A piece of paradise!
JURY ROAD ORCHARD
CAMPING AND HOLIDAY ACCOMMODATION
Growing up across the lake at the Van Den Brink Farm, Margy Gambling of Meningie daydreamed about what was beyond the gates of Jury Road Orchard – not knowing that her husband’s love of single piston motors would bring her home establishing a peaceful resort on the shores of Lake Albert.
Situated in the world-renowned Coorong and after years of toil working away from home, Margy is finally organised to start sharing the tranquility of her unique piece of paradise.
“Butch, my husband, loved the sound of his Southern Cross Stationary Diesel and if it wasn’t for the neighbors complaining he would have never surprised me with Jury Road Orchard,” Margy said. “He found a home for his motor, but it has taken years, and I mean years, before we started to build – it’s such a shame Butch never lived long enough to see what Jury Road Orchard is today.”
With the lingering smell of old crude oil in the air, Margy braves the dusty shed and begins uncovering what is now a family treasure Butch’s Southern Cross.
“I’ll never forget the day Butch surprised me, opening the gates we walked over the hill in a gentle drizzle of rain, the lake was calm and still like a mirror, Swans honked and you could hear the roar of the Southern Ocean in the distance – I fell in love, I knew I was home.”
Whilst establishing her distinctive Bed & Breakfast and matchless self-sufficient camp grounds, Margy unearthed a number of fascinating artifacts leading to local Elders affirming that the land is the last gathering place of trade for the Ngarrindjeri people.
“I really feel connected to the land, it’s such a peaceful, moody, dreamy place, the lake is never the same and every sunset is different – I love sharing what feels like a place where earth meets heaven.”
So, if you’re into bird watching, canoeing, walking, windsurfing, paddle boarding, kite flying, fishing or doing very little, why not treat yourself to a night or two at Jury Road Orchard’s B&B or experience the stillness of Margy’s rare, self-contained camping.
For more details visit coorongrealty.com.au or phone Coorong Realty on 8572 4555.
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The Southern Cross Single Piston Stationary Diesel Motor
The Toowoomba Foundry is best known as the maker of hundreds of thousands of Southern Cross windmills over almost a century, from 1876 to 1973. The company also made thousands of small engines, many of which were used for pumping water on farms when the wind wasn’t blowing. This small diesel engine was one of 1646 Southern Cross engines manufactured by Toowoomba Foundry between 1938 and 1945, a significant period in the company’s history.
The engine’s design incorporates some innovations that resulted from research carried out at the foundry and that were later copied by other makers in Australia and overseas. These include oil-primed starting, which greatly simplified the engine’s mechanism compared to other diesels, and an internal oil filter, which contributed to the engine’s reputation for reliability. The engines were easy to start, even in cold weather. Although they cost more to buy than similar petrol or kerosene engines, they were cheap to operate because they could be fuelled by crude oil.
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