Point Sturt – Oct 2019

So, we bit the bullet and attempted some free camping at Point Sturt!

It was only 2 nights, but we had to start somewhere.

We wanted to choose somewhere reasonably close by for our first attempt. Some checking on WikiCamps led us to Point Sturt (formerly known as the Sturt Peninsula). It is located on the west side of Lake Alexandrina. It was just a bit over an hours drive from home so we could be within easy reach of assistance – or forgotten items – should we need it.

Off to a poor start

The adventure began on the drive there. On our way down the Southern Expressway, Google maps informed us of heavy traffic ahead. We weren’t expecting this as it was only around 3:00 PM. Apparently there had been an accident on South Road just after the end of the expressway, and traffic was banking up fast. Choosing to follow Google maps’ directions, we managed to evade the traffic, but the new route was somewhat… interesting. Aside from having to backtrack a little, we ended up using some rather twisty, hilly back roads. It turned out OK, but I admit to a little trepidation as we swooped and swerved through the Adelaide Hills. I guess it’s all part of the experience.

Arrival

We were already aware that the road into the camp site was dirt, but it wasn’t bad with only a couple of spots of washboard surface. However we took it slow at around 30 km/h. Even at that low speed, one of the roof hatch locks snapped off. Given the reasonable condition of the road I can only assume that one latch was of poor quality.

There were a few other campers already present on site and we selected a position as far from others as we could, overlooking the water below. We set up our ground sheet and awning, but the rocky terrain made inserting pegs more than 10 cm or so almost impossible. Without guy ropes and with the wind being gusty as it was we soon retracted the awning. This task wasn’t as easy as it should have been as the roll-in/out toggle I had created snapped when the pin it was attached to refused to rotate. We eventually got the pin moved but it needed a hammer to do so. I have now repaired that toggle with steel replacing the aluminium piece that snapped.

The Place

No drone footage was shot that afternoon due to the wind, but I was able to get some the following day. Likewise, the wind precluded using our new fire pit.

There isn’t a great deal to do or see down at the point. It’s just a nice, secluded space to spend a relaxed weekend. Fishing is an option, but that’s not our thing. We had some good chats with the other campers as we wandered around. Most seemed surprised that we were towing such a big caravan with such a small car. The Touareg really is underrated as a tow vehicle.

Megan had a close encounter with a snake while we were exploring. Jack Jack, who was right there, was oblivious. Megan insists it was a Brown Snake – and it was indeed brown in colour – but we don’t really know, nor did we care to try and investigate further.

Come Sunday we headed home – this time using the expected route – with a quick stop in the nearby town of Clayton Bay where there is a public dump point.

All in all the caravan performed well. We never went close to running out of power or fresh water and the toilet and grey water tank were both of sufficient capacity for the period.