Clare to Seppeltsfield

The longest day

With 92kms to cover today, we were keen to not be the last out. Despite our best efforts, most people had already left by the time we were moving. Somehow we can’t seem to master the superquick breakfast.

At least the weather was fine as we headed the 27kms back down the Reisling trail, and we made good time as we didn’t need to stop for photos. Back through Auburn we headed onto Saddleworth where we hoped to stop for coffee. Unfortunately due to the public holiday, the cafes were closed. We had a couple of Tim Tams left over from our stay at Goolwa and they provided a valuable sugar hit.

We detoured to see the sculpture of Curio, Australia’s most famous buckjumper, in the little hamlet of Marrebel. Lunch was a little further on in a community hall in Hamilton, in the middle of nowhere. We enjoyed our first coffee from Rory at the coffee van and ate our ham rolls sitting on our exped sitpads on the edge of a field.

It was another 30kms or so to Greenock where we stopped at the tavern for a well-earned beer. We had our first and felt obliged to have a second so we could sample the wares of the Barossa Brewing company. We could have lingered longer as there was nothing at Seppeltsfield Winery, but Paul from the sag wagon was keen to finish for the day. This time we were about last in the pack.

We found a nice spot in the grounds of the winery and enjoyed delicious lambshanks for dinner. We had an ideal table with Julie and Andrew near the front so were first to be served. Andrew bought the wine, a nice Grenache as well as obligatory plastic glasses at $5 each.