Let’s start with a bit of context:

1. Lately, I’ve noticed some strange quirks with the instrument panel on the MU-X. The most alarming incident happened Friday—just as I pulled up at the traffic lights, the dash lit up with warnings, and the car promptly shut itself down. I barely had time to read the errors before the guy behind me lent on his horn. Panic set in as the MU-X wouldn’t restart; it wasn’t in park, so I couldn’t cycle the ignition. After some wrangling, I got it into park and restarted. Damn modern tech!
2. On the health front, we’d been hit hard. Joel had taken a sick day from school with cold symptoms. Then Edie, Rebekah, and I all went down with similar symptoms. We figured Joel had kindly shared his germs with the family.

Saturday: Battery Blues and False Starts
With everything packed and the camper hooked up, I ran a final check—confirmed the camper battery was charging from the car. All good. I ducked inside, rounded up the family, and went to start the car. Nothing.
The dash lit up like a Christmas tree: system malfunction, key error, and a bunch of other warnings. The manual helpfully advised, “See dealer.” My heart sank—weekend plans to Young looked dead in the water.
I disconnected the trailer: lights, brakes, and charging circuits. Still no luck. Then it hit me—maybe it’s the battery? Grabbed jumper leads and hooked the MU-X up to the Triton. It gave a half-hearted crank. That was enough to convince me the battery was toast. After leaving the Triton running for a bit, I tried again. Third time lucky—it started!
Straight to Mitchell to get the battery tested. Turns out it had dropped 200CCA. I didn’t muck around and asked for the biggest replacement they had. Unfortunately, they were out of the SS75TX, so I went with the next best: an SS66TX 4WD battery, boasting 920CCA (up 320 from the original). $300 later, we were finally on our way. Well, to the servo and McDonalds!

Heading to Young
The drive was uneventful, aside from on-and-off rain and icy winds. We stopped briefly at Boorowa to stretch our legs and visit the old courthouse (now the info centre). Picked up a few brochures and pressed on.
We made a quick detour in Murringo to photograph the beautiful Christ Church (built in 1866, designed by Alberto Dias Soares). I have added the photo of the church to Flickr, and have added a historic newspaper article about the laying of the foundation stone. Additionally, I have added the newspaper article, which is the closest I could find to the opening of the church.
​The town is dotted with historic buildings—we’ll definitely return for a proper explore.
Young is just 25 km from Murringo, so before long, we were pulling into the caravan park. Since the camper had been out of action for over a year, we didn’t want to risk off-grid camping again  just yet. Staying at a powered ensuite site gave us a soft reintroduction and some much-needed creature comforts. The camper’s electrics behaved, but the electric 240v heater was vital—nights were bitter. A diesel heater is now on our “must buy” list.

Settling In (Sort Of)
After setting up, we popped into town for a few supplies, then stopped at the old railway station so I could snap a photo of the Welcome to Young sign. Dinner followed, then an early night—sort of.
It was freezing, so the electric heater kept us cosy until bedtime. After that, it was doonas, blankets… and Edie. She flat-out refused her bunk and wedged herself between us. Score: Edie 1, Parents 0.
Around 2:00 AM, Joel appeared, wide awake and unable to sleep. Our bed was already at capacity with two adults, a child, and a Chihuahua. I convinced him to head back to bed with a book or his tablet. Thankfully, he did. Joel 0, Parents 1.

Sunday: COVID Curveball
At 3:00 AM, Edie’s constant wriggling finally drove me out of bed. I ended up watching a couple of episodes of Clarkson’s Farm and Welcome to Wrexham. The rest of the family slowly surfaced by morning, all of us feeling fairly average.
First stop: the chemist. Edie was full of snot and needed something to ease her symptoms. We just managed to get there during the one hour it was open (yes—just one hour!). Rebekah grabbed Benadryl and, for good measure, a couple of Rapid Antigen Tests (RATs).
While I popped into the information centre to grab a Young Heritage Walk guide, Rebekah did a test. Positive. She suggested I take one too. Sure enough—positive. That would explain the “cold” symptoms. We decided to test the kids next. Back to the chemist for more RATs. Edie—positive. Joel—negative (somehow).
​Three Out of Four—That’s Not Too Bad, Right?

Touring While Crook
Despite the weather and COVID revelation, we decided to do a bit more sightseeing—by car. We admired old homes and buildings, then headed out to the Chinese Tribute Gardens. A quick comfort break and a couple of rushed photos between squalls, then it was back to the caravan to huddle under blankets and feel sorry for ourselves.
That night, Joel crashed early with a fever. I took over Edie’s bunk (she still refused it—Edie 2, Parents 0). Joel woke at 6:00 AM, disoriented and thinking it was evening. He’d slept 12 hours straight but had sweated through the bed.

