On Sunday, 12th November, a Meet and Greet Drive was held following the October 4WD Caravan and Camping Show. It is a great way to introduce new and potential members to the club in a social atmosphere and, I must say, our club does this well! The event was an easy drive through parts of the Barossa, and was organised and led by Bruce C and Sharon P. This report highlights our group only – and we can’t vouch for any tomfoolery in the other group!
We met at the Pelican Plaza Carpark at 9am and, as there had been a great response, we had 21 vehicles, meaning we needed to split into two groups for safety and management! Trevor & Barb had been asked to lead one group, so they had 11 vehicles which included the existing members as well as visitors.
Our group of 10 vehicles was led by Bruce and Sharon. We also had lots of the doggy visitors as well!
It was fantastic weather for a drive – no rain but a little cloud cover. Our group headed off several minutes after Group 1, passing the Millbrook Reservoir (sometimes called Chain of Ponds) which looked quite full. We had to carefully overtake an accident site. They refused assistance, so we proceeded, paying more attention to the foolhardy drivers passing on double lines!
Of course, we were heading into fruit fly restriction areas, so we also had the obligatory stop to help people eat up their fresh produce!
As we know, an Overland 4WD Sunday drive is never complete without a stop at a bakery, so Mt. Pleasant Bakery it was. The amenities across the road were also very welcome! We were surprised, as Trevor’s group had already been through, to find the bakery still had PLENTY to offer!
We then headed to Shell Hill Reserve, which has a unique deposit of oyster shells, believed to be over 5 million years old, and which once was part of a shallow inland sea. It was realised that the shells were a great source of fertiliser and thus the hills were mined over the years, leaving only the hill that was put under the care of the local council in 1976 to be part of a recreational reserve.
An interesting phenomenon – Kerry climbed a hill to read a sign, except the script was smothered by a tree that had sprung up. She valiantly climbed into the foliage to read what it said!
We then proceeded towards the townships of Black Hill and Cambrai, spotting an emu who got a bit confused trying to get away from the traffic. Heading towards Sedan, we were able to see many examples of pioneer built stone walls, handmade to keep the sheep in. Travelling these roads, gave us spectacular views of the long sweeps of walls and the flats. The dry-stone walls use no mortar, but the pieces need to fit like a jigsaw in order to survive.
Following this, we headed on to Angaston, which was the designated lunch stop. Many of us picnicked on the Village Green off the main street.
After lunch, we headed up Mengler’s Hill Road to find ourselves at the Art and Sculpture Park. The first of these abstract sculptures were created in local marble during a symposium in 1988. Nine sculptors met over six weeks, and were hosted by local families. There is a memorial cairn to Hans Mengler, local artist and teacher, who had a role in the establishing of the park. In 2008, a second symposium was held, and eight new sculptors were invited to contribute. These sculptures were fashioned from granite, which is more durable than the original marble.
We also have a connection to the park. One of our members, Viv W, has a very talented brother, Silvio Apponyi – and he was involved in the original sculptures. He is a resident in our Adelaide Hills, and still works and exhibits around the world.
Folk strolled around the park, enjoying (or pondering) the original pieces, and the peace and tranquillity of the area. We all agreed that the day was a success, and many of us were surprised we had never visited these sites!
This was the end of our Sunday drive, and I would like to thank Bruce C and Sharon P for all the work they put in to make this a time where new visitors could experience the Overland 4WD Club in a relaxed atmosphere. I would also like to thank Trevor and Barb, who raced up to do a little preview of the trip so that they could lead the other group.
Cecilia L.
