SilverLinings

Remember back at the start of this trip we said we had a number of foci. We wanted to get to The Painted Desert. √ We did it albeit with some adventures to make it there. We wanted to be in Roxby Downs for Father’s Day. √ We did it and had a wonderful time with T, Z and Luna. We wanted to celebrate our Wedding Anniversary in Coffin Bay. √ We did it and had a fabulous day. We wanted to test our new caravan fridge. √ Oh boy! It is fantastic. So now we are home and there’s no more to say. ... read more

Sometimes there’s not a lot to say because nothing really memorable happened on this leg of the trip. This is going to be a short blog for this very reason. We are now on our return journey. We decided to take the inland route via Cummins to get to Cowell for an overnight stay. If you are a farmer’s daughter, as Joan is, the wonderful crops had a big impact. But it did go on for lots and lots of Kilometres. It is not hard to see the prediction of a bumper harvest coming to fruition. It was really good to see. At the moment Cowell is undergoing a lot of re-development, particularly around the foreshore and jetty area so many parts were inaccessible. So, there’s not a lot to say.... read more

Destination Coffin Bay. This was the perfect location to relax for a few days and to celebrate our wedding anniversary. Coffin Bay is a short 30min drive from Port Lincoln. If driving straight here after checking out of the CP in Port Lincoln, you can be set up and out enjoying the delight this town has to offer by lunchtime on the same day. The small rural town of Coffin Bay is located on the picturesque and calm waters of Coffin Bay. It is surrounded by the Coffin Bay National Park. Beyond the bay are the wild, energetic beaches facing the Southern Ocean. A thriving oyster farming industry is located in the bay offering a variety of industry immersion tours and sales of fresh oysters straight from the sea. Many culinary delights abound locally, mostly featuring ... read more

Our next over-night stay was Arno Bay. We’d hear of it but knew very little about it other than Clean Seas, a company we had invested in had a presence there. As populations and employment in rural towns decline it is imperative that they find a unique character to attract tourists to them, or they will rapidly die. As we travel, we try to explore different places, finding their hidden treasures, unique character and good deals. Arno Bay is a very small coastal town with a lot to offer. There are very few shops … but there is a pub. The caravan park has large sites, many set deep under the dense shade of large tamarisk trees. Within a few steps of the caravan park is the jetty from which whiting can be caught. Social events ... read more

The Roxby Downs Arid Recovery project aims to help threatened desert species recover. The large property is divided into two sections; one helps species re-adapt to being released once their numbers have built up sufficiently, while the other section is much more secure and is for small populations to live and slowly build up their numbers before the re-adaption process. https://www.facebook.com/AridRecovery Normally access is restricted, so the open day was a treat. Various activities were offered and we were eager to do as much as we could in the time available. Out first activity was “radio tracking”. The ranger had an antenna connected by a cable to a UHF handheld radio. Each radio collar has its own frequency, so the radio is tuned to that frequency and the antenna is slowly rotated until a faint signal ... read more