The Eyre Peninsula

March 5^th 2013 to April 15^th 2013

Redbanks, so called because of the imposing red cliffs was the perfect place to camp on this part of our journey. The weather was divine with, unusually, not much wind. We again tried our hand at crabbing; too small again, and a bit of surf fishing. The fun is in the trying - right?  The walks along the beach and the swimming kept us happy and occupied as well as our amateurish attempts at fishing. It is so pretty here, I don’t want to leave ...again. The peacefulness of the surroundings as well as the beauty and close proximity to the water made it more than a delightful spot to spend a week.

The little township of Arno Bay just 5 kms south of Redbanks is a quiet little fishing village with not much more than a grocery store, pub, and caravan park, but is a pretty little town and ideal for getting our supplies and water. We stayed at Redbanks for 6 nights so only had to venture there once. Mostly we spent our time walking on the beach, fishing and relaxing but were entertained by the many day visitors who come to this spot for the fishing and the swimming. On our first night here we were entertained by visitors of another variety; Scorpions. Whether it was the lights from the van or the fact that we disturbed them, we will never know, but in a space of about 10 mins Greg killed 5 of the critters. We didn’t see them again after that.

Sunrise at Redbanks

The beautiful beach at Redbanks

Mister and me at Redbanks

 

On Monday 11^th March we packed up and moved further down the coast of the Eyre Peninsula to a place called Lipson Cove. Lipson Cove is about 20 kms north of Tumby Bay and is quite pretty but not as nice as I was expecting. It was a deliciously warm day when we arrived and as we got there nice and early again, we setup and took the Hobie out into the bay for a pedal and a spot of fishing and crabbing; again no luck for us amateurs. We had a bit of a walk around the beach, went back to camp, had dinner took some shots of the sunset and then decided we would move on the next day. A most unusual decision for us, as we usually never want to leave, but it just didn’t feel right. There are no facilities at Lipson Cove except for a long drop toilet; but no water and they were asking $10 per night, a bit over the top. The next morning though I did get some great shots of the sunrise and all the seabirds taking flight for the day.

Sunrise at Lipson Cove

Sunset at Lipson Cove

Lipson Cove

 

Our next destination was a campground about 22 kms north of Port Lincoln called Louth Bay. It was extremely hot the day we arrived, about 42 degrees, with a howling northerly wind, so as soon as we were organised we went to the beach for a swim. Because the beach was on the south side and protected by tall cliffs, it was extremely calm and an excellent respite from that hot wind. We had planned to stay for a few nights here, but a few things forced us to have an extended stay of 2 weeks, but that also gave us the opportunity to meet some wonderful people.

The fridge in the van, a Dometic 3 way, wasn’t coping at all well with the heat. We had been struggling to keep the temperature down and the freezer was starting to go out in sympathy. That equals no ice for my scotch, not a good thing. And my computer which was 5 years old wasn’t working as quickly as I needed, so as it turns out we injected a considerable amount of money into the community of Port Lincoln. A new fridge for the van, a Waeco 2 way, an extra solar panel and battery to ensure it runs well and a new computer for me. Apart from a few hiccups with setting my computer up...grrrr! Telstra, say no more, we now have a fridge which is always cold, regardless of the weather and computer which will hopefully meet my needs for the remainder of our journey.

Port Lincoln on Boston Bay and is one of the largest protected natural harbours in the world and is 3 times the size of Sydney Harbour. There is quite a decent shopping centre here and plenty of attractions such as swimming with Tuna and scenic tours and lookouts. Louth Bay, where we camped, is a quiet little seaside village, with no shops but it does have a fabulous little community hall, which accommodates the golf club  and  tennis club among other community activities and has a nice bar which opens only 4 nights a week from 5-7pm. It is well utilised by the locals and any campers staying here. We enjoyed their facilities a couple of times and it is a great way to meet the locals. There is a beautiful swimming beach and a jetty which is popular for its fishing activity. They have clean toilets and fresh water, so it was a nice place to camp for 2 weeks.

While we were here we drove back up to Tumby Bay to have a look around. Tumby Bay is a popular holiday and fishing destination, pretty much the same as all the townships on the Eyre Peninsula. It is a pretty little town and has a great fish and chip shop and the jetty and beautiful foreshore area are an ideal place to sit and take in the sights while enjoying the local catches.

