Talem Bend

This place ws chosen for a stop over because it was not far out of Adelaide, it was easy to get to the highway from our stop-over in Adelaide, it was on the Princes highway and near a ferry port across the Murray River. It also sounded an interesting name!
However, when we reached there, it was most definitely a one horse town. The ferry crossed the river to no-where - all fields beyond and not a building in sight. The motel, which was being used to film some new reality show for out here,was 2 rows of rooms outside in s stoney courtyard where we had to be careful walking because the noise was affecting the filming crew. Luckily they were just finishing for the day so we were able to sit outside for a drink. That was when we noticed that the rooms seems to have some sort of a box on the outside wall just above ground level. What could it be we wondered so being nosy we opened it to find that it opened through into the room with 2 shelves in it. We could only think that it was for breakfast to be passed in in the morning and the 'piss-pot' to be passed out. We didn't get to find out if it had once been a prison of some sort but it certainly looked like it.
We decided to explore the town. It took 5 minutes to do that as nearly everywhere was shut. One shop had a display of clothes that women would have worn in the 1950's we thought so we weren't disappointed at not being able to go in. We found the only bar / hotel in the town and went in. The barman was slightly above being 'frosty'and about the 1st Australian we have encountered who was less than friendly. As it was the only place open, we decided to eat there as well. The dining room had a birthday party going on as well a few other guests from the hotel so the cook was rushed off her feet - we don't think she was expecting to cook so many meals. Anyway the meal was very nice and our plates were whipped away as soon as we had finished - everyone else having already left the restaurant. We decided to take our drinks through to the bar to finish off and we had hardly stepped out of the restaurant when all the lights were switched off. We went into the bar to discover tha the lights were off there too and the barman was cashing up.IT WAS 8.30 PM!!!!. By this time were weak with laughing about everything especially when we walked further down the street to discover that the drive-through bottle shop had also just closed. We resigned ourselves to an early night.
As things turned out, it was just as well as not long after getting back to our 'cells', the heavens opened and there was a terrific storm with forked lightning filling up the sky.
We were up early to go and get breakfast in the local bakery and to start the next lap of our journey to Mount Gambia. The bakery was obviously the centre of activity for the town as just about everyone stopped there for a chat.
Tailem Bend - the place never to be forgotten and never to be visited again!