Monday: Homeward Bound
We dragged ourselves through breakfast, packed up slowly, and were mostly done by 10:00 AM—right when the manager came knocking. He wanted the ensuite cleaned immediately, despite no cleaner being in sight for the next 45 minutes. A bit rigid, but we moved along anyway, using the ensuite as a dry packing spot due to the rain.
Joel dozed off again in the car and barely stirred on the drive home. Quick stops in Boorowa (for drinks) and Yass (for fuel), and we were home by 1:00 PM. We unpacked, aired out the camper, hung up wet gear, and I made a trip to collect the cats from the cattery—another hour round trip.

Final Thoughts
Despite the cold, the wet, the dodgy battery, and catching COVID—we really liked Young. It’s a charming country town with a lot of history and character. We’ll definitely be back… preferably when it’s warm, dry, and we’re not all sick!

At Kambah shops, thereptile shop commissioned this mural.
I really like the contrast between the tiles, slatted ceiling, ​and the fluororescent mural.

Expanding my line of clothes, I designed this Explorerist photography truckin hat. It cost a bomb, and was made in the UK. But all in all, I think it worked out cheaper than getting it from Australia. ☹️
My ultimate goal, would be to have one 3D embroided, with a slightly larger emblem, but I am unsure whether I could afford to get one made up.

Photos from a road trip from South Australia to Merimbula. This section is From Deniliquin, via Blighty, Finley and eventually camping overnight at Tumut.

Deni
What a great place. Rode the best pump track that I've ever ridden, even if you mulched it, you could still pump back up to speed.
Found some MTB trails, visited a pub and the Ute on a stick.
Fun was had.
Map of ride.

Willoughby National Park MTB trails
I rode the Crater and Echidna trails this morning and although it is flat floodplain area, it was a bit of fun. Would've liked to have explored some of the other trails, but that will have to be another time maybe.
The Echidna trail was the better of the two as it had berms.
Map of ride.

Tumut MTB sampler
What a great bunch of trails. Unfortunately time was once again, against me.
These trails remind me of Jetta trails. Twisty and a few rocks scattered around to make it interesting.
Would be great to have had suspension.
Map of ride.

Day 26 - Port Lincoln to Arno Bay Caravan Park (120Kms)

​On our way to Arno bay we stopped by Tumby Bay to check the place out for future visits. Tumby bay is a pretty coastal town with some great attractions.

Day 21 - Sheringa Beach to Port Lincoln Tourist Park (136Kms)

From Sheringa it was on to Port Lincoln for New Years and a bit.

We quite liked Port Lincoln, there was a great walk that passed through the tourist park that ran along the water. The weather was good and for most of it, we had some great views.


Strangely enough, I don't actually have any photos from Port Lincoln, but from areas near port Lincoln.

The first is Coomunga Church and the last two are from a little township called Poonindie. THe church is and the old school were part of an aboriginal mission built in the area. The crazy thing is that these are not well marked and if you didn't know what you were looking for you wouldn't stumble across it. It is so crazy that the only historic sign they have in the town is to a cairn, which was as boring as.

These three images are from my big camera and like the other pages, if you want more information or to see the bigger image, then mosey on over to my Flickr album for the trip.

We wanted to stay at Coffin bay, but the place was booked out, but seeing it was close to Port LIncoln, I decided to go for a bit of a paddle around the area.

Continue you to Part 10.

Day 20 - Venus Bay to Sheringa Beach Campsite (110Kms)

Sheringa Beach Campsite is an amazing little camp area just behind the frontal dune of Sheringa beach. This little campground is maintained by local council (Elliston IIRC) and costs $10 a night. There are drop toilets, bins and marked out areas for camping and that is it.

There is not much in Sheringa. A couple of churches, a hall, a roadhouse and a few houses, with one at least being abandoned.

History
The town of Sheringa was surveyed in October 1882. It was initially proclaimed as Holsworthy on 19 April 1883, then revoked and proclaimed as Sheringa on 23 August 1883. Its name is derived from Tjeiringa, a local Aboriginal name for a yam-like root that grew in the area. The former Sheringa Post Office opened on 1 September 1891 and closed on 28 September 1984.

​I particularly wanted to stop here to photograph one of the churches. St. John's is just off the highway.

The next lot of photos are from my big camera. You can see larger images and details of the subjects on my Flickr album for the trip.

St. John's was built in 1910, with the foundation stone being laid by Mrs. James Telfer on the 6th of July.

One of the abandoned farms.

Continue on to Part 9.

Day 15 - Smoky Bay to Streaky Bay Foreshore Caravan Park (73Kms)

Another short hop and the temperature is going up!

Streaky Bay is one of my highlights of the trips as a place to stay. There is a lot of history in the town, which I really didn't get to photograph this time around (but will return), the area has some great areas to visit as well.