We also visited the Koppio Museum in the picturesque Koppio Hills about 25 kms from Louth Bay. This historic museum show an insight into the hardships endured by early pioneers and has many antiques and memorabilia on display, including a pine log hut with a thatched roof, old buildings, farm machinery, heritage cars and printing machinery. It was a worthwhile visit and one of the most interesting museums I have visited.

The best thing about the length of time we stayed at Louth Bay was we were able to enjoy the company of some fantastic people for a lot longer. Phil and Trudy, who were already there when we arrived, are very talented musicians from Sydney. They are travelling around the country for a short while doing a few gigs. They had a couple of gigs in Port Lincoln and one in Cummins while they were here and as it is only a short distance to both those places from Louth Bay they elected to stay here rather than setting up elsewhere. We were entertained by their wonderful music and the great stories of their many travels and were sad to leave them. Phil and Trudy are now on their way to Darwin and then to the West before they head to New Orleans in July. We totally loved the time we spent with them and hope to meet up with them again sometime in the future.

One of the locals, Barry came to visit us a number of times to have a coffee and a chat. He was an interesting man to chat with and had some stories to tell. We always find locals have a lot of valuable information and it is a wise thing to listen to what they have to say. We enjoyed his company and maybe we’ll see him again in the opal fields.

We also met Sue and Mick and their son James from Deer Park in Melbourne. They are travelling around Australia for a year or so and home schooling James, as are so many young families we have met.  It was an excellent week we spent camped beside this wonderful family and because they were travelling in the same direction we decided to travel together as far as Ceduna before they headed west and we headed north. We decided to move early to find somewhere to enjoy Easter to avoid the possibility of not being able to get in anywhere, so the Tuesday before Easter we left for Farm Beach which is about 20 kms west of Coffin Bay.

Tumby Bay

The jetty at Louth Bay

The beach at Louth Bay

Part of Marina at Port Lincoln

The pine log hut at Koppio Museum

 

Farm Beach of course, because it is on the Eyre Peninsula, is popular for its fishing. It was considerably busy due to Easter, but was mostly inhabited with diehard fisherman, some of whom had been camping there for more than 6 weeks. The weather over Easter wasn’t great but our spot was rather sheltered so it was a good place to stay. We were only 21 kms from Coffin Bay and were able to enjoy that pretty little town and its surrounds while we were there. The Coffin Bay National Park is beautiful with a simply amazing coastal landscape and massive sand dunes. We took the opportunity to drive in the dunes with the Land cruiser and it was exhilarating. Once we got through the dunes and onto the beach however, we got bogged, but all we needed was the Max Trax to get us out and then we used them to rescue two other 4 wheel drivers who also managed to get bogged. The sand was deceptively soft and deep, but it was an excellent experience.

Just north of Farm Beach is Gallipoli Beach, site of the filming of the Australian movie Gallipoli. We spent the day down here for a spot of fishing and a picnic. Young James made a herculean effort by riding his bike to this spot from the camp. It was a 4 km ride and he did a mighty job with his 7 year old legs. It was a rough track with some pretty steep rises and we were amazed that he made it. His determination got him through as we all told him wouldn’t make because it was too far for a young boy and he would get too tired. He proved us wrong. Good on you James.

Sand dunes through the windscreen Coffin Bay Nat Park

 

Bogged on the beach in the National Park

The coast line looking out to Golden Island

Sunset at Farm Beach

Coffin Bay

Gallipoli Beach

Farm Beach

Gallipoli Beach

 

After staying at Farm Beach until the Tuesday after Easter we moved further west along the peninsula to a spot called Walkers Rocks Campground. This spot is about 20 kms west of the very pretty township of Elliston. We found the perfect site to camp amongst the sand dunes, with a pretty but rocky coastline on one side and a beautiful beach on the other side. From this point on the weather improved dramatically and we had glorious warm and sunny days of about 28-30 degrees. Greg had his first ever go at snorkelling here, thanks to encouragement from Mick and he enjoyed it so much, a snorkel and mask is on the list to buy.

Elliston which is situated on Waterloo Bay has a very scenic coastline with 2 breathtakingly beautiful cliff top drives. The drives are loops with vantage points along the way that have superb views of the outlying islands and the township itself.  One of the drives is also dotted with significant sculptures, which are permanent exhibits, along the cliffs. This is one place I would certainly return to for a visit. We stayed at Walkers Rocks for 3 nights before moving along the coast to Baird Bay.

