Waking up this morning after our first night in the new camper van, was magic.

The Murray river was 50mts away, pelicans, herons and ducks milling around enjoying the morning light.  Jack who had sulked since we left home found a new friend in a massive old border collie and happily trotted off like he owned the joint.

Today the plan is to travel across from Renmark to Port Augusta and then join the Stuart Hwy and make it to Lake Hart near Woomera to camp for the night.  

Heading off we soon leave the riverland behind and enter salt bush country, arriving at the Cadell Ferry a couple of hours later.  So cute, who knew that ferries still existed around Australia!!!

A very pleasant 2 minute ferry ride later and we had crossed the Murray River.  I wish it had been longer.  There were swallows darting around the river, trees leaning precariously from the clay cliffs and the instant soothing nature of the water.

Over the river and we ended up at the Morgan roadhouse, friendly service, great coffee and some amazing local organic salt bush lamb and goat backstraps can’t ask for better then that!!!

Driving through the grazing and cropping country between Morgan and Burra brings beautiful Mountains, rolling hills and wind turbines!!  Everywhere, such a beautiful way to produce energy.  We got lost somewhere and ended up on a dirt road in the middle of no-were, with a sat nav determined to get us to turn around.  We didn’t turn around, the sat nav gave up in disgust and eventually the dirt ended and we ended up on one of those amazing windy roads through the Flinders Ranges that we will never be able to find again.

As soon as we leave Port August behind the familiar scrubby arid desert starts to appear in every direction.  We are aiming for Woomera and Lake Hart.

I have driven past Lake Hart so many times and every time I have wanted to stop and spend some time at this amazing place.  Lake Hart is on the edge of the Woomera prohibited area, according to Wikipedia it is 61 square miles in size and has significant salt deposits.  I just like it because it is stunningly pretty, with that ancient still energy that restored you to the core, leaving you all rested and relaxed.

We arrived about an hour before sunset, setting up camp in time to enjoy a glass of wine before sunset.  Spending a night at Lake Hart was all I had ever thought, there are no camp sites just a car park.

There were about three other caravans when we arrived, so we quickly set up nearby but not to nearby.  The silence of the night was only punctuated by passing trains on the Ghan track.  The moon set at 3am a big red half moon floating below the horizon and at 6am when the sun started to rise the salt lake glistened pink and yellow.