Port Pirie, South Australia 2023 – Michael and Pam's Travels

Date: 3rd March 2023

Travelled: 255 kms from Adelaide to Port Pirie in South Australia

Visited: Port Pirie

Stayed: Federal Hotel RV Stop, Free, S33.17785, E138.00322

Budget: days @ $ per day

We saw no need for an early start this morning. Heading north requires us to drive through Adelaide so we decide on waiting out the morning peak. So it’s an hours walk along the beach, breakfast before we pack up for the road. It’s still quite cool here this morning as we roll out the gate.

We manage diesel for $1.84 in Seaford and pop into the adjoining Woolworths for some essentials before joining the traffic. My 50 year old memories of an Adelaide with no traffic now long gone as we travel slowly north.

Ten kms north of Adelaide the expressway returns and the traffic thins out. It’s a fast dual carriageway all the way to Port Wakefield. As the road becomes single lane the road works start and stop for the next 100 kms. There’s a surprising amount of traffic but it’s flowing along. The high point of the drive north is a lunch stop at Lake Burnbonga viewing point. The camera doesn’t really do the pink salt justice.

An hour later we roll into Port Pirie. We do a quick laps of the main streets (there’s more than one) and roll around to the Federal Hotel’s RV stop. Apart from being the closest stop to the centre of Pirie it’s free for patrons.

Once we’ve introduced ourselves to the publican we settled in, have a quick chat with our neighbours in a huge bus, before we go for a walk around town. Pirie is one of SA largest regional cities.

Having enjoyed a quiet evening and a good sleep Pam is keen for a swim, so we make the Jayco ready and roll around to the pool at 8.30 to do our laps. Pam chats to the staff about the advantages of heating the pool to her preferred temperature of 26°. Anyway we do our laps on our Pat Malone.

Pool done, we drive down to the waterfront finding a park next to the biggest set of silos you’ll ever see and have breakfast, then go for another walk. A case of beer and a loaf of Baker’s Delight bread later it’s time to hit the road once again.

PS: I walk over to the adjoining pier whilst we’re having breakfast and watch some local kid pulling up 3 blue swimmer crabs in his crab trap. Damn, all legal size as well !

Michael + Pam