Kangaroo Island to Mildura

Exploring Sunraysia

The 8:30 ferry departed on time and it was a smooth crossing back to the mainland. We detoured via Victor Harbor to pick up our bikes and then set off on the long drive to Mildura, stopping for a quick lunch and coffee at the GCS café. It was a large venue and without any charm – definitely our least favourite café of the trip. We had another pit stop in Loxton before arriving at the Orana Motor Inn in Mildura to be warmly welcomed by Jackie and Ron, my sister’s good friends.

We had a lovely dinner at Province, located in the “feast street” of Langtree Avenue and a Chefs Hat award winner from the Australian Good Food Guide. We both thoroughly enjoyed our pasta mains and then sat outside at the It’s Delish Gelato Bar to listen to the live music from the All Out 80s Band, the closing concert of the Mildura Wentworth Country Music festival.

We inadvertently enjoyed a leisurely start the next morning, as the clocks had moved forward an hour and we hadn’t set any alarms. We had perfect cycling weather as we cycled out of Mildura towards Red Cliffs, passing vineyards along the way.

The Red Cliffs market was humming, with stalls sent up under the wide verandas of the shopping street and in the nearby park. After browsing the stalls, we enjoyed a coffee at Coffee on Indi and stocked up on a wrap and focaccia for lunch, which we supplemented with some local fruits and dried apricots.

Simon’s pannier was full as we cycled out of town to Kings Billabong Park. It was a rough road into the Park, but the pathways improved as we took the walking trail along the edge of the wetlands to the Bird Hide before finding a conveniently placed bench for lunch. We decided to explore further following the trail around Ducks Foot Lagoon which was challenging at times as parts of the track were underwater and we had to push our bikes through the bush to find drier routes.

It was a fast ride back into town where we dropped into the Information Centre and then stocked up on lunch provisions for the next day, fearing that little would be open en route to Wagga due to the public holiday. We had a leisurely beer at the Honey Bar and Rooftop before heading back to our room for a shower and then dinner at Mr Bahn Mi, a very good Vietnamese restaurant. As an added bonus, we were offered a free dessert as it was our first visit.