Day 4: Road testing road tourism

Today I was in three states and we seemed to have struck a chord. People seemed genuinely interested in what I was on about and wanted to contribute their opinions once we broke the ice.

Our first stop after leaving Balranald was Mildura and I must say how I was impressed with the town, especially the information centre. It is by far the best appointed I have seen so far and the facilities are very comprehensive. I was particularly taken by parking space set aside for caravans and long loads.

Many places you are forced to park away from the town centre and so you are not encouraged to explore further. It would do well for local councils, who rely on the road tourism dollar, to protect their source of income and look after their customers.

Again, when you’re travelling a long distance between places, it would be comforting to know how far you are away. With petrol consumption proving to be so high, I would have felt more reassured in being able to calculate the rate of consumption.

Mildura is a surprisingly modern city, well appointed and attractive. NSW could well learn some invaluable lessons from its neighbour across the river. We struck off towards Renmark in South Australia and the countryside seemed to become more attractive compared to what we had seen along the Hay plains.

Crossing the SA border, we stopped at the fruit fly station and I had to surrender all my fruit except for some peeled carrots I had. The staff were very friendly and I think that is a key factor to a successful local tourism industry, even the officials who work for the government.

Renmark was another pleasant surprise especially with its setting on the Murray River. The information centre was friendly, informative but again could be improved by providing parking for the caravanner.

Renmark’s neighbour, Berri, famed for its fruit juices was equally attractive and that part of South Australia I would thoroughly recommend as a ‘must see’ stop over.

Three quarters of an hour down the Sturt Highway, the township of Waikerie where the Murray Belle is moored. A nice little township with a unique and innovative information centre. What made it unique was that it was privately run and owned. The owner was especially helpful.

The shop was neat and clean, well presented and she was very helpful and friendly. I thoroughly recommend the chocolate coated dried apricots, a specialty product of the town. All the areas along or known as the Riverland are very positive and were delighted that we had made it quite clear that YES there was water in the Murray and Yes that the river boats are still operating and YES that I would certainly be back to sample their hospitality.

After the expanse of South Western NSW, the dotted attractions along the Sturt Highway into our last stop for the day, Gawler, was a welcome relief. I felt a distinct difference between today and yesterday, between NSW and South Australia.

I just wonder how much influence individual state governments exert on their industries. There is always more that can be done but comparing what I saw in NSW with what I saw across the border, NSW has a fair bit of catching up to do in rural townships.

I am looking forward to meeting more people and getting some grass roots feedback. Already there has been some invaluable suggestions and I will be taking these up as I develop an alternative roads tourism policy.

Any body who has an idea is welcome to contact me and I will be happy to listen to them. My van has my mobile phone number displayed very clearly, so if you are on the road and you see me, give me a call.

And if you’re not, my mobile is 0427 160 170 – I would love to hear from you.

PHOTO top left: Doing my duty at the fruitfly zone station on the South Australian border.