STREAKY BAY S.A. – DAY 16

WEDNESDAY 26th MARCH 2009 – STREAKY BAY S.A. – DAY 16

We wake up this morning to dense fog. We can’t even see the waters edge but hear and see the silhouette of a few people walking on the beach with their dogs. It’s a little eerie but there is a beauty to the atmosphere nevertheless.

I cook porridge, with fruit and yoghurt before taking Lucy for a long walk on the beach. She loves it and is happy to make contact with all the other passing dogs and owners along the way.

We pack up and move to our allocated powered site (Nick backing into the tight spot with no trouble at all). We have a lovely view of the ocean here as well. After setting up and having a bite to eat we head into town. We go to the Tourist Information Centre and again, armed with much information decide to take their advice and go for a drive. Before we do this we are having trouble with our Optus phone with no network coverage. We need to keep in touch with Jan and Alan and also it is our only contact for family etc. We are told Telstra are the preferred provider as it has a wider coverage so we go to the local Electrical shop and purchase a pre-paid Telstra Samsung phone. This will be the one we will use for travelling only and keep our other phones as normal.

From here we head out past the caravan park and take in the sights of Hally’s Beach, Whistling Rocks (blow holes) and onto Cape Bauer with its rugged coast. We enjoy walking to the edge of the cliffs with the scene of the ocean breathtaking. We thought the beaches on the east coast of Australia were the best in the world but now after seeing this we are not convinced. If you ever come here to South Australia the Eyre Peninsular would have to be the pick of the peninsulars. Certainly not to be missed. Olive Island is visible on the horizon and we stop several times to just drink in the scenery.

We enjoy the drive back to Streaky Bay past the oyster farms, mangroves and boat ramp finishing off with a lovely view of our caravan park and the township.
By the time we get back to camp it is 5 o’clock and that is ‘happy hour’ so I open a lovely bottle of South Australian wine and sit down to activate our new phone and catch up on this blog before cooking pasta and Bolognese sauce for dinner.
I am now in telephone range so I phone Jan and Alan who are at Coffin Bay. They have had a lovely time there, despite the rain. They are heading back to Port Lincoln tomorrow to pick up their computer which needed repairing and also having their new awning fitted. From there they will head out to Gawler National Park for a few days before joining us here at Streaky Bay.

We have decided to stay here until next Tuesday as we have booked to swim with the seals and dolphins in Baird Bay just south of here.

There is an ad on TV promoting South Australian Tourism where there are a group of people snorkeling and swimming with seals and dolphins. We thought this was a ‘must do’ while we are here.


Looking across the bay to our caravan park at Streaky Bay

TUESDAY 24th MARCH 2009 – PORT LINCOLN TO STREAKY BAY S.A. – DAY 16

We are still having trouble packing up (after 2 years of not travelling we seem to have lost the knack) and it seems to take forever to get back into the swing of things. It is pouring with rain which doesn’t help.

We get away by around 10:30am and decide to drive the 45kms to Coffin Bay. This is a place many people have told us not to miss so we drive the short distance there. The weather is torrential and we can hardly see in front of us. We stop at the local service station/café to fill up and buy some lovely hot grilled butter fish. We find a sheltered spot and park while we eat it and make the decision not to stay here. We are not keen to be setting up in this rain so we head for Streaky Bay further up the west coast of the Eyre Peninsular. Hopefully by the time we get there hopefully the rain will have stopped and it will be easier to set up camp.

Again the journey is monotonous made worse by the weather. It is a long drive and we arrive into Streaky Bay at around 3pm. We drive to the caravan park and there is a big sign on the gate which reads “No Powered Sites Left Tonight”! We are in shock. Nick goes to speak to the owners and they suggest we take an unpowered site and be ready for a powered site which will become available by 10am the next day. After some deliberation we decide we will take this option (we don’t feel like driving back to one of the other Bays or driving onto Ceduna just yet) so agree and pay what we need to stay tonight until Saturday morning.

We drive to the unpowered site area and pick a spot just 30metres from the ocean edge. It is so calm and there are quite a few campers closer to the water so we feel we are safe from the upcoming tide. We meet our neighbor who is a single man and his dog. A bit of a character as he has been travelling for 2 years on his own. We think he likes the ‘red wine’ as he is quite friendly and happy and in a harmless way just wants to talk. He tells us his life story and before dark he has cooked his meal (shared with his dog) and in his camper. It is very quiet and peaceful here and it is lovely to be so close to the still of the water. Tonight I cook the paella!!

PORT LINCOLN S.A. – DAY 15

MONDAY 23rd MARCH 2009 – PORT LINCOLN S.A. – DAY 15

We want to get our tyre sorted out today so we are recommended the local Beaurepairs is the place to go. We find it and are told we need a new tyre and to come back in 2 hours and it will be ready. We decide to go into town and have a coffee and sandwich and do some other jobs we need to do. After lunch I go to the local jeweler where I need my bracelet fixed (a precious piece of jewellery that was left to me by my mum). The safety chain has broken so I need to get it fixed. I find a place and the jeweler is very helpful. He tells me my bracelet is worth a lot of money and agrees to repair it and I can pick it up at 3pm.

