A Breath of Fresh Ayre - Day 9

Day 9 Sunday 19th June 2011

Lucky for us it didn’t rain last night which meant that the canvas on our camper was dry when we packed up this morning. I for one was sad to be leaving such a pretty place, we’d really enjoyed our visit to Streaky Bay. The one thing that struck us was how friendly people were. They waved at us as we drove past even people from their gardens and children walking down the street waved to us as we went past.

After we packed up, we had our showers and then left the caravan park. We fueled up before leaving town and then headed south on the Flinders Highway. The first town we came to was Port Kenny which wasn’t much more than a few houses and a hotel and small jetty. It was quite an ugly place so we didn’t stop.

About 20 kilometres down the road we turned off to Venus Bay which was only a couple of kilometres in. The population is only around 20 inhabitants but that number swells to the hundreds during the popular seasons.

The town had a large jetty for fishing boats and looked over a large sheltered bay.

We drove up to the lookout behind the town to be surprised by some breathtaking views of the jagged cliffs along the coast stretching north and south.

We also had a spectacular view of Point Labatt from the south this time.

There was a caravan park a convenience store and a liquor store and a few houses and not much else, although we found it to be a very pretty little coastal resort style town with the most fantastic coastal views.

A few kilometres south we reached Coodlie Park farmstay where we will be bush camping for a couple of days while we explore areas along the coast and inland.

The camping area is about 2 kilometres from the farm house and there is a flushing toilet. Unfortunately, by the time we set up camp the beautiful clear day turned windy overcast and cold. It wasn’t the best weather for bush camping but we only hope the weather will change again before the day is out.

This is the spot where we camped for two nights (right).

About an hour after we set up camp another couple came along and set up their camp on the other side of an open clearing and just across from us. We had set up by a clump of trees and close to the toilet.

The only downside to the toilet was that it didn’t have a proper door just some shade cloth across the doorway which was blowing around in the wind giving no privacy for anyone wanting to use the loo. It would have been ok if we’d been the only ones here but the opening faced directly out into the clearing so anyone driving in could see you if you happen to be sitting on the loo.

The retired couple camping near us came over and said hello to us and the dogs of course. They are from Sheparton in Victoria a beautiful place where the fruit canning factories are located. Like us they are touring around the Eyre Peninsula but in the opposite direction to us.

During the night we woke to Toby being sick and then later we woke again to a horrible smell only to find that he also had diarrhoea and was standing at the bottom of our bed impatient for us to let him outside. James climbed down and let Toby out before cleaning up his little accident. We had to cover the area in disinfectant just to get rid of the horrible smell. Not really a nice place to end today's story but I'm afraid that's all there is to tell for today from the Short & Sweet and Slightly Smelly Tourists..

A Breath of Fresh Ayre - Day 8

Day 8 Saturday 18th June 2011

Today is our first relatively quiet day since we started our holiday, so it's not a very interesting read and very few photos to show. It rained most of last night and was still raining when we woke up this morning. I wasn’t feeling very well when I got up so we decided to stay in Streaky Bay for one more day. The only exciting part of our morning was that we had french toast for breakfast. After that we got down to the boring domestic chores which included another load of washing. Once the washing was dry and put away we went into town to buy a mat for the entrance to our camper because the tent floor kept getting covered in sand as there wasn’t any grass on the camp sites.

After taking the dogs for a short walk along the waterfront park in the CBD, we went for lunch in the lovely bistro in the beautifully decorated Streaky Bay Hotel.

I had rissoles with bacon, mashed potato and gravy while James had the roast beef with vegetables. We also had a complimentary salad and breadroll from the salad bar. Their mixed salad was the best salad I’d ever eaten in my life, I just wished I could have gotten the recipe. The meals were so big that I couldn’t eat all of mine but James must have been very hungry as he managed to empty his plate.

After lunch we went back to camp and relaxed for the rest of the day. Towards dusk we took the dogs out for their usual walk and then we spent the evening indoors as it got quite cool after the sun went down.

The beach was covered in lots of very small jellyfish like this one.








Well that's it for the very Short & Sweet Tourists adventure for today, nightie night campers.

A Breath of Fresh Ayre - Day 7

Day 7 Friday 17th June 2011

We woke up to a foggy morning so no photos of the sunrise over the bay this morning. We had our showers after breakfast and then packed a picnic lunch and off we went for a day of touring the Westall Way scenic sights.

The turnoff onto the Westall Way loop drive took us onto a sandy dirt road. On the Eyre Peninsula the main highway and a couple of minor roads and the streets in the towns are the only bitumen roads all the rest are fairly wide dirt roads made up of mainly hard sand and stones. The first stop we made was Highcliff Beach where we could see the coast from a shallow rise.

 We then continued south stopping at all the vantage points to view the rugged coastline.

One of the highlights was the Smooth Pool area where we walked down onto a large smooth rock outcrop where the waves were huge and looked as if they were going to come crashing over the top of you at any moment.

