DAY 5. Saturday, 12th October 2019
‘It is unknown where the name “Barmera” comes from but it is suspected that it means “water place” or “land dwellers”, being a word from a local Aboriginal group. Others postulate it comes from Barmeedjie, the name of the tribe that lived to the north of the Murray River prior to European settlement.’ The lake was named Lake Bonney by Joseph Hawdon after his friend, Charles Bonney in 1838. The name was changed to ‘Lake Barmera, River Murray’ in 1908 and was changed back to ‘Lake Bonney’ in 1913.
The glorious mornings were not getting boring, but we packed up the van and headed into Waikerie past the welcoming ‘RV Friendly Town’ sign and steered for the magic Dump Point. It is a purpose built ‘RV Friendly’ spot to empty toilet cassettes and fill the water tanks with potable water.
N.B ‘If something is potable that means it’s safe to drink. Potable can also be a noun, meaning any drinkable liquid. The word comes from the Latin potare, meaning “to drink.”
We filled up with what we wanted and got rid of what we didn’t want, then proceeded to the city centre where we stocked up on most of the bare necessities. Then down the hill to the Laundromat for an hour plus of reviving soiled clothes from smelly to schmicky.
(N.B.-‘schmick’ʃmɪk/adjective. Informal – Australian ‘smart or stylish.’)
Our box house on the back of the car was immediately out the front and provided the lunch room during the exercise and I took my leave to walk up the hill to the BWS, although I was only interested in the W. (N.B. BWS = Beer Wine Spirit) All necessaries fulfilled, we hop into the four wheel and, click, click, click. Flat battery, roadside assistance, new battery and all is good. Why a new battery?
The logic was this original Ford battery had served the expected term and it just passed on to battery heaven. Total $264. Approximately $50 per year or one dollar a week. Cheap running I thought. We had been to Barmera before and camped in the caravan park right on lake Bonney, however we are now bold and adventurous free campers so headed for the out of town lakeside remote locations.
While we do our own thing, it is a normal inclination of most to camp with a few others not far. This is for just a little security. We found a spot off the water with another van within fifty metres then walked down with stools and drinks to watch the sunset. We got a polite nod from the waterside neighbours and a few cautious sniffs from their dog. Another peaceful self contained night in natures loving care and life is starting to feel good, totally ignoring a burst turbo pipe and a dead battery in the first five days, believing these problems now behind us will readily fade.