Time out in Port Augusta ........

Once the washing had been done and was on the line it was time for the next boring bit.  Food shopping.  We arrived in Port Augusta on Australia Day and so found the little town all closed except for Coles.  We did the shopping and made our way back and spent a quiet afternoon and evening under the awning watching the many holiday makers enjoy the water on Jet skis and water skis.  

The next morning we were up and off early as we were eager to explore the Australian Arid Botanic Gardens just a short drive down the road.  Well what can I say!

The literature picked up tells us 'The garden was established in the 1980s and opened in September 1996.  It was designed by the landscape architect, Grant Henderson it features Australian and overseas plants from arid environments within its 250 hectares.  

Some of the aims of the Botanic Garden are 'to bring attention to arid-zone ecosystem conservation, draw attention to the economic significance of arid-zone agriculture and create a better understanding of the arid-zone environment amongst the general public.'

As well as an interpretive centre, cafe, gift shop and a number of walking tracks there is eremophila garden which has around 155 different varieties, one of the largest collections around.  Bill and I spent the day here wandering along the many tracks, hanging out in bird hides and just generally enjoying ourselves.  

Our last stop of the day was on the way home to see the spectacular Red Cliffs.   We walked along to Matthew Flinders Lookout and took some time out here to soak up the equally spectacular views to the Flinders Ranges and the tip of Spencer Gulf.  Just below we saw the fascinating grey mangroves which were first found by Botanist Robert Brown when he accompanied Matthew Flinders on his scientific 'voyage of discovery' aboard The Investigator.

Soon after we were back at home well and truly ready for a rest after a huge day in the garden.  I think we will visit each time we pass through.  A truly amazing place.  Definitely an early night tonight.

And so the next morning it was time to hit the road again still heading ever eastwards as we get closer to home.

Until next time........

From The East Coast to Salt Lakes........

We said goodbye to the koalas this morning and drove into Port Lincoln for a final look before starting our journey up the East Coast of the Eyre Peninsula.  It was another glorious morning and the view over Boston Bay was lovely.

We drove on stopping next at Tumby Bay, another little coastal town just 30 mins on from Port Lincoln.  We stopped at the foreshore before driving in search of the Mangroves.  We had read in the tourist blurb that here we would find the 'most southern stand of Mangroves' in SA.  

We enjoyed the walk out along the boardwalk and Nature Trail but the council workers using machinery along the road kept the Birdlife away.  Leaving the mangroves we drove around town where we found a lovely little park right on the coast.  We had lunch here and soon Bill was playing with the many birds that also had the same idea.

After lunch we drove on to Port Gibbon where we set up camp right beside the beach.  Just us, the birds, the waves and a beautiful sunset.  What a lovely way to end another pleasant day on the road.

The next morning was not as nice as the previous day and the very cold and windy weather saw us breakfast inside and leave the beach fairly quickly.  Back on the main road we made our way to Cowell where we braved the cool weather for a walk along the Main Street.

A visit to the loos here was surprising with a very quirky way of selling the local artwork.  I'm not sure how much they sell but if it works stick with it!

'Crap Art' sees local artists display their paintings on the walls of the facilities and if you would like to buy these you leave your money in the envelopes together with the number of the painting.  Very enterprising I must say.

A little further along the street I was taken with the sign outside the butchers shop.  And I must say I agree wholeheartedly.

We walked down to the jetty and found another Boardwalk over a much larger stand of Mangroves.  We braved the wind and showers and walked out to the end but were soon on our way back to the shelter of the Main Street passing this colourful mosaic made by the Primary School students along the way.  

Back in the car we set off again this time to leave the East Coast of the Eyre Peninsula and head inland to Kimba where we were going to spend the night at The Recreation Grounds camp site.

This is a fabulous free camp with spotless facilities and hot showers.  $1.00 gets you three mins of wonderful hot water and after last night on the beach this was just what we needed.  The camp ground filled up that night with many travellers heading back home after their school holiday adventures.  

We took a walk around the town and found a very tidy 'suburb' seemingly in the middle of nowhere.  We passed the murals on the Showground walls as we walked back home and I particularly like the 'Sheep Wrecked'.   

The next morning we said goodbye to our very comfortable campsite and made our way up to Whites Knob Lookout to see the sculptures of Edward John Eyre and his Aboriginal guide. These stunning figures are an artistic tribute to the intrepid explorer and the Indigenous men whose bush skills he so often relied on.  

Leaving here we drove on to Lake Gillies National Park which was to be our home for the next two days.  We found a nice spot just a short walk away from the large Salt Lake and settled in for a couple of days of peace perfect peace.  

