Day 10 Sunday 12/5/2024 Mannum to Mundulla, SA, 19 degrees

Gosh it was nice to be lulled to sleep with the sound of ferries going back and forth across the river. It was a peaceful night.

We cross the river and decide that we’ll pick up a coffee at Murray Bridge on our way through as it is a much larger town. But of course, it’s Sunday and most businesses are closed. In caffeine desperation we settle for a servo coffee which, thankfully is half decent.

Close to lunch time we stop to change drivers at the highway town of Keith. We’ve lost count of the number of times that we’ve whizzed through this town without a second glance. It’s surprising to see a colourful place with a number of shops and streets dappled with autumn leaves. After a brisk stroll we drop into Henry & Rose Cafe for lunch and make a note of it for future visits.

The mural by Julia Davis on the wall of Beyond Words Bookshop is a delight to the senses. At first glance one would think that there truly is a shelf in the wall and every title has something to do with the Keith area.

There are two ways to get to Mundulla from here, we could continue down the highway and turn off at Bordertown, but no, we choose the long way. The quiet back roads. Though things aren’t so quiet in the car as the GPS and Mrs Google argue with the GPS determined to send us down dusty limestone roads. The arid salt bush lands are far behind us, now it’s sheep and wheat, broad acres and big old red gums reminiscent of the landscapes of Hans Heysen. As we reach the beginning of the Padthaway wine region, we follow grapes to Mundulla.

The local Showgrounds are busy with a bunch of women exercising their horses and kids playing footy, hockey and netball. The camping area is in a treed corner of the park with power and water. Spotlessly clean toilets and showers are close by. Woody races back from his reconnaissance of town eager to tell me “There’s a pub!”

There is indeed a pub and a very small, but tidy town. The old Shire offices have been brightly painted, there’s plenty of parkland, a school and a general store. We have a drink in the old corner pub, there’s a spacious covered area out the back with a wood fire in the centre. Families are playing games out on the lawn. Mellowed, we cast aside thoughts of a BBQ dinner and book a table for later. “We’ll be back soon” we tell the lady publican.

We’ve seen the horse riders wandering around town and they’re now loading up. The sun sets over the paddocks and we stroll back to the Mundulla Pub. There’s a fire burning and we have a small snug to ourselves. The window beside us looks as if it has been painted more times than the Sydney Harbour Bridge. I reckon the paint could be holding the whole place up. I count 3 paintings of the pub on the walls so we’re not the only ones to be captivated by this little watering hole. Woody orders the fish and chips and I choose the burger with Hollandaise sauce. The locally produced Farmer’s Leap Shiraz is memorable too.

Accom: $20.00, Fuel: $75.54, Towing KMs: 234Kms