Clare Valley (February 26th - 28th)

Lesson 2 in caravanning; never assist a fellow caravaner in flushing the toilet. Assisting said caravaner can result in dire consequences, as Stef discovered today. I don't know why the toilet wouldn't flush, and it is to Stef's credit that he was only to happy to get mucked in to sort in out when I encountered problems…but I'm not sure if he will be so obliging in the future. It just wouldn't flush for me, I don't know why, so Stef stepped in with a strong arm and with all his might turned the handle of the chemical toilet…that was when the contents of the bowl exploded…at Stef's face.Thankfully I was safe distance behind…and it was all liquid.

I digress. Today was another revelation. We have discovered the secret to life; cycling and wine tasting, although that might be the cycling talking…hmm or maybe it's the Riesling, or the sparkling Riesling, or the chardonnay, or the cabernet sauvignon, or maybe the shiraz, in fact it's probably the sparkling shiraz! Anyway today was a good day. We arrived in Clare ready for what the wine region had to offer. We decided to partake in the so-called "Riesling trail" which is a cycle route around all the local wineries…like I said a fantastic idea. However when we arrived at the first winery we were met with a stare that said in part " what kind of idiot cycles the Riesling trail when it's 36 degrees outside" mixed with a little of "and as you're on your bike I know you won't be buying a lot of my wine". To their credit though, the people of Clare took pity on us and by the fourth tasting we were all good friends.

We enjoyed some fantastic wines today including Skillogalee and Killikanoon, however the last winery that we visited will stand out in my memory, if not for the wine but for the gentleman that served us.He had a pure unadulterated rats tail, the kind where you're not sure if it's a mullet or a rats tail, yup it was that good. He lent leisurely against the bar, wearing acid wash jeans, pouring drop after drop of Clare's finest wines into our glasses and even let us take our glasses when we left.He was awesome, that's not sarcasm, he was.

Aw but I've forgotten what happened yesterday, our brush with the law! Yes, yesterday we took a walk on the wild side. Rather than pay the obscene sum of $23 (for the unemployed) to camp in one South Australia's national parks, we decided to camp just outside the sign that said "Permit required past this point". Stef and I marvelled at our genius plan for working the system…until a park ranger pulled up and knocked on our door. Then we kacked ourselves and hastily made the excuse that we were only stopped to have dinner. Later on, with our tails between our legs, we pulled into a rest stop at the side of the road where we were treated to the southing sounds of lorries and trains all night as we were fortunately nestled snugly between a freeway and railroad tracks.

By the smell of the fantastic kofta kebobs that Stef has diligently been preparing while I inform our friends and family of our adventures, it's time to wrap it up, so…

Cheer's from the Clare Valley,

Team Safari