There were lots of rock pools and bits of coral and shells and small waves crashing over different bits of rock. In one of the rock pools we saw a nest of bees sitting just above the stagnant green water. We couldn’t work out why they would be here on the beach and what was so interesting about the water.

Another lovely spot was Speeds Point where I found a butterfly bracelet in the sand along the path to the beach. We walked around a ridge to a lookout over the coast and jagged peninsula and where we got a closer view of Point Labatt where we were headed next to see the sea lion colony.

Point Labatt

We saw lots of sand dunes along the coast mostly orange coloured sand but at one point the sand was a brilliant white like snow.

We finally reached the turnoff to Point Labatt which was a 17 kilometre drive to the lookout where there was Australia’s only mainland colony of sea lions. The drive took us past an inland lake and then around the coastline. There were a couple of modern designed houses along the way which looked rather remote as there weren’t any towns close by.

The wind at the lookout was fairly strong and icy cold but we ignored it as we soon spotted the sea lions sun-baking on the rocks below. Some were also frollicking in the waves as they crashed against a flat rock shelf. One large animal with an orange and cream coat was lying fast asleep on its back. There was also one little chap who seemed very interested in the human presence on the ridge above as he kept staring upward at us as we peered down at him and his friends taking photos. It was fascinating to be able to see them here in the wild far away from anywhere and not being disturbed by human interference.

It was after midday when we tore ourselves away and headed back and on to our next stop which was Murphy’s Haystacks on the Flinders Highway and about 24 kilometres away. We were both rather hungry by the time we arrived at the haystacks so the first thing we did was sit in their picnic area with the dogs and have our picnic lunch. There was an entry fee of $2 per person, you put the money in an honesty box at the entrance way. The wind was still very strong so we had to eat with our backs turned to keep the wind from blowing in our faces. The sky was covered in cloud by now and so there wasn’t any sunshine to take our photos.

There was another couple also having their lunch at the same time, they had a little stove and cooked sausages which they had on bread for their lunch. They were from just outside Melbourne and were on their way over to Perth for a few weeks.

By the time we had finished lunch the clouds had cleared and while James put the picnic bag back in the car, I took the dogs off to see the haystacks and take my photos. James joined me a short time later and took his own photos. There were a lot more rock formations here than I had imagined. They were very beautiful and the orange moss coverings on some of the rock formations was quite striking.

After we left the haystacks it was just a short 40 kilometre drive along the Flinders Highway back to Streaky Bay and our camp. We were back at camp and sitting down to a relaxing afternoon by 3:30pm. The sun was shining and it was fantastic to sit in our camper and look out the window to the beach and the blue water beyond. In the late afternoon we took the dogs for a walk along the beach. There were about a dozen pelicans standing on the water’s edge waiting for the fishermen to come in and clean their fish. Unfortunately, nobody was out fishing from the caravan park today.

I made homemade pizzas for dinner tonight and then for dessert we had strawberry cheesecake. We ate dinner while watching a DVD on the computer. Before bedtime we took the boys out for one last wee walk. 

Animal tally:

dozens of bees, 30 sea lions

It's the end to another great day for the Short & Sweet Tourists.

A Breath of Fresh Ayre - Day 6

Day 6 Thursday 16th June 2011

I woke up at 6:40am this morning and didn’t want to get up as I was comfortable and warm in bed. Unfortunately, nature forced me out of bed and when I returned to our camp from the loo, James and the dogs were on theirway out to meet me. I gave the dogs a wee walk while James went off to the loo. We had breakfast and then packed up camp in about half an hour. Once the camper trailer was hooked up to the car, we went off and had our showers before leaving the caravan park.

Ceduna CBDJames parked in town and waited with the dogs in the car while I did some grocery shopping. It was about 10:30am when we finally left town and headed west until we came to the turnoff heading south on the Flinders Hwy. 

We stopped at Smoky Bay about 38 kilometres south of Ceduna, and had some lunch before looking around the small coastal town.

 Smoky Bay foreshore

This is Bacci's self appointed car seat between our two front seats. Great for watching the road but it's not the best when you're trying to have a nap.

Another 70 kilometres south brought us to the lovely coastal town of Streaky Bay (P.S. James was so looking forward to seeing all the streakers on the beach but it must be then wrong season for them as we didn’t see any).

We drove straight through the town and headed north west to Cape Bauer. Our first stop was at Hally’s beach, a beautiful sandy beach with strong foamy waves crashing against the rugged cliffs. We were totally enthralled by the fantastic views and the beauty of the unique rugged coastal scenery.

The next stop brought us to the whistling rocks that really did whistle a deep moaning sound made by the waves gushing under the coastline and rushing through the gaps in the rocks. We also saw a lonely seal diving for dinner close to where the waves rolled over the shallow caverns just beneath the surface of the water and crashed against the cliffs.

