Billy's Camp No.6 Coorong National Park S.A.

27/03/12

Hi All,

I'm at The Coorong National Park, I came via Mt Gambia, Millicent, Kingston SE, and Miningie. Great little town Meningie, it has everything.
Coorong, home of Mr Percival (RIP) of The Storm Boy film, and home, supposedly of the Coorong mullet , aka, yellow eye mullet, apparently its famous for its flavour, but for some reason the fishos arn't catching any at the moment. Nor am I.
Its the first time weather has affected my plans and on this occasion it was wind. The first night I arrived a front moved thru and nearly blew the camper away, the rain was horizontal, and the wind persisted for 4 days. At least the camper and awning saw it thru.
The Coorong lagoons and surrounding lakes are noted for about 200 different species of birds. It was great to watch the pelicans "working" the bait fish schools.
The "River Murray" not the "Murray River" flows into Lake Alexandria and then to the Southern Ocean. Lake Alexandria is connected to Lake Albert by a narrow channel where the lighthouse below is. These lakes were apparently a sad sight until the rains of recent years. Coroong Lagoons are salt water but the connecting lakes including the two above have isolating "barrages" to stop the salt water entering them for farming reasons, these barrages have been in place since the 30's. I will have to wait for my next camp to see them, I was greeted by a locked gate on this side of the mouth.
Lake Alexandria is up to 23k's wide and the River Murray is only 0.8 m above sea level at Murray Bridge. From a previous visit I know Mildura is 50m above sea level and the River Murray takes 800 odd k's to reach its mouth just to be met by barrages, not to mention all the locks along the way, its a slow moving river.

Sunrise

Looking back at camp, you can just see the camper

No need for the trailer today.

1 of about 12 free 24/7 ferries in the area, this one near the lighthouse, others cross the River Murray

The only inland lighthouse in Oz.

Someones gorgeous country home

Murray Bridge, named so because...............

Under neath

His other footprints were 4m away.

The church on your $50 note...circa 1850

Its at an Aboriginal community named Raukkan, near Narrung, its pristine.

Inside..go full size

 Sunset..

Unfortunately I didnt realise the moon was visable beside the sunset until it was too late 

I'm off tomorrow to just South of Victor Harbor, and then maybe the Flinders...and then up North..yeah baby...

catch ya's later

Bill (y)