Dirty Undies, Mosquitoes, and Mardi Gras

Daph started the day badly by forgetting her towel when she went for a shower. She attempted to attract Ern’s attention next door, but Ern likes to ignore frantic banging on the dividing wall because it couldn’t possibly be for him. So Daph dried herself with her dirty undies. Good start.

We caught the ferry back to the mainland and had another long day of driving. After seven hours on the road, we arrived at our last pit stop on this journey, Port Pirie... the start of the Flinders Ranges in South Australia. We are right next to the river for the night... which means a prime position for the mosquitoes to feast on Ern.

Port Pirie seems to be the largest breeding colony of mosquitoes on the planet. There are thousands of them! Ern has set up a military defence base, surrounded by a plethora of mosquito-repellent candles and incense sticks. He has also coated himself with an inch-thick layer of personal repellent spray. It’s not working. The mosquitoes around here are SAS crack troops on a mission. Resistance is futile. It’s hot and humid with no breeze, and Daph and Ern have locked themselves inside the Kombi (where it’s even hotter) because it’s more comfortable than being eaten alive.

Tomorrow, we head to our final destination on this leg of the journey. We are stopping for work at Whyalla for the next six weeks. The bank balance is looking a bit sketchy after all our tourist activities on the journey here. It’s time to get back to work and top it up.

On a side note, happy Mardi Gras!! There are no celebrations happening here at Port Pirie. The only pro-LGBTQIA thing here is the word camp in the name of the campground. There are no rainbows. Just beefy men drinking beer and swapping camping tips. However, their Shih Tzus and Maltese Terriers are slightly gay.