Social Days for 2019

1.February Friday 15

Main Warf, 1 Warf Rd, Murray Bridge

Cruise on the "Captain Proud"

Friday 15th March brought a perfect summer’s day, with plenty of warm sunshine and a nice cool breeze over the water, as 22 members stepped aboard the paddle steamer Captain Proud at Wharf 1, Murray Bridge. Over the next 3 hours we were treated to an enjoyable 2 course lunch as we cruised the mighty River Murray, heading firstly upstream just past the Avoca Dell Caravan Park, before then turning back and continuing downstream as far as the Murraylands Aquatic Centre.

The Captain regaled us with a very informative commentary, including many interesting historical anecdotes, as we went past places of environmental, historical and cultural significance, much of which can only be seen from the river. The wonderful scenery included towering cliffs on one bank, river flats and wetlands on the other, whilst islands, pelicans, reeds, willows, riverside reserves, marinas and moorings lined the water’s edge. Some other sights seen included the 3 bridges, Murray Bridge Bunyip, Mt Bold water pumping station and the town’s infrastructure which ranged from old stone stately homes set on the cliff-top to modern mansions in new developments, and shacks and houseboats on the water’s edge.

Report and photos by Raelene.

2.March Tuesday 12

Visit to the Bolivar Wastewater Treatment Plant.(see 9.)

3.April Thursday 4th

Visit Adelaide Hills foodies. (see 10)

4.May Monday 6th

Visit Gorge Wildlife Park.

ARPA 4WD Group Visit to Gorge Wildlife Park May 13th 2019
After a week of very welcome rain ARPA 4WD Group were delighted that Monday 13th May was a bright sunny morning, although a little chilly. At 10.00 a.m. sixteen members met in the car park of Gorge Wildlife Park at Cudlee Creek for a cheerful morning tea break, before starting our informal tour of the park. Some members had already visited this venue, generally with grandchildren, but there were quite a few who had very little knowledge of this facility and were pleasantly surprised at seeing it.
One of the major publicised attractions here is the opportunity to hold a koala, and so our first stop was the well organised area for this activity where those interested were able to indulge in photographs with a koala.

The koalas were very patient photographic models

Next we set off to wander through the grounds following the well prepared map provided, either as large or small groups pursuing personal interests. When following the track around we were able to feed the kangaroos, wallabies, birds and other animals.

The park has a variety of Australian and exotic animals and we spent some time at the large and interestingly planned monkey enclosure; food can be left in a small tin at the bottom of a rope and pulley. A monkey would quickly pull the rope to collect the food; we found this amusing.

There were some very beautiful and unusual birds for the keen photographers as well as a good selection of Australian native birds. During this walk of two hours we saw wombats sleeping and some unusual South American rodents, 2 capybaras and 2 maras; the capybara is the world’s largest rodent.
Some members found time to visit the Reptile House before we gathered for a talk from Sandra, one of the owners, who first gave us some details about the development of the park, which had been started by her grandparents, with their two sons, her father and uncle, very much as a hobby. Now Sandra and her brother are the two owners who have been making considerable developments over the last ten years. Our group were very impressed that this had all been done without any Government assistance. By word of mouth publicity and with the help of the international visitor market the number of visitors has almost doubled over the last two years. There are twenty-five people employed at the park but not all would be full time employees. Among our questions was one about the significant number of albinos among the large colony of kangaroos. Sandra told us this had occurred after two albinos had accidently entered the park some years ago. It is possible that these albinos might not survive in the wild. With our thanks to Sandra we left the park
generally very impressed with it.

Our next stop was just down the road at The Cudlee Creek Tavern where we were joined by 6 more members for an enjoyable and substantial meal. We had pre-ordered our food which was served quickly and cheerfully, ensuring that we all had hot food at the same time. The owner gave us a brief talk about the history of the area showing photographs of the region and in particular the floods of 1993. We now know that the name Cudlee comes from an aboriginal word meaning “wild dog”. We all left at about 2.30 for a beautiful drive through the autumn colours of the Adelaide Hills.