In the meantime I head to the cycle shop. I want to purchase a basket for my bike so that Lucy can come cycling with me. Whilst she is very fit and loves to run sometimes it is a bit dangerous as she runs along beside me, I am frightened she will run in front of the tyres and do some damage to herself so it would be easier for her to sit in a little seat.

The man at the bike shop finds a bike basket that is suitable and tells me he can fit it to my bike and it will be ready later this afternoon. I have to go back to the caravan park and pick my bike up and bring it back. This I do but Nick decides to stay back at camp with Lucy this time. This will also give me a chance to see some of the shops on my own after I drop my bike off and pick up my bracelet.

I want to cook a Spanish paella so I get directions to the local seafood outlet where I meet the owner who is a delightful Turkish man. He tells me he sends most of his seafood interstate or overseas. One restaurant he recommended to me in Sydney (to which buys a lot of his seafood) is Casa Astoriano – a Spanish Restaurant in Sydney (just across the road from the Spanish Club). I told him we would try this restaurant when we are back in Sydney.

He sold me some green prawns, butter fish, squid, mussels and 2 dozen of the freshest oysters I had ever seen. I purchased the rest of the ingredients I needed to make my wonder dish and was hoping to also purchase an oyster knife. I was unsuccessful so would have to make do with a sharp paring knife and a pair of heavy duty gloves.

I pick up my bike and can’t wait until Lucy and I can try it out. I’m sure it will be perfect.

I can’t believe where the time has gone but after a phone call from Nick (he thought I had become lost I had been gone for so long) I made my way back to camp.
We are leaving here in the morning so I decide not to cook my paella and have a light tea before heading to bed for an early night.

ARNO BAY TO PORT LINCOLN S.A. – DAY 14

SUNDAY 22nd MARCH 2009 – ARNO BAY TO PORT LINCOLN S.A. – DAY 14

We leave Arno Bay and head to Port Lincoln. There are many little bays along the way so as we drive along the highway we take the many turnoffs along the way just to discover these lovely little fishing villages.

Our petrol guage is telling us we need petrol so at Tumby Bay we pull into a service station. While there a man pulls up alongside us and alerts us to a tyre on our caravan which he says has a bulge and looks like it is ready to come off. On closer investigation it is alarming so Nick decides the safest thing to do is change the tyre. We drive to an area a few metres away at a carpark at the beach and Nick changes the tyre. We are surprised at the damage and are amazed that we could not feel it as we were driving. We will find a tyre centre in Port Lincoln when we get there in an hour or two.

We forget it is Sunday and ‘everything’ is closed so we will get the tyre looked at tomorrow.

We drive on to North Shields an outer suburb of Port Lincoln where we find a caravan park, right on the ocean front with a vacancy. We are given a lovely spot, very quiet and lovely views over the bay. It is perfect. We set up camp and phone Jan and Alan to see where they are.

They are staying at another caravan park just on the other side of town with views over the Lincoln National Park. We are unable to stay here as they don’t take dogs but we are happy with where we are staying as it is much flatter and being 10kms out of town it is not as busy as the one they are staying at.

For the afternoon we drive into town and see the Makybe Diva statue. She was the 3 time Melbourne Cup Winner and her owners Tony and Christine Stanic live and have a Tuna Fishing business here in Port Lincoln. The owners together with the SA Government commissioned the statue to be made and it stands proudly in the local park for all to admire. In the paper today her first foal is to be auctioned at the Ingliss Stables (in Randwick) at the Easter Sales and is tipped to sell for $4m. What a shame we are not there to witness this.

From here we go to the Tourist Information Centre. These places are fantastic and are so informative. We emerge armed with many brochures and in the meantime have had a phone call from Jan and Alan. They are going to have a swim at the jetty pool and invite us to join them. (It is a bit too cold and windy for me and even Nick declines) but we arrange to meet them afterwards.

We follow them as we go for a drive around town and first stop is the lookout. The views over Port Lincoln is sensational and this really is a pretty place. Then to the local golf club which we decide we may have a game tomorrow. From here we drive to the Marina where there are some beautiful and expensive boats. Some of the waterfront houses are magnificent and this is where many local business people retire.

We finish off our sightseeing with a beer at the pub overlooking the water in Port Lincoln Bay. We then say our farewells and as Jan and Alan are going out to the National Park for a few days we make no arrangements to catch up but are sure we will somewhere along the line.

MOONTA BAY TO ARNO BAY S.A. – DAY 13

SATURDAY 21st MARCH 2009 – MOONTA BAY TO ARNO BAY S.A. – DAY 13

We decide to leave Moonta Bay today and head towards Port Lincoln. It is a long day of travelling so after packing up we head off. Before we leave though, we drive into town as we want to purchase some more crab pots. Jan and Alan left earlier this morning and are going to the National Park for a couple of days so we give them our crab pot and we decide to purchase 2 more. I also want to get a small hand fishing line. While in the shop I meet some people from Murwillumbah, a town I know well so after making small talk with them I leave and we and head out of town.

