Sunday 12th August
Sunday 12th August
There were three walks highlighted in Mannum, so we chose
one which we thought would give us the best views and scope of the town. The
walk focused on buildings which had either been built or lived in by William
Randell and his brothers. The walk took us up a VERY steep incline which was
known as the Goat Track. It is one of
the oldest roads in Mannum. It also led
to the market and so was a stock track for many years, only being bituminized
for the first time in 2006.
The backyard of one of the houses on the route had
a display of many wooden creatures and “stuff” - enough for me to stop and take a few
photos.
I imagine the owner to be a
retired man who just enjoys dabbling in his shed creating all these wooden
creatures.
We saw the Mount Lofty Ranges in the distance as well as the Murray
River flood plains. After descending an equally steep track we crossed to a
board walk out to the river which enabled us to view many of the water birds
that have their habitats around Mannum.
Yesterday the lady in the Auxilliary shop had mentioned a
craft fair being held over the weekend, so we checked at the information office
for directions. We realised later the
lady who gave us the map and way to find the fair must have assumed we were
driving. We walked and walked and then
walked a bit more until we finally found it.
A lovely cup of tea was really appreciated before I headed for the different
stalls to explore.
I am always inspired by people who are involved in
craftwork of any kind, and as I have dabbled in many different ones over the
years, I am never satisfied with my end results.
There were some lovely
patchwork quilts on display along with the usual card making, lace making and
many varieties of preserved fruits.
I
was particularly taken with this little doll – albeit a keyring whose dress is
made from beads. She even has knickers
to match. She now sits in the kitchen of
the van. The bottle of prunes in spiced
port wine beckoned as well, and as we were walking we limited any further
purchases – a wise move indeed.
Not far from where we camped there is a marker
illustrating the heights the Murray River has reached in flood over the
years. The worst one was in 1956 when
the river rose to 5.1 metres
