Bidding farewell to
our dolphin buddies, we bumped our way out of beautiful Coffin Bay National
Park. We decided to backtrack to Port Lincoln to stock up on groceries (K was a
bit concerned that we might run out of Tabasco) and to buy new and better
batteries to power our fridges etc. Then onward ever onward – we headed up the
western side of the Eyre peninsular. It was a short drive because there was not
much left of the day. We set up camp at yet another lovely white beach –
Walkers Rocks near Elliston. We have
been trying to spend 2 nights anywhere we stop so we are not constantly
unpacking and packing up again – and to maintain that delicious feeling of
ambling around Australia – so we spent the next day pottering around the
campsite fixing some bits and pieces (Bill displayed his superior sewing skills
by fixing a tear in the camper-trailer cover), ran up and down the sand dunes,
collected shells and went for a bike-ride along the dirt road.
Our fellow campers
were grey nomads from all over. It’s mind-blowing, the grey nomad thing – there
are SO many of them and they drift around the country in their caravans, some
of them for a few months but many of them for much longer if not permanently.
It’s like when you first have a baby and stop full-time work and suddenly
realise that there’s another world outside the office where parents pushing
prams all emerge during working hours to take over the streets – while you are
working, you just don’t realise that this alternate world exists. And go almost
anywhere (caravan accessible) in Australia and you will find an army of
retirees sitting outside their vans in the sun, or heading off at dawn armed
with fishing rods, or setting up picnic lunches (with thermoses) overlooking
fabulous views. Whether they have a rusty old 1960s caravans or the taj mahal
of caravans, they just seem to have a great time. While some are sour-faced and
grumpy, mostly they are friendly and relaxed. The kids have happily come across a few kind, grandkid-missing folk who dish out sweet biscuits in their caravans. But what a life they lead! We can see ourselves there already. Indeed, we are already discussing our preferred future set-up!
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