The Fezzant Creak Rambler: SA Trip 2026 - Days 7 and 8

Day 7 - Kadina to Kingston SE

The trip home will take three days and will cover around 1,180km, give or take.

The first leg involved traveling around Adelaide and not through it (again), with about 450km on the clock.

I was still on the lookout for some spectacular Silo art and the town of Owen (between Balaklava and Gawler) did not disappoint.

I have previously travelled around the plains north of Adelaide and the Yorke Peninsula either in winter or in late spring/summer, after crops have been cut. Driving through these areas in September, after what seemed to be pretty good rains, was a bit of a revelation to me. Instead of short, stubbly, yellow stalks in dusty fields it was lush greenery as far as the eye could see. I hope this means that the harvests in the next couple of months will be bountiful for the farmers.

After a lunch stop in Tailem Bend (you know the drill) it was a drive down the Coorong to my overnight stop in Kingston SE. Apart from the spectacular scenery the only point of interest was during one of my short breaks on the side of the road. An RAA (local roadside assist) van drove past me, stopped and then doubled back until he was next to me. I got out of the car and said g'day. He asked if I was OK. I thought I was. He then said that we was on his way to a call out to a car that had run out of petrol. A red Mazda. I was driving a red Mazda. After determining that another red Mazda on this road needed petrol, he continued on his way.

This stretch of road is a favourite of mine. The landscapes and vistas are gob-smackingly beautiful. I wrote about this in my 2024 trip, here.

Mid afternoon I arrived in at Kingston SE and found my motel. I then had a bit of a wander around the town. This seemed a different Kingston SE to the one I drove through a couple of years ago. So many empty shops, closed down businesses or businesses up for sale. I did a bit of online digging to try to work out why but nothing obvious came up.

This town has my favourite Big Thing and it was an obligatory stopping point for a selfie with it.

Me and Larry

After tea at the local pub I then walked down to the local jetty.

Day 8 - Kingston SE to Port Fairy

The second leg of this home run saw another 360km travelled with some more spectacular driving along the Limestone Coast until I reached the Victorian border, and then the coastal towns until reaching Port Fairy.

I need to learn to use the online thesaurus in order to avoid repetition. The scenery continued to be spectacular right along the coast:

Robe

Bridgeport

Nelson

Portland

One of the highlights of this trip actually wasn't by the water, but further inland. I spotted a large wedge-tailed eagle that seemed to have found some roadkill and was enjoying it by the side of the road. When it saw my car approaching it flew off across the road, in front of my car (no, I didn't hit it). Majestic.

After arriving in Port Fairy, and having a small break, I took a look around the town. It seemed to be busier than normal. Probably because of the Grand Final Day holiday on Friday allowing people to enjoy a long weekend. Absolutely understandable. From a Victorian viewpoint I could not care less about the two teams playing on Saturday.

Pie Review

Day 7 - Tailem Bend Bakery

Steak, Bacon and Cheese (I think - in all honesty I forgot what pie this was. It wasn't steak and mushroom).