While Not Working

Time to go. I  stood beside my bicycle, a large red pannier in each hand. "You must be in a boat, said the man who was wiping the window sills of the Renmark Hotel. I asked how he had come to that conclusion. "You've got the fuel containers he said, proud of his deductive powers. " They're panniers for a bike." I held them up. "I'm on a bicycle." "Oh. They look like fuel containers" Should've gone to Specsavers, is all I can say. I took forever to leave Renmark, walking up and down the riverfront looking for a place to fill my water bottles. I needed water bottles because for two days I wouldn't have access to drinking water without going through a painful process of boiling or filtering the river water. With 12 litres of water on board, the bike was heavy and unwieldy. I pedaled past irrigation channels, through citrus orchards and neat rows of stone fruit trees in full autumn dress before leaving the bitumen and heading ou...

I spent 10 days in Adelaide, happy that I was out of the miserable weather. Then I spent 2 days cooped up in a Renmark Hotel room, nose to the grindstone. The sun came out on Tuesday afternoon and I liberated my bicycle from secure parking, tossed a slimy bag of snow-pea-based life forms in the bin, and took myself for a ride. I'd discovered that Renmark boasted a 6km rail trail which included the old rail bridge to Paringa, now converted to a pedestrian/cycle pathway. I was ready to be entertained and the Paringa Bridge did not disappoint. But first, crushed expectations at the wetlands boardwalk. The Paringa Bridge opened twice a day to let river traffic through. That bit was deliciously wonky to ride over. Just across the river lay the Paringa silos, painted to represent parts of Paringa's history and industry. I do like a good painted silo. To top off my most exciting expedition I took a quick spin down the river to the lock, which I had previously visited from the gantry s...

The quick visit to Adelaide stretched to 10 days while my bicycle holidayed in Renmark, growing alien life forms based on snow peas left in the bar bag. Adelaide cityfrom Mt Lofty on a rainy day. I helped Roger move into the next house sit. We'd done this one before: no pets, just a slightly leaky house backing onto the River Torrens linear park and 6 minutes to town via the O-Bahn which, I might add, was the only O-Bahn in all of Australia. "Let's have dinner in town," said Roger on my second-last night before I was due to bus back to Renmark. "If we catch the O-Bahn there and back in less than 2 hours total it'll only cost me $4:60."  I ride free on the O-Bahn because I'm an old woman now and have a Senior's card, something I may or may not have skited about as I gaily tapped my card onto the O-Bahn. Off we went. Vroom zoom. We had a very nice dinner in a pretend American Diner. Outside the city heaved with football fans in town for Gather Roun...

Morning on the Murray at Renmark. While in Loxton I bought a packet of snow peas to feed my vegetable-deprived self. It was rather a large packet and when came time to leave Loxton I tucked the uneaten snow peas into my bar bag for snacking during the day and promptly forgot all about them.  Hotel Renmark in the morning. Now remember the conniptions I had while trying to find accommodation to work in Renmark? I had to work in Renmark because I then needed the full 5 days to pedal my way through the wilds north of the river to get to the next suitable working town. Renmark was full up with Easter revellers and families enjoying the school holidays, and prices for accommodation had risen accordingly. It all got too much when I was quoted $140 for a measly powered tent site where I couldn't work anyway, so I threw up my hands in disgust and said, "I'd be better off catching a bus back to Adelaide for Easter!" I confirmed that the Hotel Renmark would allow me to park my b...

Leaving Loxton. A path led along the river from the Riverside Caravan Park to downtown Loxton, and along the way I met Loxton's big pelican. First introduced to Loxton in the Mardi Gras of 1979 , it appeared in subsequent Mardi Gras atop a houseboat before being abducted by a heinous gang of youths and floated down the river, an outing which destroyed its paper mache body. In 1985 it was resurrected and attended the Adelaide New Years Eve parade celebrating South Australia's 150th jubilee. In 1998 local businessman Peter Mangelsdorf successfully lobbied Council for funds to reconstruct the pelican with fibreglass and, after much debate as to a suitable resting place, parked it down at the waterfront. He even had an axle added, to facilitate rescue in inevitable future floods. I love a good Big Thing. I headed northward on Bookpurnong road, expected a pleasant pedal along a country road but nope: trucks roared and all the riverland was determined to take the shortest route pos...