We spent christmas here and had a great but hot christmas day. Actually everyday was hot and the wind blew, but it travelled overland due to the direction of the wind, so was not that comfortable to stay in our camper during the day. So everyday we went somewhere to absorb the aircon in the car and see some of the sites. A number of days we ended up on Searle beach, for a few reasons:

1. The white sand was hard, flat and beautiful
2. The water was blue
3. The wind blew off the water and was close to 10 degrees cooler
4. It was less effected by tides, unlike Streaky Bay.

I managed to get a little bit of kayaking in.

We also drove around Cape Bauer, Whistling Rocks, Hideaway Bay and visited Poin Labatt, which is know for its seal/Sea Lion colonies.

These are my photos from the big camera. If you want more information or view larger images, then visit my Flickr Album.

Then there was the aboandoned township of Calca. 

Then there was a trip to Elliston.

And finally Murphy's Haystacks.
​Murphy’s Haystacks are ancient, wind-worn pillars and boulders of pink granite estimated to be over 1,500 million years old. 

Set in the middle of a wheat field and surrounded by mallee scrub, they are one of the most popular and photographed attractions on the Eyre Peninsula. 

Murphy’s Haystacks are located on the Cash family farm, 39 kilometres south of Streaky Bay and just two kilometres off the main Flinders Highway on the main road into Calca and Point Labatt.

Continue on to Part 7.

Day 12 - Ceduna to Smoky Bay Caravan Park (45Kms)

A very short day indeed. Just a short jaunt down the road.

Smoky Bay is another small coastal town. It was also the first place that I actually could take my kayak out, without been blown away in the mornings. By mid morning it was just way too windy to contemplate kayaking.

It was a nice place to stay at and was quite relaxing, but wouldn't want to stay there too long as there was not a lot to do and see.

The next lot are photos from my big camera. If you want more information, or to see larger and better quality images, then follow the link over to my Flickr page.

One short trip that we did from Smoky bay was to another fishing village called Haslam. I had to visit as one of my work compatriots surname is Haslam and wanted to get a photo for him. Haslam is slightly bigger than Fowlers Bay, but not quite as interesting. I wouldn't consider staying there as their is not much to see, but as a day trip it was ok.

Continue on to ​Part 6.

Day 5 - Border Village Caravan Park to Fowlers Bay Eco Caravan Park (381Kms)
Day 7 - Fowlers Bay to Ceduna Shelly Beach Caravan Park (144Kms)

Today's plan was to cross the Nullabour, then stop at the Head of the Bight and finally continue on to Fowlers Bay.

For those that think the Nullabour is boring, then you really need to do the Hay plains!

On our way across, we stopped at one of the lookouts over the Great Australian Bight.

After the short stop it was on to the Head of the Bight. As we drew nearer to the Head of the Bight we discussed not stopping, but pushing on to Fowlers Bay. It was soon agreed upon to carry on.

Just before the turn off to Fowlers Bay we stopped at the Yalata Roadhouse for a break and some food. The place was hot and windy. We refueled the car and the body and moved on as soon as possible.

The road to Fowlers bay was dirt and quite rough, but we had a 4WD and our car was already dusty from the Hyden - Norsemen Rd.

​Coming into Fowlers bay you cross a salt lake.

Fowlers bay is a small fishing village, with only the caravan park reception functioning as the local shop. There was a bit of history to this place with it being named after one of Matthew Flinders crew. You can see that in one of the photos below. We quite enjoyed the time we spent here and would visit again.

The next lot of images are taken with my big camera. You can see the full images and further information on my Flickr album for this trip.

The wind picked up even more and wind speeds were climbing into the night. Unfortunately we were broadside to the wind and it was starting to collapse the tent of our camper and we made the decision to pull up stumps, before the wind destroyed our camper. It was a little scary pulling the camper down, as it has to be folded over and that presented a better sail for the wind. Luckily we didn't have too much issue, but one of the poles is a bit bent now.

Fortunately the road out to Penong was much better than the road in from Yalata.

On the trip out of Penong, Rebekah was phoning every place to find somewhere safe for us to stay. Most were booked out, but Rebekah found refuge in the caravan park at Shelly Beach, Ceduna. It was the same caravan park that we stayed at on the way to WA 3 years ago and the same one that we were meant to stay at the next night. We grabbed a cabin as we knew we would be tired and hungry by the time we got there. The whole way to Ceduna was blowing a gale. We pulled into the caravan park around 2130 and it wasn't until 2230 that we ate.

Ceduna is nothing special. Sure it is a bigger town and all, but I would highly recommend not staying longer than 2 nights and 3 at a pinch.

​One place of interest was west of Ceduna and that was McKenzie's Homestead near Denial Bay.
William (Mac) McKenzie 1844 -1906, was a pioneer farmer of Denial Bay, Blacksmith, Builder, Harbour Master and J.P. He settled in the Denial Bay area in the 1880s and assisted many in settling the surrounding districts.
You can see the ruins of his place below.
The last photo is a memorial to sea farers lost at sea.