Benson Park…
WOW, probably the best ‘farm stay experience’ we have had! Originally we planned to stay one night here, but once we met Ken and saw the place, our initial one night quickly turned into two nights. When we arrived, we opened the gate and drove in, eager to see what all the fuss was about. What persuaded us to visit was the great reviews we had read about on wikicamps. Ken warmly welcomed us to his farm and helped us get set up. We were the only ones there! He set us up right next to Ragamuffins (clydesdale) stable, right beside Coco & Lulu’s (shetlands) stable. All settled in we started exploring and meeting all the animals. Later that afternoon, Ken said we were to help him feed all the animals which we were excited about. It feels good helping feed all the animals and get involved in the farm.
We couldn’t get over how many horses he had and how long it took to feed all the animals. Not only does he have an array of horses, he has sheep, alpacas, cattle, goats, chickens. Ken gets the goats up on hay bales and jumping around, the alpacas had only joined the property 2 weeks prior to our visit. The horses are very timid and love plenty of pats. Ragamuffin the monster clydesdale is a little intimating but Coco & Lulu the shetland ponies are just adorable. After successfully feeding everyone, Ken encourages happy hour drinks and snacks in the wagon. He provided some snacks and you just bring the drinks. How good is that!
All this for only $15 a night, you get access to power, new modern bathrooms (flushing toilets, shower dongas) and you get to feed all the animals! Ken’s farm backs onto the Murray River and has many nature walks to venture off on, or you can bring your bike and have a cycle around the property. Ken also offers a range of horse riding experiences, just chat to him on your budget and what you want. On our second night, some of our Instagram friends Chris & Wendy, drove up to join us! They had seen our insta stories of all the cute animals and that had made them want to come join this wonderful experience. We all had a blast feeding the animals on our second night stay and Ken even gave us some VIP experiences. Later on that night we even got the fire going, which was bliss.
Overall, we absolutely loved our stay at Benson’s Park. Ken is a top bloke and we don’t have one negative thing to say about this place. We would highly recommend it to everyone and it is suitable for all ages!
Start of our track along THE MURRAY…
Our first stop was a free camp called Hogwash Bend, just outside the town of Waikerie. It was a great spot to set up for a few nights. The bank was very sandy, which meant a great spot for swimming and a clear favourite with fellow families. We camped right on the Murray, under a small tree for some shade. Kurt tested out his new boat (see pictures), but unfortunately no fish were caught. We then moved a whopping 20km down the road to our next stop, ‘Holder Bend’. Another nice quiet free spot. Not as appealing to swim, but Kurt was more interested in the fishing. He caught a few carp, which made him one happy chappie (just to catch some fish!) We met a lovely couple there, who we shared some sunset drinks with. Thanks for all the Tassie tips – Jerry & Danika.
Lake Bonney was just a short drive down the road and pinned as our next camp spot. We actually camped at two different spots here. The Lake Bonney Reserve on the north side of the lake and also the Lake Bonney Shoreline on the eastern side of the lake. Both great spots, with different things to offer. The lake had a very sandy bottom, so another great spot to swim, it was very popular with water skiers and also a popular spot with fishermen as the lake had been stocked with carp. [The second spot, is where our photos are from with the creepy / cool trees].
After 3 nights hanging around Lake Bonney, we thought we’d better continue one. We popped into the Mallee Fowl Restaurant in Monash. It’s known for its quirky layout and delicious meals. We wandered around the place looking at all the humorous sites before treating ourselves to lunch & a rum. The meals were fantastic and definitely recommend popping in if you’re going past. We were then in the town of Renmark! It had been quite hot days (38 degrees +), so we opted to head to the Paringa Caravan Park, so we could run our air con for Rusty. While in town we splurged out and had dinner across the road at the Paringa Hotel. The following day we went and visited the popular local brewery – Wilkadene Woolshed Brewery. We shared a tasting pallet between us, then grabbed some takeaways, to drink back at camp. Later in the afternoon we also headed to the local distillery 23rdstreetdistillery, for some tastings. We shared the ‘pallet liberator’ which had some unique flavours, for example – rose vodka.
The Victoria border is only a stone’s throw away and we can smell another state crossing.