Orroroo

 7 - 9 April 2022

We chose Orroroo as our next stop simply beacuse we had never been there before and because we needed a couple of days in a caravan park after 4 nights at Gluepot. We left Gluepot after lunch and stopped briefly in Peterborough before arriving in Orroroo late in the afternoon. The caravan park is on the main road, and walking distance to the shops just a couple of blocks away. The staff were friendly and readily offered tourist information and booklets.

In the morning we took advantage of the laundry and did three loads of washing before heading into town to do some shopping. We visited the new collective which sold a range of goods from a number of traders including jewellery, yummy baked goods and other food  and craft products. We also visited the  local butcher to stock up for the next leg of our journey - more friendly locals doing great things to create a good impression of the town.

On Saturday morning we packed up camp and headed down to the Lions Picnic area to tackle the Pekina Creek walking trail. This 2.9km loop walk is rated 2 and includes a number of points of interest along the way. A brochure is available but there is also good signage along the way. It was a very pleasant walk but we were glad we had chosen to do it in the morning as the day was warming up. We called back into town and found the cheapest fuel in the area before setting off on one of the tourist driving loops.

The drive we chose takes in the Magnetic Hill - a bit of fun to see your vehicle seem to roll uphill. Again a brochure is available but the route and the magic spot are well signposted. It was a lovely drive that returned us to Orroroo in time for lunch, so we went back to the Lions Picnic area and sat by the water in the shade for our picnic. 

Our final stop before leaving Orroroo was the Giant Gum Tree - with a trunk measuring 10.4m in circumference and more than 6metres in height before the first branches, it is one of the largest River Red Gums in South Australia. It's age is estimated to be in excess of 500 years! It is quite a site and well worth the short drive out of town. There is a sheltered picnic area but no toilets.

We set the GPS for our next destination - Cradock where we would spend the night in the free camp behind the pub.