After a good nights sleep we were awake about 6am and on the road by 7am. It was so good we had been able to charge overnight since, like yesterday, the drive ended up taking longer than expected.
The drive was through lots of farming country – wheat and sheep mainly.
And then into the vineyards of the Barossa Valley and it’s cute little towns. Today it’s all about getting to our destination though so no time to stop.
We arrived into the Keith charging point around 9.30. It was at a cute little hotel. We went and used the restrooms with lavender toilets and sink (which we were invited to do, plus we could use the lounge) and walked back to the car, where we sat and enjoyed breakfast – leftovers from last night. I think my salad was even nicer today – or maybe I was just more in the mood to eat.
There were no other stops, except for toilet stops. The landscape started to change as we entered the Flinders Ranges with more red dirt, trees and hills.
At 1pm we were pulling up to Akarba. The reason for our journey out here was for Kevin to install another Starlink.
After being shown to the Coach cabin, where we are staying (there are also 4 rooms in the main house), we were shown up to main house, introduced to some of the staff and presented with an ice cold towel and iced raspberry tea (which was delicious).
We were then shown into the cabin, which is lovely, and private. The only thing I didn’t like was the roo skins on the floor – so I rolled them up and put them under the bed. The bed heads were also made of sheep skins but they did feel like Koda :-). Besides the skins (not ideal for a vegan) the room was beautifully decorated.
Kevin and I got the car unpacked and then he headed off to get started on his work. I sorted out some stuff in the room. I did a bit of stuff on the computer, then went and sat outside by the big house and read. Then returned back to the room for a bit before dinner.
Dinner was supposed to be 6.30pm and we aren’t sure if they were waiting for Kevin or what. There is one other couple staying here and we were joined by our Guide, Paddy ??, for dinner, which was eventually served. (Dinner was Fresh Asparagus and then veggie risotto – both delicious) Kevin turned up a short time into dinner – pretty hot and tired from being on the room. The other couple, Greg & Alice, seem very nice. They work in the travel industry so have plenty of stories to share.
After dinner we grabbed our jackets and headed out in the safari truck to watch the sunset and have dessert.
The views were spectacular from the top of the ridge where we stopped.
It was a bit windy up here !!
Talk about a very decadent experience. It was a full service desert. I had a pouched pear which was pretty tasty.
We watched as the stars started to appear – so bright and clear in this sky – and then drove back to the station. At one point Paddy stopped the truck and we all just sat and listened to the quiet of the night and looked up at ALL the stars. It was definitely a wonderful start to our stay here at Arkaba.
We were surprised to find our room had been turned down and our lights put on. Such a nice welcome back.
