Marion Bay

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Arrived in Marion bay and went straight to the C/P, we had decided to stay here for a week so we were advised to find a site at the back of the park because all the sites near the beach tracks were booked for the Australia day long w/e holiday mostly by families this suited us and we were alone for several days.Marion bay is a recreational fishing and holiday village boasting a service station,fishing and surf shop and a tavern, with a population of 250 which escalates in the holiday season.Plenty of holiday rental properties and of course the caravan park and once again we see a building boom for holiday homes.Marion bay is surrounded by beaches and is gateway to the Innes National park.Interesting Marion bay is home to a desalination plant and the water tasted great.

We needed to visit Warooka for some essential supplies which is some 40ks away so we took the opportunity to take a circular route which saw us hug the coast line on our return journey to Marion Bay,all along this route were hidden gems of isolated beaches with no one on them.We passed through towns with Point in their name, Point Turton,Point Scoutar and Corney Point all with cliff headlands and beaches. In their hey day these towns provided shipping portss, to take away the local produce but like so many of these small towns the have given way to modern transport and facilities leaving behind a tranquil lifestyle as yet unspoiled by the hoards of holiday day makers

Before the hoards at our camp site arrived we manage to explore the local beaches with no one else around,a short walk through the sand dunes and I mean only 200mts from our caravan we are on the beach.This particular beach goes out a long way at low tide leaving vast stretches of sand and rock pools to relax and explore.

Innes National park is only a few ks away from the camp and is renown for it's rugged beauty,clear water and sandy beaches.The coastline is also home to some historic shipwrecks and the water off shore is known as Investigator bay. The route through the National park is dotted with information plaques depicting many of the ill fated ships and the stories behind them, with many a tale of heroic rescues.

There are seven bush camping grounds within the National park with two allowing caravans, all are within mts of the beach and accessible by gravel roads,most have bush toilets with some having access to rain water tanks, no generators are allowed together with no open fires.

The coast route takes us from Marion Bay to Browns beach about 30ks long with side trips to the beaches and camp grounds.We came across a small community at Pondalowie campground which consisted of a collection of beach shacks with a couple of more substantial dwellings it was almost like driving through a town in deliverance but not as scary.Once on the beach it was picture postcard, littered with fishing boats and old tractors for launching, this place is so laid back it's almost horizontal.This coastline is a fishing haven for those with a boat and there is a lot who have them, not to be out done when the weather is right the surfing is second to none or so we are told.

Marion bay hosts a long jetty a relic from days gone past which now serves as a fishing platform for locals and visitors alike and at last I caught something A Squid which I quickly learned how to clean and prepare for the table, it made a great Calamari to go with our bought Mackerel.The boat ramp here is well used by both locals and visitors with many returning with good catches.Marion bay has been a great place from which to explore the surrounds and very relaxing, we hope the pictures give some idea what it is like here.

Tomorrow we head for the Eyre Peninsular. today we started Australia Day with a Skype hook up to friends in the UK who were also celebrating Australia Day great to see and hear them, we then headed for the beach and our final swim here before heading off.

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Photos

Corney Point
There is always a jetty

Floating pontoons for the swimmers

A short walk from the camp site
Overlooking the cliffs and dunes

Warooka
Trust a country butcher to do it right

Local Inhabitant

Lighthouse
Built to protect ships along the shipwreck coast after the long list of wrecks happened here

Comments

[carol]

Great Blog as usual Bill, loved it, keep safe and happy:):):)
Always such a pleasure to read about your travels, you both look very happy and relaxed (I wonder what that feels like:) keep it up and travel on safely xx