets for the Sound & Light Show included a visit to the museum in the daytime so after breakfast we packed up camp and drove up to Steamtown to do the guided tour.

Sadly we were all a bit disappointed as our tour guide was not very good. It went downhill from the minute he introduced himself and told us he didn’t want to be there. Oh dear!

Nevertheless we spent the next hour checking out the locomotives, the carriages, the turntable and roundhouse that we’d seen in the dark the night before.

One interesting story our guide did tell us was about a lady Fireman. She was a little tiny thing and all the blokes thought she wouldn’t be able to keep up with he job. However she proved them all wrong and was asked many times how she did it. She was half the size of most of the Firemen. Her reply was always “a little and often”. Meaning she shovelled the coal into the boiler in small amounts but often. The men all remember her fondly. Our guide sounded most impressed that he knew her.

We left Peterborough around 11am and continued our journey towards The Red Centre. We passed through Orroroo and arrive in Wilmington around 12 noon. We took advantage of the dump point and pulled up next to the playground for a lunch break. The two youngest ones really enjoyed the swings. We always appreciate these facilities especially in the little towns we pass through.

Whilst there a local fellow wandered though the park and stopped for a chat. He told us about an amazing lookout only a few kms out of town in the direction we were going. It sounded good so once we’d got going we kept an eye out for the turn to Hancock’s Lookout.

It was a 7km rough gravel road to get to the lookout but it was well worth it. What a spectacular view! You could see the Spencer Gulf and Port Pirie away to the south, Port Augusta to the north and, as it was a clear day, we could even see across the gulf to Whyalla on the other shore. Riley thought it was really cool.

Our journey continued across The Remarkables via Horrocks Pass. It was a winding road but didn’t take too long. We came through the other side and you could see the gulf spread out before you. The other thing we noticed immediately was the 50 or so wind turbines. I didn’t remember them being there when we came through in 2016 so I had to Google it. Sure enough the Port Augusta Renewable Energy Park only began construction in 2020. So far it includes 50 wind turbines and a solar farm.

A little further along towards Port Augusta we passed the Sundrop facility and I do remember this one from our previous trip. Sundrop is a huge solar greenhouse facility that grows produce for Coles.

Once we arrived in Port Augusta we did a drive by of the Port Augusta Sports Club RV Park however it is just a gravel carpark and the RV’s were very close together. We didn’t fancy that. We continued on over the bridge where massive roadworks were going on, creating traffic havoc, and called in to the Discovery Park – Port Augusta. I’m a member of G’Day Parks so it was $36 for a powered site. We were able to get two sites next to each other and we quickly set up camp.

The boys got their swags out to sleep in.

Katie took advantage of having a laundry and got all her washing done in one big load whilst I only had a small load and got it done in the motorhome.

Richard settled in to read his book, Riley chose to stay and read his book and be in charge of picking the washing up from the dryer whilst the rest of us went to look for a supermarket. We’d prepared a list of meals for the next week to last us until we get to Alice Springs.

Back at camp it had rained a little but not enough to wet everything. A little more rain was forecast overnight so this would be a test for the boys in their swags.