Edithburgh to Black Point, Yorke Peninsula, SA - 5 October 2016

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Wednesday 5 October 2016 Edithburg to Black Point



Waking up at Edithburgh on the beach on this day was beautiful. The sun was shining and there was no wind. We couldn’t help but go outside with our coffee after eggs and bacon, and sit in the sun watching the fishermen launch their boats. They could not have done any fishing over the past week.



Edithburgh is a delightful town and popular holiday destination on the SE tip of Yorke Peninsula. Great swimming beaches, a tidal swimming pool with a shallow area and a growing reputation for the range and high standard of food available in local restaurants ensures Edithburgh is the perfect place for a holiday.



Edithburgh and Troubridge Island are the resting place for a number of shipwrecks, including the ‘Clan Ranald’ which many divers visit each year. It is on a beautiful coast line which we explored during the day.



Our day started at Wattle Point Wind Farm which is only a short drive from Edithburgh and a viewing area allowed us to get up-close to these amazing 68m high structures. AGL is the owner of the power generated. The farm has been operating since April 2005. When it was officially opened in June of that year it was Australia's largest wind farm at 91 megawatts. The installation consists of 55 wind turbines covering 17.5 square kilometresand was built at a cost of 180 million Australian dollars.



We left the whirring of the windmill blades and headed west along the coast to the Troubridge Hill Lighthouse



Special wedge shaped clay bricks were custom made to build this unusual lighthouse. It is designed to be resistant to high winds and earthquakes, as in the early 1900s the area experienced numerous earthquakes. Measuring 32 metres high, Troubridge Hill Lighthouse has a light range of 22 nautical miles and operates off mains electricity with a backup generator.



Continuing along the coast I spotted an interpretive sign learning this was part of the Investigator Strait Shipwreck Trail. This is the stretch of water that lies between southern Yorke Peninsula and Kangaroo Island. Captain Matthew Flinders named it on 27 March 1802 in honour of his ship HMS Investigator.



Between 1849 and 1982, 26 vessels are known to have been wrecked in these waters, with the loss of more than 70 lives. Many of the wrecks are a haven for aquatic life and attract diving enthusiasts from around the world. Six land-based interpretive signs are located along the coastline to assist in the interpretation of the wrecks.



The shipwrecks along the trail were selected for various reasons: the strange and tragic circumstances surrounding their loss; their historical significance or because they provide a fascinating underwater experience for beginners and advanced divers alike. Very interesting.



The S.S. Clan Ranald forms part of this trail and is the only turret ship to have been lost in Australian waters. The extensive remains of the hull lying upside down provide an impressive sight to any visitor. It is close to Edithburgh.



As we drove further east, we came across a car which was perched over scrubby bush and saw a young bloke with the car. Leura and Dough stopped and asked if he needed help. He had missed the curve in the road and he was about 40m from a cliff face. It was lucky that sand and vegetation had slowed the car down. The lad didn’t look any older than 18 and he wouldn’t tell us where he was from. He said the car was his but that was questionable.



Non the less, Tom and Doug used our caravan risers and shovel to lift the sump over the bush stump while I drove the car and the 3 men pushed it backwards. The mission was successful. We weren’t sure how long he had been there. We continued to be suspicious of the lad so I took photos of the number plate and when we arrived at Port Moorowie, we got one of the locals to call the police. Our job was done!!



When we arrived in the very little town of Port Moorowie where we had coffee, an old resident came across the road to give us a map of the area. He also told us that he had built the shelter which was on the beach as well as the boat ramp. He also knew the police so we handed the young lad’s details over to him.



We then headed to Coobowie completing the loop from Edithburgh passing the large Fowlers Lake on the way. Coobowie is 5km north of Edithburgh.



The Coobowie estuary is home to a fascinating array of birdlife. They even have a bird hide to enable you to watch our feathered friends go about their business, but we didn’t stop to experience it.



Stansbury was our next stop. Situated on the East coast of Yorke Peninsula in the shelter of beautiful Oyster Bay… Stansbury is on a beautiful beach with calm waters and spit.

Doug was very keen to buy some Stansbury oysters which is one of the reasons we timed our visit in the middle of the day. The local hotel was the place he selected to buy some fresh oysters plus some gar fish and chips for lunch.

We sat along from the well-equipped and fenced children’s playground on the foreshore, which is a short walk from the town centre and caravan park. I noted that the play equipment incorporated two play stations providing a variety of activities for children of all ages and adult gym equipment.

The well-maintained foreshore offers plenty of barbeque and picnic facilities, and shaded areas which were dotted along the foreshore from the jetty reserve right up to the caravan park entrance.

After lunch we headed north to Port Vincent where I spent a couple of Christmas holidays with my family as a teenager, staying at the caravan park. Dad would take our boat over there so that we could ski and fish. Great memories.



Initially called Surveyor’s Point, the town of Port Vincent was laid out by an Adelaide Solicitor in 1877. Like most of the towns on the Yorke Peninsula, Port Vincent is an old port. It was once one of the old landing spots for the ketches going up and down the peninsula. In the 1900s a jetty was built and the port used to ship locally grown grain until 1970.



We decided to go into the local pub for a light beer. This pub was built in the 1800s and had lots of its history recorded up on its walls. It had been substantially renovated since I was last in Port Vincent.



We then drove about 20km up to Black Point, a popular place for holiday-makers, particularly in the Christmas holidays. My brother and sister’s families have rented houses at this beach regularly as there is great fishing and crabbing and very easy to launch boats. The beach front is referred to as million dollar row as most of the houses are valued over the $1mill.



The 4 of us went for a walk along the beach. Tom & I found the house that my brother and his family rented so that we could all go there for his 50^th birthday. More great memories. After the long walk, watching the mirror-calm sea, we decided that we had earned a cold pale ale!! It was such a fantastic change to be able to sit outside. It had been a couple of weeks since we had put our van awning out to sit under.



There were a few holiday makers with children enjoying swimming, boating and water skiing. We were impressed with the caravan park and was pleased we made the choice.

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