Most CPs in SA provide town water which is what the residents of the town use for drinking, washing, plant watering etc. Some people complain of the water flavor but its perfectly safe to drink. The other option is to buy spring water from the supermarkets.

Dave

we're currently travelling through SA. Generally the water in larger towns (and their CP's) are piped in and treated like you would expect. But in small rural CPs they don't have that luxury. We're staying in Wilmington, just out of Port Augusta, and the town water comes from a copper mine closed down about 80 years ago. It initially comes out brown (like bore water) and then after running the tap for a few seconds clears up, unless you pour it into a glass and look at it. But we drink it, boiled, and cold water out of bottles from the shops.

Apparently the best water in SA is at Woomera and Coober Pedy. We're off there later this week, so will find out soon enough. Water has to be purchased in Coober Pedy, but its like 20c for 30 lt from the Info centre - hardly a cost killer. The CPs there do supply water in the abolition blocks, but charge usually 20c for 3 mins under the showers

Yes I have to agree with Long Weekend.. as bad as the water is, drinking SA beer instead is definitley not an option... blecchhhh.....

The water used in SA at The west end brewery isn't tap water rather limestone filtered spring water

The same water can be purchased 24/7 from a tap outside the brewery with all proceeds going to charity

quote


" This is very special and as many people as possible should be supporting it. The West End Brewery have a small outlet on Port Road where you can fill your water container with fresh limestone filtered water - about as fresh and clean as you will get it around the State of South Australia.

Once you could just fill up your water bottle for free but at the start of this century the realisation that a significant resource was being given away while it could be used to raise money for charity brought the Charity aspect into play. West End and members of the community formed a board of directors or a trust and started to ask for a donation from those who were drawing water from the vast well. Fair is fair; so people continued to stop here to get some water - often to fill their large ten litre containers, so it is not just a litre or two people stop for, meaning you are still getting a bargain - great water for next to nothing - but now the small donation you give goes into a fund and that fund is disbursed a few times a year via application and assessment."

If you are contemplating a water filter then make sure the cartridge is a carbon loaded one. It's the carbon that removes the bad taste not the actual fine filter acyion.

WollyandPete wrote:

---

We carry seperate drinking water while travelling in SA or anywhere else, and we take straight out of our garden tap at home, which is in SA! Harden up guys, SA is not a 3rd world country yet! The State government is still working on it!
Pete

---

 I agree with you 100% Pete.

There really is a whole lot of horse hockey that is bandied about as far as South Australian water is concerned.

SA water is fine to drink, wash in or give to your dog, I can think of numerous other destinations in Aust where the water quality is way below what we get in SA.

I suspect a lot of this misinformation stems from the mid 1950's before the opening of the Mannum to Adelaide pipeline http://www.sawater.com.au/SAWater/Environment/WaterQuality/default.htm prior to this Adelaide water was pretty ordinary, however that's 60 years ago, the situation now is vastly different.

So to those who are hesitating about a visit to SA, fear not, the water does not taste bad, it wont poison your dog, eat the bottom out of your kettle or rot your socks.

Guess it's pretty much a case of give a dog a bad name and it sticks, even after 60 years.

 

I think there must be something great in SA water. Went there with another couple in 1985 they had been trying to have a baby for 12 years, both she and I came home pregnant.

Lynda

Frank - I don't understand, my good old Mum always told me it was the drinking water that made babies........am I missing something here?

......and here I was thinking all these years the "Stork" delivered them.

G'day Davo,
You're right to be suspicious of SA water. Traditionally there's been two water sources, rain water and the water piped from the Murray river. Now in Whyalla, which is a typical SA city, all the houses had a rainwater tank installed because the authorities deemed the Murray water unsafe to drink. It's no small exercise to have rainwater tanks on all the houses, so we have to acknowledge that there was a real issue with the piped water. In 2015 I can't say that the piped water is still unfit, maybe is, maybe isn't. But it certainly was a few years ago.
There's a standing joke about the Adelaide water supply, Seems it comes from the Adelaide Hills, where as everyone knows, there's a vast population of cows. So the cows live in the paddocks, and the rain falls, and all the cow dung washes down into the dams which become the Adelaide water supply. My personal belief is that this is just an oversimplified story, probably started by some Queenslander.
If you travel in rural SA fill your tanks from whatever water supply is available. If you feel nervous then get some purification tablets from the camping shop. If you believe the water is still poisonous and you don't purify it, then you'll probably die like the thousands of SA residents each year who drink water.
I hope your question has been answered by my post.

Nah, it's just that SA has crook water... and you should only ever drink beer when you go there... But give that West End stuff a miss (do they still make that?) and take some decent beer with you before you go. For all you Queenslanders, you'll have to just pick some up on your way through NSW. No point in taking that XXX muck with you. You may as well just drink SA water.

03_Troopy wrote:

---

Nah, it's just that SA has crook water... and you should only ever drink beer when you go there... But give that West End stuff a miss (do they still make that?) and take some decent beer with you before you go. For all you Queenslanders, you'll have to just pick some up on your way through NSW. No point in taking that XXX muck with you. You may as well just drink SA water.

---

Morning Troopy,

Yep they still make West End draught.

As a matter of interest what is your brew of choice? need to make sure were comparing apples to apples.

KevinC wrote:

---

Sorry to offend you Santa. Post aren't meant to cause arguments and I certainly wont argue here.
Yes I was a resident of SA for three years, and yes I was obliged to have a rainwater tank. And yes I was advised not to drink the town water. I wonder why if there was no problem? These aren't claims, they're facts.
If you don't like to hear the old joke about the Adelaide Hills, then don't read it, but it used to be a common saying.
The comment about being nervous about water quality should apply to every vanner anywhere in Australia. If you're nervous get some purification tablets. Most of aren't and don't.
The comment about the thousands who die each year from drinking water should be taken as the obvious false statement it was meant as.
So there Santa, I hope my explanation of my statements will cool you down a bit.

---

 G'Day Kevin,

No offence taken.

I simply don't have any time for misinformation designed to alarm people unnecessarily.

The reason for rain water tanks is because we are "the driest state in the driest continent" South Australian building rules require that new dwellings, and some extensions or alterations, have an additional water supply to supplement mains water. https://www.sa.gov.au/topics/water-energy-and-environment/water/rainwater-tanks/rainwater-tanks

We South Australians understand we lag well behind the eastern states as far as infrastructure and resources are concerned, we don't need a millstone of this nature around our necks as well.

 

Santa wrote:

---

03_Troopy wrote:

---

Nah, it's just that SA has crook water... and you should only ever drink beer when you go there... But give that West End stuff a miss (do they still make that?) and take some decent beer with you before you go. For all you Queenslanders, you'll have to just pick some up on your way through NSW. No point in taking that XXX muck with you. You may as well just drink SA water.

---

Morning Troopy,

Yep they still make West End draught.

As a matter of interest what is your brew of choice? need to make sure were comparing apples to apples.

---

 Well my preferred brew is Little Creatures Pale Ale followed by Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. But in the mid $60's to $70 per carton, so have to resort to something like Matilda Bay Fat Yak, James Squires Golden Ale or their Pale Ale to save a couple of bucks sometimes. But for a session on a hot day I usually drink Carlton Mid in cans. Totally at odds with my other choices I know, but for a mid strength it's one of the better ones. Actually there is a local craft brewery that makes some very nice beers too, Murray's Brewery. Lots of big hoppy beers and ales.

Really my favourites vary from time to time anyway, and of course the season. Summer is for much lighter flavours, where as winter is good for dark ales, IPAs and the occasional stout.