The drive is quite boring and we swap driving every hour as the long straight roads are quite monotonous. We have lunch at Port Augusta and then head south down the Eyre Peninsular through Wyalla, Cowell (where we wanted to spend the night but they were experiencing huge dust storms so we drove onto Arno Bay). By the time we got to the caravan park here they were full but they were so helpful in accommodating us in a ‘drive through’ area where we could leave our van and car attached in readiness for us to leave swiftly the next morning.



It was about 4pm when we arrived so put Lucy on her lead and walked the short distance to the beach. It was what I would call rugged with waves crashing onto the beach (any thoughts of crabbing here were quickly allayed as it certainly was too rough and treacherous for the little creatures to survive.

We headed back to camp, fed Lucy and walked around the corner to the local pub for dinner.

It was packed, although not surprising as it was the only meeting place in the area. We ordered local oysters and Nick a spaghetti Bolognese and me garlic prawns. Well, the oysters were delicious but my garlic prawns were dreadful. This would have to be the worst meal I have ever had. The prawns, I’m sure had been microwaved and microwaved and microwaved and the rice which is was served with was partially cooked and cold. It was one meal I will always remember!!!!! Nick’s spaghetti, he said was delicious, but then I don’t think anyone could stuff up spaghetti!!



We walked the short distance back to our camp and was in bed early ready for our departure and drive tomorrow.

MOONTA BAY S.A. – DAY 12

FRIDAY 20th MARCH 2009 – MOONTA BAY S.A. – DAY 12

Jan and Alan rise early and knock on our door to see if we would like to go for a bike ride around the Heritage Trail. I decide not to (as I am still not quite confident riding my bike on the open road)!!! and poor little Lucy must have eaten something which didn’t agree with her as she was unsettled during the night with an ‘upset tummy’. She is such a good little dog she woke alerted us several times during the night to let her out which we did. It brought back memories of having sick children, having to be ‘on call’ during the night. She causes us such little trouble and is such a joy to have with us we are feeling for her. I will spend some mothering her.



I get a phone call from Jan to say they will be finishing the Heritage Trail in about an hour and would I like to meet them in town at the ‘Cornish Kitchen’. This is quite a famous place as there are photos of celebrities on the wall munching into these local delicacies. I agree and before long we are enjoying our pasties all washed down with their lovely coffee.

We decide to spend the afternoon ‘crabbing’. This is a very popular local sport here and Jan takes off to the local fishing shop and comes back armed with 2 crab pots (one each) some frozen bait, a crab measurer and all the information we need to have success.



We pack up our eskies, chairs, sunscreen, bait and crab pots and walk the short distance to the Jetty. We find a spot to set up and before long the crab pots with bait are resting on the sea bed. Nothing happens. I enjoy sitting in the sun with Lucy on my lap talking to every person that passes us by. People are so friendly here.

Further out on the jetty we notice a man with several crab pots out, just pulling the little buggers in so Jan pulls hers up and heads closer to him. Nothing happens. We can’t understand why, with her pot so close to his, why he is getting them and we aren’t. I lose interest after a while and decide to take Lucy back to camp. Nick and Alan follow me but Jan persists.

From our camp we see Jan in the distance, waving he arms around trying to attract our attention. She has caught one – though we find out later it was too small and she had to throw it back. Despite this, she is successful and she arrives back at camp with her bucket filled with 3 lovely, blue swimmers. These will be our entrée’.
I cook a chicken curry but before we have this Jan has prepared the crabs which we will have as our first course. We decide to have a progressive dinner (like we used to have before breathalizers were introduced). The beauty of our situation was we only had to walk a few short steps.

The crab was delicious and she served it with a lovely salad and aoli which complemented the crab perfectly. Then onto us for the curry and cheesecake for dessert. This was a real gourmet dinner which we all thoroughly enjoyed.
Then it was off to bed!

MOONTA BAY S.A. – DAY 11

THURSDAY 19th MARCH 2009 – MOONTA BAY S.A. – DAY 11

After many problems Jan and Alan decide to join us here at Moonta Bay. We arrange for them to have a site very close to us. When they arrive they tell us about the gale force winds they have encountered where they were staying at the National Park. Their tranquil and peaceful site when they arrived at 2am turned into gale force winds – very uncomfortable when surrounded by a lot of canvas. Then their fridge was not working (hence spoiling all their food). This drained their battery in the car so Alan had to walk a short distance and hail down a passing car to jumper start their car.

After sorting out the battery problem and purchase of a new portable fridge they arrived where I had prepared lunch for us all. We spent the afternoon swimming and enjoying this gorgeous location.

During the evening we decided to walk around the seafront to the local pub where we enjoyed a lovely meal and watched another lovely sunset. Our night ended walking back with sound of the waves gently lapping up the beach.