The blowholes were at the other end of the boardwalk. There were about a dozen holes in the rock surface where the water was forced through creating blowholes. Unfortunately, the waves weren’t coming in at the right angle today, to see the blowholes in action.

This is one of many blowholes we saw, unfortunately the waves weren't coming in at the right angle today to see water gushing out of them.

We then went on to Cape Bauer where we caught a view of Olive Island named by Matthew Flinders after one of his artists. The views of the ocean and the rugged coastline.

The road then led past low marshlands covered in shallow pools of water. We pulled in to an area overlooking the coast where we thought might be a good place to camp but as our small gas cylinder was empty we decided that it might be better staying at the caravan park in Streaky Bay instead to get the gas refilled and so we can leave the camper in safety to go exploring the area more closely over the next couple of days.

The caravan park was very pretty and was located right on the beach. We got a lovely camp spot overlooking the ocean and close to the amenities block. It didn’t take long before we were set up and sitting to watch the beautiful views.

The only downside to the day was when I tried to download the photos from the camera onto the computer and it would do the job. I ended up downloading the photos on James computer but still saved them on the camera. I then closed down my computer and restarted it and luckily the photos downloaded successfully the second time.

I phoned Mum & Dad to let them know where we are and how our trip is going so far. Then I phoned Natalie to let them know we were on our trip as she didn’t know when we were heading off.

The local pelicans on the beach at the caravan park waiting for their share of the daily catch.

Around 8pm it started to rain but at least it wasn’t very cold tonight.

Animal tally:

1 seal, 12 pelicans, dozens of seagulls

Another day closes for the Short & Sweets

A Breath of Fresh Ayre - Day 5

Day 5 Wednesday June 15th

Around 1:30am we both woke up and wanted to go to the loo, so out we climb from our comfy warm beds and off we trekked to the toilets about 50 metres away. It was so cold outside that I was shivering by the time we got back to our camper. The next time I woke up it was already 7:20am and still quite dark outside, but the dogs were up and eager to get out for their wee walk.

 

There was a gorgeous sunrise today which I braved the cold to go out and capture with my camera. Once the sun was up and drying off our canvas, we had breakfast and then packed up our camp as we were leaving to go back to Ceduna today. It took us a little longer to get the job done as we wanted to reorganise things a bit. Then when it came time to fold up the tent section the wind decided to blow and fill up the inside making the task very difficult, but we managed in the end.

 Our campsite at Nullarbor Roadhouse

Before leaving, we took a few photos and bought a couple of souvenirs including a wooly cap for me to keep my head warm and stop the wind from blowing my hair all over the place.

We had only driven about 20 kilometres from the roadhouse, when I spotted an eagle sitting on a stump about 15 metres off the side of the road. James stopped the car while I got out and took a photo trying to get as close to it without scaring it off. I'd only wished it did take off as I'd would have liked to see how big its wing span was.

About 80 kilometres further along the highway, we stopped at a rest stop to have some morning tea of coffee and date loaf as I was feeling a bit hungry. James eyes were sore from the wind, so I took over the driving. Our next stop was at Nundroo Roadhouse to fill up with petrol which was 47 cents a litre cheaper than the Nullarbor Roadhouse. The weather today wasn't the best as the sky was covered in a thin blanket of cloud making the landscape look very dull and dark.

 Every where we travelled we passed this sign, "Stop Creeping" which I thought could have lots of meaning with a little imagination. I guess they have a real problem with impatient drivers tailgating.



As we neared Ceduna, the sun finally shone through the hazy cloud warming us up and giving the landscape a bit of colour.

Ceduna Foreshore  Image via Wikipedia

 Our campsite at the caravan park

After a quick drive around Ceduna to get our bearings, we bought fish and chips for lunch and ate it in the car on the waterfront as it was still a bit windy and cold.  We weren't very impressed with Ceduna so decided to only stay for one night instead of the two we had planned. The Shelly Beach cavaran park cost $29.50 for a powered site for one night. It was a lovely park situated on 55 acres of natural coastal reserve next to the high sand dunes that lead onto the beach. Each site is fairly secluded by trees and fencing and all are close to the ensuite amenities.

Once we set up camp we pocked up a self drive tour map and spent the afternoon seeing the sights around Ceduna, following the coastline around Thevenard to the slipway where we saw some pelicans and fishing boats. 

We then drove on to Pinky Point platform which had a lighthouse and views out to a group of islands said to be the same islands referred to in Jonathan Swift's classic book "Gulliver's Travels" except he named it Lilliput and of course in reality there aren't any small people living there.

As it was after 4pm we headed back to camp where we relaxed outdoors while I typed up our travel diary until the sun started to set and it turned a bit chilly.

Animal tally:

1 eagle, 1 dead skink, 2 pelicans, several water birds

Another day of touring over for the Short & Sweet Tourists. See you again soon....