20 August 2024
If the answer is blowing in the wind as Bob Dylan tells us then South Australia holds the solutions to all questions. Does it ever not blow in South Australia? Fortunately the wind was blowing on our back and so our fuel consumption has been greatly improved. Bob Dylan never mentioned that in his song.
The car is fixed and we are back on the road. They fixed the car and gave it a wash. It was probably the most expensive car wash it has ever had. Not to worry we are back and with a clean car.
We visited the Whyalla Show and were impressed by a clever couple making 3D printed dragons, cuttlefish and hermit crabs. We also discovered South Australia is going to use excess renewable energy to generate hydrogen which will be used to generate power when the wind don’t blow and the sun don’t shine. They should have no concerns about the wind because that never stops. We did enjoy sausages cooked on a hydrogen powered barbecue. That would suggest change is happening.
We toured the steel works and saw all the new rail line stacked up. Steel making looks like a pretty grubby industry but it is good to see Australia is making something rather than just digging it out of the ground and sending it overseas. The iron ore used in the blast furnace is mined at a number of mines. The mines come with some catchy names such as, Iron Monarch, Iron Knob, Iron Duke, Iron Knight, Iron Duchess, Iron Chieftain and Iron Magnet.
For future reference we have also explored where the cuttlefish turn up every year. Maybe one year we will bring our wet suits and snorkel with the giant cuttlefish, or not.
Something to be aware of, if you live in South Australia now is the time to get your dog registered. There are signs everywhere telling even the disinterested that August is the month to register your dog.
After a long day of driving today I managed a 5km run along the Murray River, yes in the wind. My other run after a day of driving was on the Nullarbor Plain. So I guess I have run across the Nullarbor, not all of it just 6 kms but it was still on the Nullarbor.
Final observation. Last Log I mentioned ‘those campers’. Well we have reached a new standard of behaviour by ‘those campers’. A chap towing a caravan pulled off the road just in front of us. He proceeded to get back on the road and pass us. It seems while pulled over he had opened his grey water waste tank and as he drove past us he sprayed our car with his waste water. I guess our car did need a wash after all.
Tomorrow we continue eastward and maybe the upcoming Log 108 will be the last for this adventure.
A Traveller's Tale 