Travel: Nelson, SA

By Lionel Mussell

I was about to put a customer’s five copies of Australia Calling in the post at the Adelaide beachside suburb of Semaphore, when a thought struck me: why not deliver this one personally? It was addressed to a caravan park at Nelson on the coast just inside the Victorian border. Graeme Venn, who manages the Kywong Caravan Park with his wife Sharon, had put a note on his order saying, “Why don’t you come and stay with us sometime?”

The next day, after just over 500km battling strong, gusty winds along the Coorong, we arrived at the park and announced a “special delivery”. Graeme and Sharon were delighted and made us very welcome in their spacious and relaxing park that is set on a whopping 25 acres of natural bush. (I know it’s out of date terminology, but I reckon 25 acres sounds a lot bigger than 10 hectares!)

Wandering around the park the next morning I became aware of just how big 25 acres is: the unpowered camping area at the top of the hill is huge and it feels as though it could be in the bush, far from any habitation. A few kangaroos stopped grazing to stare at my intrusion before bounding off and lots of birds chattered noisily in the trees.

A little R&R
Nelson is a small seaside town situated at the mouth of the lovely Glenelg River and has a population of less than 200. This increases dramatically during the holiday season as people come from all over Australia to enjoy the attractions of the area.
The Glenelg River, just a five-minute stroll from the caravan park, is a broad and deep waterway that is navigated by canoe for about 75km – there is a thriving canoe hire business in the town. Well-maintained campsites along the river make canoe-camping a delight.
Fishing is another popular pastime and even if you don’t have your own craft you can hire a boat and still enjoy the river.

There are plenty of bushwalking trails in the area including a number in the huge Lower Glenelg National Park. Nelson is also on the Great South West Walk – 250km of walking track linking a number of national parks and other features.

This trek takes at least 10 days, starting and finishing at Portland. On its way to Nelson it passes through native forests and along the banks of the scenic Glenelg River. Upon leaving the town, it returns along the sweeping beaches and rugged clifftops of Discovery Bay.

Just 17km from Nelson by road is the Princess Margaret Rose Cave and visitors can see stalactites, stalagmites and helictites on a guided tour. I’m sure the guide will be able to tell you what a ‘helictite’ is! All I know is that stalac(T)ites come from the (T)op.

You can also visit the cave during a trip with Glenelg River Cruises – a lovely two-hour excursion.

Nelson is about halfway between Melbourne and Adelaide via the coast and the Kywong Caravan Park is an excellent place to break the journey and stay a few days, or longer. Although rustic in feel, the 3.5-star park has excellent and modern amenities. However, the walk up from the lower sites to the toilet block is a bit steep for poor old things like us. If your memory is as sieve-like as mine, make sure you take your little piece of paper with the code of numbers that gives access to combination-locked facilities.

A fresh start
As you would expect in such a natural bush setting, there is a lot of wildlife around. We saw kangaroos and rabbits, and brightly coloured birds flitting from tree to tree. With so many creatures living in the park, it is understandable that the local Reserves Management Committee has a ‘no pets’ policy.

Graeme and Sharon have been managing the park for the RMC for the past three years. An additional part of their duties is keeping the grass mowed and the amenities up to the standard of the public toilets and reserves in town.

For most of his working life Graeme was an administrator at a TAFE college until budget restrictions left him with a ‘golden handshake’ and no job. Two years after landing a position with a roadhouse in Nelson, Graeme – a native of nearby Mount Gambier – heard there was about to be a vacancy at the caravan park. He and Sharon, who also worked as an administrator, applied successfully and soon found themselves in a totally new environment.

Make some old friends
There is some TV reception in the area, but when you see the height of the masts some locals have erected just to watch the box, it’s clear how much television has become an essential part of our lives. We only got the ABC and WIN (country version of Channel Nine) stations.

Another thing to forget is your mobile phone – it won’t work! We have both CDMA and GSM and not a peep was heard out of either of them. I did forget to take the CDMA antenna so I don’t know if that would have made a big difference.

There is a public phone box at the park entrance and Graeme told me they  are happy to take messages for residents.

Sharon and Graeme have a friendly, welcoming attitude and after just a few hours in their company we felt like we were chatting with old friends.

Nelson Fast Facts
Nelson is about 430km from Melbourne and 490km from Adelaide via the Princes Hwy.
Kywong Caravan Park is on North Nelson Road, Nelson, Vic. Ph/Fax: (08) 8738 4174; email kywongcp@bigpond.com.au; website: www.kywongcp.com
Cabins start at $44/double for a park cabin; $70/double for a family ensuite cabin.
Onsite vans are $33/double; powered sites are $18/double and unpowered sites are $13.50/double. Children five and under free.
Glenelg River Cruises: Book on (08) 8738 4191, fax (08) 8738 4233; email rivercruise@ozemail.com.au.
Princess Margaret Rose Caves tours: Call Caves Information Centre on (08) 8738 4171.