McLaren Vale, Southern Australia

February 23, 2009

Camping in part of the great Australian wine region it is hard to believe that we spent most of the day rocketing along the desolate Coorong peninsula.

The highway (speed limit 110 km with no shoulders) runs parallel with the coast. Just close enough so that the vegetation is scrubby but not close enough to see the water. Even when we went through areas of grazing land it looked like it hadn’t seen rain for years (which it hasn’t).

Stopped at the town of Goolwa to see the mouth of the Murray River, Austalia’s biggest river, empty into the South Ocean.

Finally came into patches of grape vines. At least they were green.

In a caravan park with a lot of out of work grape pickers. Normally they depend on foreign travellers to pick the young vines but not this year. The heat has fried much of the crop but someone forgot to tell the marketing department. The government is still advertising for the young travellers to come down and work.