Report written by Lesley.
Photos by Rod and Keith.

5.June Friday 21st

Mystery Day Trip

ARPA 4WD GROUP Report on Mystery Trip held Friday 21st June 2019.
On a cold, clear and calm morning 21 members assembled at the Mylor Oval for morning tea at 10am. Many were actually there before 9.30 – talk about being keen! There was one visitor – Keith’s daughter Ali who had helped him plan the course for the day. The raffle prize of a bottle of red wine donated by the Cudlee Creek Tavern at our previous social day was won by Val, and she must have held onto it for a maximum of 5 seconds before having it playfully commandeered by George.
Participants left from about 10.30 after being handed the directions to be followed in order to get them to a mystery destination for lunch. A drama at the start – Bob and Nancy’s car wouldn’t start and they had to wait an hour for the RAA to come and install a new battery.
Everyone enjoyed a pleasant drive through the Adelaide Hills, traversing roads not usually travelled whilst admiring the spectacular rolling hills with some autumn colours still to be seen and the wattles just about to bloom. Animals seen included sheep, goats, cattle, horses and alpacas, all very contentedly grazing in lush green pastures.
The route followed a roughly clockwise circular path crossing over the freeway at Old Carey Gully Rd, passing through Oakbank, Brukunga and Nairne before ducking under the freeway and arriving at Mt Barker for lunch at Café Acqua in the Coles Shopping Centre complex.
Several drivers became lost (or confused) along the way and had to phone Keith for assistance. Everyone did eventually make it to the required destination, and were joined by a further 2 members who were not able to attempt the drive. We were all pleased to see Bob and Nancy arrive following their earlier drama.
In all, 14 questions were posed for participants to answer along the way, and as usual some of these proved to be a bit tricky. There was a tie for first place and the winners were decided on the basis of a tie-breaker question (also very tricky).
Congratulations to Raelene & Rodney for becoming the eventual winners.
All enjoyed a day which, as always, provided something for everyone: competition, great scenery, navigational skill, powers of observation, socialising and catching up with old friends, and of course eating.
Keith Watkins (Organiser).

6.August Thursday 29th

Mystery Day Trip

7.October Saturday 19-20

Kuitpo cookout

Deferred until May 2020

8. October Thursday 24

Dolphin Cruise Pt Adelaide

ARPA 4WD SOCIAL CLUB’S 25TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION

What was George thinking as he joined fellow ARPA 4WDers Val, Alec, Glenda, Bob, Jane, Neville, Bob, Nancy, Judy, John and Dawn for a lunchtime cruise on the MV Dolphin Explorer on Thursday 24th October 2019? Not only were they all there celebrating 25 years of 4WDing and social activities together, with much reminiscing of good times had, but he calculated that between them their ages totalled 1,005 years - what a fine example of ARPA Active Over 50’s!

Along with 26 others, the members endured hot, windy conditions and a very noisy environment for 2 ½ hours as they cruised the Port River from Queen’s Wharf at Port Adelaide to Outer Harbour, whilst enjoying a 2-course meal. Some sighted a couple of dolphins as they ventured out on deck, but mostly it was an opportunity to do what the Social Club was set up to do – meet up and socialise between trips.

At the conclusion of the meal, Keith welcomed everybody and invited George to cut the birthday cake. Accompanied by much laughter, a spontaneous version of For we are jolly good drivers was initiated by Judy. John then presented each member with a commemorative booklet containing a list of all past and present members and a summary of the Club’s history.

