Destination Port Gibbon

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Our first port of call today is Whyalla. Located on the western shore of the upper Spencer Gulf with a population of 22500 we felt we were back in a major city for the first time since Adelaide. With an average rainfall of 270mm (about 11 inches for you Poms!), and a climate of around 300 days of fine sunny weather to enjoy we felt we should question this data as we headed into a day of drizzle and clouds! Explorer Edward John Eyre reported the presence of ironstone in the Middleback Ranges in 1840, the first attempt to mine the area began in the 1890's. Starting as a tiny work camp on the shore at the foot of Hummock Hill in 1901 as a service base for the iron ore jetty constructed by BHP. The settlement then known as Hummock Hill gradually expanded until 1914 when Whyalla was proclaimed a town. Hummock Hill is now a fantastic lookout point where we took a number of photos that will appear in this blog. BHP extended its activities in Whyalla by building ship yards and a blast furnace in 1940. The now booming town was proclaimed a city in 1961 and the steel works started production in 1965. After the construction of 66 ships the ship yards closed in 1978.

Today Trish and I saw Whyalla as still a "One Steel" town with the Whyalla steel works still in operation, however tourism is obviously a huge part of this town, as is agriculture and a growing aquaculture business. we saw all the retail brands that all you guys would recognise back home, Coles, Target, Harvey Norman and more.

106 Klms later we arrived in Cowell, being a Sunday it was all shut! how many times have we heard this - Cowell has developed a reputation for being one of the best fishing destinations in SA ! Cowell is situated on Franklin harbour named after "Twisty", NO only joking, it is named after former Tasmanian Governor, 19th century explorer John Franklin. Settled in 1853 Cowell boasts one of the largest Jade deposits in the world and the famed Gumnuts Children's author May Gibbs spent part of her child hood here, (probably fishing for the weekend with her parents!!). Cowell's nephrite Jade is recognised as the oldest and largest deposits in the world with a variety of colours and patterns not found elsewhere. Lucky for me Trish could not go shopping for Jade - phew - saved the budget again !

On to our destination for the night, Port Gibbon, where 12 KLms down a dirt road off the main road we free camped right on the beach - awesome !

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Photos

Whyalla
BHP

Whyalla
From Hummock Hill Lookout

Port Gibbon
..free camping right on the beach...no one for miles

Port Gibbon
Free Camping

Comments

[Matty]

Free camping!
Your free camping spot is amazing, right on the water's edge!