Bill was kept busy here with some cheeky Babblers he found building a nest nearby. They kept him entertained for some time.

Leaving a couple of days later we made our way back to the bitumen and drove on to Port Augusta and civilization once more. We had not stopped here on our way across to Perth so were going to remedy that now and spend a couple of days seeing what Port Augusta has to offer.  It was time to do the washing again so we booked in for two days at the Shoreline Caravan Park right beside the Spencer Gulf. 

So right now there's work to be done so I'll leave it here for now.

until next time.........

Around Port Lincoln.....

Back in the car we drove out to find our home for the night.  Once again Wikicamps had told us of a campground with Koalas and so we headed off to find it.  

Mikkira Station is home to a relocated Koala population (from French Island Vic) and opens its gates to self sufficient campers for a fee.  There are toilets and a hot shower so after a couple days free camping that was all I needed to hear.  We stayed.

The station is 23 kms out of Port Lincoln and the drive along Proper Bay Rd to get there is another picturesque one.  With views of Boston Bay, Boston Island, Proper Bay and a little further around some of the Tuna Farms it makes for a great way to see some of this lovely place.  

Once we arrived we set up and immediately met two of the Koalas in nearby trees grunting their displeasure at having neighbours so close.  Over the two days we saw about 20 of these cute little creatures but I have to tell you they are just a little noisy when they vocalise.  

They never bothered us at all but I imagine a light sleeper might have something to say about them. Later that evening two more campers came in but with loads of space there was room for everyone.

The next morning we drove up to Winters Hill Lookout and enjoyed the 360 deg views from here.  It really is a lovely part of the Australian coastline.  Stopping at Lincoln Cove Marina on the way back we found a few of the fishing boats in Port.

We drove to Lincoln National Park and spent the next few hours looking around here and enjoying more beautiful coastal views and hidden beaches. 

As we drove through the park we came across a couple of Emu families.  We were lucky enough to get a good look at this family of Emu chicks out for a walk with Dad.  

We started at the far end of the park at Cape Donington Lighthouse and I enjoyed a walk around the rocks while Bill found some Pacific Gulls to play with for a while.  

Returning to Mikkira later in the afternoon we took a walk on one of the heritage walk trails and found our way to the Old Homestead.  This has been maintained and furnished as it would have been and is a credit to Bett who looks after it.  

On our way we played spot the koalas and found quite a few of them.  While taking a picture of one of them Bill found a large hollow in the tree and looked through the camera lens to see if there was anything in it and was amazed to find a beehive complete with bees and honeycomb.

And so with our Port Lincoln adventures at an end we had a quiet night in and left the next morning to drive up the east coast of the Eyre Peninsula.  More later

Until then.........

The road to Port Lincoln.......

The next morning we continued down the west coast of the Eyre Peninsula on our way to Port Lincoln.  Our first stop was to have a quick look at Venus Bay and we found another sleepy little fishing village here.  We didn't stop but drove on to Talia where we headed back to the coast for a look at Woolshed Cave.

The road takes you to the edge of the cliff where you park and walk down the steps and Boardwalk to the rocks below. Wander around the corner here and you are faced with a large cave created over the years by tides and winds.  There was nothing at all here to indicate why it was called Woolshed Cave but it was truly spectacular none the less.

Our next stop was just a little further around the cliffs, yes there was a road, and we found The Tub.  This looks to be a large sinkhole and access down into it has been cut off but it was still an interesting sight anyway.

The road kept going and Bill did too, did I mention I was feeling a little stressed by now, but all was well and the next stop was a Marble Memorial to a chap who had been killed on the rocks below.  

Surf and Rock Fishing is the main activity at all these stops and here right on a Cape you could just imagine how treacherous it would by and why people have died.  At this point we turned around and went back out to the main road.

We stopped for lunch at another little beach and camp ground called Walkers Rocks.  Again a popular spot for beach and surf fishing.  Just about everywhere we stopped we saw 4WDs on the beach. 

We drove on to Elliston, another small community along the coast.  It was here that we found the famous Mural painted on the Community Hall depicting life through the ages.  Elliston is also famous for it's Sculpture and Cliff drive and so off we went to follow this.

It certainly was a spectacular drive, a little too close to the edge sometimes for my liking, but we did it and stopped at each sculpture to capture them.  I liked the Thongs and the Four Heads best but they all made for an interesting trip and the views were once again amazing.

Back on the flat we drove on again to Sheringa Beach where we were going to camp for the night at their Beach Camp.  When Bill was reading the comments about this camp site someone had said to drive a little further up the hill and the views were great.  Bill did just this and the next moment I found myself camped on a headland with the most magnificent views you could imagine.  

