Nothing To Do But Snooze!

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Thursday 24th – we slept in a bit this morning – in fact we overslept! - so it was a bit more of a rush than usual to get packed up and away by 10am. But we managed it. We hadn’t used Sat Nav to check the distance to Streaky Bay and as soon as I started looking at the map I realized we had mis-calculated by nearly 100 kms. So what started as a casual drive for the day turned into a bit more of an arduous one. We made it as far as Elliston (at one time a possible stopover) before taking a break. We were still only about half way to Streaky and fuel then became a bit of an issue – not a major one as we now have two additional containers which, between them, hold more than 30 litres of spare fuel. But we wanted to save them for the Nullabor journey so we decided to fill the tank at Elliston. Imagine our horror when we realized that the price was $1:67 per litre!!!! That’s about 20cents a litre more than we had paid lately and 40cents more than when we started on our adventure seven months ago. Elliston is quite remote so we would expect to pay a bit extra but that seemed excessive. We decided that, even if we used our spare containers, we may well have to pay just as much at Streaky. So we decided to “bite the bullet” and fill up. At least the fuel pump was easy to get at even with the caravan on the back and that’s not often the case. Also, there was an easily accessible air line so Graham took the opportunity to top up the tyres on the caravan which he had been looking to do for about a month.

So, a bit later than we had originally estimated, we rolled into Streaky Bay and immediately realized why we needed to consider booking ahead - there were caravans parked up everywhere. We went straight to the Caravan Park and joined a queue of about six waiting to be booked in. As there were two people on the reception desk we only waited a few minutes before it was our turn. We were pleasantly surprised that the site we were allocated wasn’t that far from the nearest amenities block. Yes, if you were driving there, it was a bit of a trek but by “cutting through” – an Aussie trait – it took no time at all. Aussies are not respecters of sites – they will always take the shortest route between two points. It annoyed us to start with but you soon get used to it and this was one occasion when it was much to our benefit to “cut through”. Actually, the site was brilliant - it was roomy, flat, easy to park the caravan on, quiet and with no vans opposite – far better than being packed in the middle with the masses. We were just a few yards from the beach and a fish cleaning area which seemed to double as a pelican feeding station – how wonderful.

So, feeling very pleased with ourselves, we did the usual tour of the town, taking the car as I needed to stock up with some groceries. Streaky Bay is delightful with a number of useful shops and cafes but more importantly, a couple of hairdressers. After completing the shopping I managed to get an appointment for the following day so my day was getting better and better. I cooked chicken in the caravan – enough for two days - but we’d finished our meal early enough to have a walk along the beach and watch the sunset, not over the sea unfortunately, but it was still beautiful. The rest of the evening was spent following the World Cup Cricket. Australia were playing India and by the time we went to bed they had just finished their innings and had posted a reasonable score.

Thursday night was chilly and we needed our duvet – foolishly we thought we’d be able to put it away long ago but we’re still very glad to creep under it. Friday dawned bright and sunny but with a very heavy dew – just like an autumnal morning in the UK. The news of the cricket wasn’t good - India had reached the Aussie score reasonably easily so, alas, Australia are out. We’re both fans of Ricky Ponting and, although he scored a century, the rest of the team weren’t good enough to trouble India. We were hoping for an Aussie/England final but we suspect England won’t make it either.

We had a couple of trips in mind today, both of which involved a lot of gravel roads, so we chose the shorter of the two to make sure we were back in time for my hair appointment at 3:00pm. Today’s trip encompassed two separate “loops” taking in several interesting ports of call. We went out of town passing the local boat ramp and were amazed at how many empty boat trailers there were. Fishing is a huge pastime in this area and at least half of the campers on our caravan park have their own boat with them. The first “loop” was called Cape Bauer Loop Drive with several beautiful outlooks across beaches and rocks. At one beauty spot it boasted Whistling Rocks and Blowholes and a lot of effort had been taken to build boardwalks to get right to the heart of the action. Both the Whistling Rocks and the Blowholes performed well (although the whistle was more like a growl) and would have been spectacular if the aggressive waves had been accompanied by a higher tide. The next port of call was Hally’s Beach where another impressive boardwalk had been constructed with some steps going right down to the beach. At the top of the steps was an excellent lookout – an ideal spot for our tea and sandwiches. There were only a few other tourists about – mainly we had the places to ourselves.