9. ARPA 4WD Social Day 8th March 2019 – BOLIVAR SEWAGE TREATMENT WORKS

The tour organised by Barry in early March was well attended with the vast majority never having been on such a site. The tour commenced with a class room introduction to the works where, with the aid of displays and the intimate knowledge of the process by Barry who was heavily involved in many aspects of its operation when he worked for the E & WS Department [now SA Water], we learnt the following: -

The plant serves approximately 70% of metropolitan Adelaide plus Salisbury
It is one of the largest tertiary treatment works in Australia
Sewage consists of approximately 94% water and treatment is about separating the solids from the liquids and rendering both inert
The solids are digested in 6 large tanks during which the breakdown generates methane gas which is drawn off to power engine driven generators to supply the power requirements of the plant. The digested sludge is pumped to sludge drying beds for later removal and use by fertiliser companies
The liquids [effluent] are clarified and chlorinated for distribution to the northern market gardens and as far as the Barossa and other areas in order to utilise as much of the resource as possible
Many household items are wrongly flushed down the toilets which cause considerable deleterious treatment problems such as wet wipes and babies’ nappies

We were then guided in our high-vis jackets and safety helmets around part of the extensive works of large open and covered concrete tanks with broiling water, mazes of pipework and no obnoxious smell [to the surprise of many].

At the end of the 1 ½ hour tour, we retired to the White Horse Inn at the entrance to the Treatment works for an enjoyable lunch.

Barry.

10. ADELAIDE HILLS MYSTERY TRIP WITH FOOD

4TH APRIL [ KENT & CECILIA]

23 Members set off from Thorndon Park Reserve on a bright Autumnal morning along Gorge Rd to explore and answer a set of 25 searching questions about features along the way.

[The driving instructions gave only tripmeter kilometre waypoints for intersections and turnoffs. In retrospect this was not a good move as some vehicles after missing turns and backtracking got a tad disoriented]

Eventually all vehicles made it via Knott's Hill, to the Pike & Joyce winery for a wine tasting and gourmet platters in a magnificent setting overlooking the Valley.

From there the route led down into the Onkaparinga Valley with stops at the Melba Chocolate Factory and the Woodside Cheese Wrights , through Oakbank and Verdun for lunch at the Stanley Bridge Tavern.

Sadly no one won the all expenses paid, business class trip to Europe prize for 25 correct answers, due to the tricky nature of Q9.

ARPA 4WD BARMERA CHRISTMAS CAMP 24th - 30th November 2019

The 2019 Christmas camp was well attended, with 35 members gathering at the Barmera Lake Bonney Caravan Park for a week of exploration of the Riverland. After settling in, everyone joined together on Sunday evening for a Happy Hour on the grass by the Lakes Shed for a briefing of the week’s plans. This was followed by a shared BBQ tea in the Shed.

Monday 25th

Rod and Raelene led the way on day 1, a rather hot and overcast day. With a convoy of 9 vehicles, the trip began with a drive around Lake Bonney to Nappers Ruins (the old Barmera Hotel) where a brief stop allowed exploration of the ruins, before turning in to Loch Luna Game Reserve and a circuit of the park.

Then it was on to Lock 3 for morning tea on the adjacent lawn whilst watching cormorants and pelicans fishing.

Continuing on, the next stop was at Overland Corner, site of an historic hotel, with a drive along the river at Herons Bend Reserve to see the fossilised limestone cliffs and significant sites in Aboriginal stories. Driving on to Waikerie along the cliffs above the river allowed for some picturesque views across the wetlands before reaching the river crossing. A short ferry trip was followed by a scenic drive through the fruit blocks to Ramco before returning to the Waikerie Lions Riverfront Park for lunch.

Turning back in the direction of Barmera, a detour off the highway soon led to Maize Island Lagoon Conservation Park and a drive along sandy tracks bordering the river and its amazing red cliffs. Then after a stretch on the main highway, a return to the back roads led to Kingston-on-Murray and a stop at Sturt’s Memorial above the Kingston Bridge for good scenic views of the Murray River backwaters. Leaving the bitumen, it was then on to check out the old ferry crossings, canoe launch site and camping areas along the Kaiser Strip before arriving in Cobdogla. The final stretch passed along Cobdogla and Loveday Swamps to Loveday, before turning back to Barmera via the Barmera Cemetery and Garden of Memory.