Part of the beautiful coast line Elliston

Me and James on the bike Elliston

Trying to into a pair of big thongs Elliston

Sunset at Walkers Rocks

Beautiful coastline Elliston

Greg snorkelling at Walkers rocks

Walkers rocks Beach

Our campsite at Walkers Rocks

 

The morning we left for Baird Bay, we stopped along the way to have a look at Talia Caves and Talia Beach. It was a very worthwhile stop as the views, the rocks and the caves are spectacularly beautiful and I was able to take some beautiful photos.

Baird Bay is situated about 50 kilometres from Port Kenny via a 32 kilometre dirt road. It wasn’t a bad run with only a few corrugations. This camp spot is only small with room for about 7 or 8 vans, but it has excellent facilities including spotlessly clean toilets and a gazebo with a gas barbeque. It is an honesty system for payment, but there is no question that you will because of the excellent manner in which it is maintained. Baird Bay is the only spot along the journey that we had any real luck fishing. We stayed 3 nights and took the Hobie out into the beautiful calm waters of the bay twice. Each time we were successful, with great catches of King George Whiting, Salmon, Trevally and Flathead.

We also took the vehicles for a run along the beach and onto the cliff tops which are only accessible by 4WD. This is when I am in my element and the only time I like driving. We were able to take in some wonderful views from these vantage points. When we left Baird Bay on the way to Perlubie Beach, we stopped to have a look at the famous Murphy’s Haystacks. These unique outcrops of pink granite boulder are said to be over 1500 million years old and make a wonderful photo opportunity.

The vessels waiting for a fishing expedition

The catch

On the cliff tops at Baird Bay

James feeding the Pelicans at Baird Bay

The vehicles on the cliff tops at Baird Bay

Sunset at Baird Bay

Talia Caves and Beach

Talia Caves

The convoy

 

Murphy's Haystacks

 

Next destination, Perlubie Beach (Paradise).Perlubie Beach is only about 25 kms from the charming seaside town of Streaky Bay, which featured in the Australian ‘70s movie Blue Fin. As soon as we arrived here we were overwhelmed by the beauty of the area and to be able to camp on the beach beside Bali type huts was just a beautiful experience. Greg and I and Sue, Mick and James were able to pull our vans up at right angles to the huts, so that we had wonderful shade and wind protection. We were blessed with 4 days of the most perfect weather for swimming, fishing and kayaking.  There are a number of sand dunes further along the beach, so we drove along there and had a bit of fun, climbing up and sliding down the beautiful white sand.

There are a number of these huts along the beach as well as stable type structures and with toilet facilities it is a great place to experience beach camping. As long as you check the tides, because they can come up quite high, it is extremely safe. We were lucky we had fairly low tides and weren’t affected at all. Perlubie Beach used to host horse racing along the beach back in the early 1900’s which is the reason for the huts and today the locals have a sports day every New Years Day, with all the community joining in for sack races, egg and spoon races etc.

We spent an afternoon at nearby Haslam on the jetty, where I was successful in netting a few Blue Swimmer crabs and Mick, Greg and young James were all very successful in catching some squid. So we had a number of seafood meals while we were here. None of us wanted to leave, but as our companions of 4 weeks are heading west and we need to move north it was time to move on to Ceduna to catch up on some laundry, shopping and cleaning. Bye bye paradise.

Enjoying the Blue Swimmers at Perlubie

Greg, Mister and Mick on the sand dunes Perlubie

Sunset at Perlubie Beach

Fun in the dunes with me

Fun in the dunes with Greg

Perlubie Beach

Our campsite at Perlubie

The Haslam Jetty

Smoky Bay Jetty

 

Ceduna is known as the Oyster Capital of Australia, but apart from that, the fishing and the shopping facilities it doesn’t offer much else. We stayed at the Foreshore Caravan Park which is only small but clean and surrounded by cyclone fencing. Ceduna is mainly used as a stopover for those travelling from the West or headed to the West. It was a great opportunity for us to get prepared for the long journey up the centre of Australia.

So my friends, that is and was the Eyre Peninsula. We were very lucky to have travelled part of this journey with the wonderful Rollason family - Sue, Mick and James. From Louth Bay to Ceduna we had a fabulous time with them and will miss their company. Mick’s quirky way of telling stories with a number of sound effects and hand gestures, young cheeky but polite James with his ever-growing knowledge of all things fishing and outdoors and his willingness to impart that knowledge to us oldies and Sue’s wicked sense of humour, her addiction to Candy crush and her obsession in telling us Ayer’s Rock will be flooded when we get there, will all be missed. It’s really been a “breath of fresh Eyre”

Cheers til next time.