After a few more stops to admire some lovely views we travelled the 30 kilometers or so on another gravel road to the second loop – the Westall Way Loop Drive. The roads were in pretty good condition so we made excellent time. High Cliff was our first stop - another brilliant, though rugged outlook and then on to Smooth Pool which was a splendid collection of large flattish rocks with numerous rock-pools which, presumably, would be covered when the tide came in. We’d timed it perfectly and were able to clamber over the rocks at our leisure, although the in-coming tide with crashing waves was never too far away. Through the binoculars I could see a couple of lagoon style rock pools which may have been ‘Granites’, which our leaflet boasted were for the “not so brave” to swim in – there didn’t seem to be any way to get to them down off the cliff top though. We drove on through a tiny hamlet called ‘Fishermans’ Paradise’ which was a collection of shacks and houses. Yanerbie was a line of huge, sprawling sand-dunes where sand-boarding takes place but as we had forgotten ours (!) we didn’t stop.

Anyway, we needed to make our way back to town for my important appointment at the hairdressers. Graham had threatened to find a coffee shop and indulge in another pie or cake but, actually, he went back to the caravan and read for a while. I was pleased with the result of my hair cut and it’ll keep me going for another 6 or 7 weeks. I’m ashamed of Graham who cuts his own hair!!! It’s short at the front and sides but is getting longer and longer at the back. He’s threatened to grow a pony-tail and I’ve threatened divorce!! For our evening meal we tried the restaurant at the Caravan Park and it was very good. Graham had bangers and mash with veggies while I had some locally caught whiting, grilled, also with mash and veggies. It was excellent – good value for money and left just enough room to persuade us both to have a sweet! (something I rarely do these days of course but I did enjoy my pavlova which was smothered with blackberries, blueberries and even a few raspberries.)

There was another chilly night which was followed by a heavy dew. But a sunny day beckoned so we started out to do the second of our planned trips, the first part of which was along the main road. We headed for Murphy’s Haystacks – a group of weird shaped rocks which were not unlike a miniature version of Kata Tjuta (The Olgas) near Uluru or Remarkable Rocks on Kangaroo Island. The Haystacks are made of Hiltaba Granite and have stood in their present form for 34,000 years. They were named after Denis Murphy who farmed the land in the late 1880s and the property is still owned by the family today. They were fascinating and we enjoyed our stroll around. From there we headed towards the coast on gravel roads for what we felt would be our favourite spot of the day and we were not to be disappointed. On the way we passed several viewing spots taking in beaches and bays but we viewed them only from a distance. We were heading for Point Labatt which boasted a thriving colony of Australian Sea Lions. There are only a few places on the continent of Australia where this type of seal lives and breeds and apparently this is the only place on the mainland where the pups can be viewed growing up. The gravel road seemed to go on for ever but on arrival at Point Labatt we were thrilled at the number of sea lions on view, and with the tide crashing in over their rocky colony there was a lot of activity as many continuously adjusted their positions. There was a very cold wind blowing but I was wrapped up in my fleece and Graham had his sweater on and we didn’t mind because we stood there transfixed by the goings on beneath us. The sea lions were far enough away to be oblivious to our presence. It was thrilling to see Mums coming out of the sea with their young pups, a few “bulls” parading around and others of all sizes just messing about in an area protected by rocks from the fearsome waves. A couple of youngsters were presumably ‘play-fighting’ and entertaining us into the bargain. We dragged ourselves away to warm up and eat our sandwiches in the car and then went back for a second look which was as equally enthralling as before. Thankfully I had remembered to take my Canon camera with the long lens so got a few decent photos.

The return journey was a bit of an anti-climax. A detour to Sceale Bay was a disappointment although a lookout at Surfers Beach, a continuation of the Sceale Bay beach, was well worth the short detour. Back at the caravan we polished off the chicken left over from Thursday along with some veggies. It was still light so we made our way to the jetty and walked the length of it, chatting to some fishermen who, alas, weren’t having much luck. Back at the caravan Graham started packing things away in preparation for the morning’s departure. The awning had been really heavy with dew on the previous two mornings so Graham preferred to pack away a dry awning rather than a wet one. We had been impressed with Streaky Bay and it will certainly rank as one of our most pleasing discoveries.

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Photos

Long gravel road ahead
but nice scenery on the right

Wrapped up against the chilly breeze -
exploring 'Smooth Pool' although these rocks weren't so smooth!

Comments

[Wallaby Wanderers]

Sleepy!
Fantastic photos! You're finding so many great spots for us to visit next time!!! Keep it up!!! x x x

[Pootling Possums]

Surprises
Yes, we're constantly being surprised by finding all these wonderful places. xxx Mum