Tuesday 26th Keith led off on the second day, following a route southwards to Loxton which encompassed various places of historic interest. The first detour was in to Moorook Game Reserve to follow the river past numerous camp sites. Morning tea was then enjoyed at the Moorook Riverfront Recreation area. The village settlements of New Residence and Pyap, and Minchin Landing at Katarapko Creek were checked out before arriving in Loxton.

The first stop here was the Community Conservation and Heritage Park to view tree sculptures carved by a local artist and designed by Year 9 students to reflect native flora and fauna

Driving past the Pines historic house and garden, then the Sturt Memorial & Lookout to the Lions Park, lunch was enjoyed in a perfect setting. A magnificent old river red gum, the Tree of Knowledge standing close by, enabled a study of previous high river levels marked on the trunk.

With the afternoon free to visit places of interest in Loxton, most spent some time in the Loxton Historical Village before returning to Barmera in their own time.

The day’s activities then concluded with a Christmas Quiz (some challenging phrases requiring figuring out the Christmas song title they represented) in the Lakes Shed which was organised by Leslie and won by Fae.

Wednesday 27th A free day for members to do as they chose, to relax, explore further the delights of the Riverland or join an organised tour of the Loveday Internment Camp. Many chose the latter and gathered in the Barmera Information Centre for an introduction by the tour guide and viewing of a video depicting life in the Internment Camp. A drive to the area followed, which accompanied by radio commentary, enabled participants to see the extent of the Camp and the few remains.

Back in camp, there was time to cool down with a swim or to relax on the lawns under the shady trees and enjoy a game of disc bowls. This was followed by Happy Hour.

Thursday 28th Barrie and Leslie led the way towards Renmark for our third day of driving, stopping first at a rammed earth information bay with displays about Bookmark and the Mallee’s history. Travelling on then to Calperum Station, morning tea was enjoyed whilst listening to a talk and watching a video about the conservation work being undertaken on the Station.

An opportunity to look through

the plant nursery revealed the

extent of plants being propagated

for revegetation, as well as their efforts

to establish a bush tucker collection.

Returning to Renmark, a stop was made at Headings Cliff Lookout at Murtho, where members were stunned by the impressive view overlooking the River Murray and the magnificent golden cliffs plunging down to the river.

The next stop was also quite impressive, the Wilkadene Woolshed Brewery providing our lunch venue and an opportunity to relax on the shady deck above the river with a cool locally brewed beverage.

Olivewood Historic Homestead and Museum in Renmark, the home of Charles Chaffey, was the final destination for the day.

The day’s activities again concluded with a quiz, this time on Australiana, which was organised by Raelene and held in the Lakes Shed. Ted proved to have an excellent knowledge of his country, followed closely by Edith.

Friday 29th Tony and Yvonne began their trip on the final day, with a visit to the Monash Adventure Playground, where some of the equipment was surely tested by some of the big kids!

Their exuberance was then undone by a visit to the chocolate shop across the road.

Continuing on

into the Cooltong

Conservation Park,

morning tea was

partaken wherever

a bit of shade could

be found and was

shared with plenty

of flies.

Driving on towards Berri allowed for a scenic drive of the back blocks north of Berri, which for some included a bit more scenery than anticipated as they took a wrong turn! With everyone rejoined at the Berri bridge, members then headed towards Katarapko National Park. An interesting drive through the park led to the Ngak Indau Wetland walking trail, where a short walk revealed a bird hide overhanging the water - but no birds were in sight.

Returning to Berri and the lovely grassed area of Martins Bend, lunch was enjoyed with the pelicans. Members headed back to camp in their own time and rested up for the evening.

The week’s activities concluded with dinner at the Barmera Hotel, where a 3-course meal was partaken amidst much merriment and chatter.

Father Christmas paid a visit

(Kent - there now the secret is out!)

and showered all the good ones

with gifts, whilst outside a welcome

shower of rain brought some

relief to the dry conditions.