Now I would be lying if I didn't say I wasn't real happy with this arrangement as it looked to me like we were going to be right on the edge.   Though once we walked down to the spot Bill had picked I found it was a long way back from any edge and all was well.  

We spent a few hours just enjoying the views over Explorer Bay while we had dinner and waited for the sunset.  With not much cloud in the sky when it did set it was pretty but not special and soon after we were tucked up inside with just the sound of the waves breaking on the rocks below.

Waking the next morning we were surprised to see grey sky and the winds had blown up overnight so we didn't hang around but were soon on our way to Port Lincoln.  Just a few kms down the road we stopped at a cute little cottage which was signposted as Lake Hamilton Eating House It was used a stopping place for travellers and coaches using this road in the mid to late 1800's.  The owner of the property had had it built for that purpose.  The door was open and inside was a can for donations.  The ashes in the fireplace indicated that people had camped there at some stage.  Perhaps that's what it is for now.

Just one more stop on the way at Cumming Monument Lookout where the wind prevented us from staying out of the car too long.  From the top here if you looked away from the coast you could see Lake Hamilton, a large salt lake stretching for miles beside the road.

We continued our drive and arrived in Port Lincoln soon after, found a park, coffee and bread in that order.  We walked across to the foreshore and enjoyed the view of the harbour, the Jetty and the Wharf where a large ship was in port at the time.

A little further along the grass we found a statue of a horse and this proved to be Makybe Diva the three time winner of the Melbourne Cup.  But for now it was time to find a home for tonight.

so until next time........

Beautiful Streaky Bay........

We arrived at Streaky Bay during the afternoon and had soon booked into the Foreshore Tourist Park.  Yes, it was time to do the washing again.  This is a council owned park, privately managed, literally right on the beach.  We set up just one row back from the beach and were able to watch the tides come in and out from our chairs under the awning.  Bliss!

I got straight onto the washing and soon had it on the line and blowing in the stiff breeze that had blown up as we arrived.  We were to discover this was a daily occurrence and by dark it had fallen away and all was calm again.  

Once we were set up we drove into town to do the shopping.  Back at home we had a wander along the beach and a paddle in the shallows before settling down and just watching the waves.  An on site kiosk sorted dinner for that night and we had a yummy feed of fish and chips.  

The next morning I took care of some more household chores and then we walked into town to have a look around.  We started off following a Historic Walk trail taking in 28 points of interest around the town.  Some were buildings, others plaques and Monuments.  Two were museums though both were closed only opening on Tuesdays and Fridays.  It was an interesting way to see the town.

Our next stop was the Jetty which seemed to have lots of people out at the end.  We wandered down to have a look and found it was a Family Fish Day and a competition was under way.  Lots of kids fishing with Mums, Dads, Nanas and Pops and even a couple of fisheries officers there to keep them on the straight and narrow.  It looked like fun but it was time for us to head home for lunch.

We finished the afternoon back at the beach with the Pelicans, ducks and seagulls before coming back to chill out under the awning again.  

The next day we were going a little further afield and set out on The Point Labatt Scenic drive.  Our first stop was at Murphy's Haystack, a 1500 million year old geological wonder, so the sign says.  These are a number of large wind worn rocks, known as Inselbergs, which were once mistaken for haystacks by an Irish tourist, hence the name.

We continued on to Point Labatt to see the Australian Sea Lions in the only permanent colony on the mainland.  The platform built 50 m above the rocks here allows you to watch the sea lions as they hang about, swim and fish on the shoreline.  There is also a group of New Zealand Fur Seals that live here.  

We left the seals and continued on to Sceale Bay where we ate our lunch on the beach looking over Heart Bay and Cape Blanche.  Loved the quirky public loo here - it even had a window so you could see the view while you did whatever it was you were there for.  Sorry no pics!

Our next stop was a quick look at Surfers Beach a long straight beach and rolling surf.  Makes sense that a surf school was there.  Breathtakingly beautiful as most of what we had seen was.

We drove on up to Cape Bauer where we stopped for a quick look at Hallys Beach before stopping at The Whistling Rocks and The Blowholes.  It was very a dramatic coastline here and lots of work had been done erecting stairs and a boardwalk and though we went down to both neither were performing that day as the tide was not quite right.  Still a spectacular sight all the same.  

We finished our drive with one last stop at Cape Bauer itself before returning back to our calm shallow beach where we paddled around for the last time..

We really enjoyed our time here loving both the beach and Streaky Bay itself but it was time to be back on the road again tomorrow and see what else we could find.

so until next time.........