Safari 2019 August 8th

Thursday August 8th 2019..this will have to wait to be posted because we have no internet this evening.

Wind whipping up the sea.

We headed north from Elliston with a plan to camp on the coast again. The wind and ‘scawly’ showers were very persistent. Our first stop was Walkers Rocks then Talia Caves which are really very washed rock holes in the coastline. The wind was certainly whipping the waves and foam into the coast and way out to sea. The wind was so very strong that I could hardly stand in it and was certainly nervous about ‘checking’ out the caves from the washed and jagged coast. Next we called at Venus Bay and Port Kenny ..both were suffering the same weather. We believe this severe weather is headed for Victoria!

Some of Murphy's Haystacks

Continuing north on the Flinders Highway we turned inland to Murphy’s Haystacks. We thought we would camp at this spot…but NO. The spectacle is on the top of a hill and VERY windy. Eventually we have camped in the Calpatanna Waterhole Conservation Park..just inside the gate on a flat track and sheltered by a low eucalypt forest. Hopefully this will be sheltered enough for a peaceful night. I found another crop of ‘Harbinger of Spring’ flowers or more commonly known as Early Nancys. We also found some wild hibiscus flowers growing on the roadside. They are a low bush with lovely lilac colour flowers with a yellow stamen and a several deep red spots deep into the flower. They have identified them as Sand Hibiscus.

Sand Hibiscus

Safari 2019 August 6th & 7th

Tuesday August 6th

We have now been away for three weeks..but where has the time gone. Our trail has taken us to a lot of interesting and very attractive places. To make it more enjoyable the weather has been much warmer that we would have been experiencing at Milawa.

From Drummond Point we travelled inland to Cummins. The countyside is very pretty at present with green crops and undulating hills. Eventually we have settled on the coast at Elliston this evening. It is a well cared for township with several marked walking tracks. We enjoyed walking 3kms, from Little Bay along the cliff tops, overlooking, the Indian ocean to a monument recognising the death of a number of aborigines in 1802..well over 200 years ago. 

Picnic area and memorial etchings

Wednesday August 7th ..   It is very wet today. We have caught a weather front coming directly across the Peninsula so we will stay here another night..what else! I am doing a load of washing & drying by machine.  
We had ideas of buying our lunch today....we went to the only Bakery, thinking we may have a foccacia..but no this Bakery does not have bread so no sandwiches only a pasty, meat pie or such. We walked out thinking that a 'cup of soup' in the van sounded much more interesting. 
Late in the day the rain cleared quite well so we went for a good walk in strong wind and weak sunlight. The fresh air did us both a lot of good after such heavy showers of rain which we are told delivered about  12/15 mils rain. The local grain farmers will appreciate it on their crops.

Seal made from a 'pre-loved' fish net.

 

Safari 2019 August 5th

Monday August 5th

Yellow Canola on the left and blue sea on the right

We made the short trip from Coffin Bay this morning, north to Point Drummond where we will stay for the night. Instead of taking the Flinders Highway we wove ourselves along gravel roads much closer to the coast. It was a pretty trip through green grain crops, yellow canola crops and the beautiful blue of the sea.

Waves and rocks

The sea of blue and aqua is being whipped up by a strong breeze/wind. It is a very rough coast line with cliffs and rocks.  There are a few plants growing among the rocks. Some look stunted while others are thriving. Among the sand and other plants was the red pea shaped flower on a prostrate plant. Yes it is a Running Postman or 'Kennedia Prostrata'. Evidently these plants are found on coastal dunes from here on  the Eyre Penninsula and west to the Western Australian Coast.

Could this be a Running Postman?

About a week ago, while travelling the
eastern coast of the Penninsula we
purchased a bag of apples. They were branded as 'Hail Heroes'. Evidently the apple orchard suffered a hail storm and some fruit were left as edible fruit. These apples were marketed at Hail Heroes because they survived the hail storm. They are very nice apples and the few marks on their skins did not worry us at all....very creative marketers!

Safari 2019 August 4th

Sunday August 4th

Lincoln Wattle

 We enjoyed a 'Sunday Drive' today further along the peninsula to Black Springs Camping Ground. It was a lovely spot..Clean and Green. The road was rough with rocks in some sections and  soft with sand in other. Luckily John did not need to let the tyres down on our vehicle. After traveling the Canning Stock route twice John has had a lot of experience driving on sand. NB The Canning has 1000 dunes to cross each way!
It was quite windy so we took our lunch down to the beach and sat in a sheltered spot near some rocks. We were in Coffin Bay in 2001 and, unfortunately John was bitten by a wild bee. After sitting and eating our lunch we began to notice that  bees were flying by. Sure enough they were entering a hole in the rocks where they must have had a nest. We packed up very soon!!

Shells on Black Springs Beach

 The bush once again had lots of colour---yellow, red, orange and white flowers. Again we saw kangaroos, emus, pied oyster catchers and various others birds. We drove into a small lake area where 2 shellducks were feeding. They are brightly coloured ducks. On returning to our van we found a pair of Port Lincoln ringneck parrots. They are also very brightly coloured birds. They were holding casuarina nuts with one claw and pecking out the seeds of the nut. They were quite tame and allowed me to take a few photos. Tomorrow we begin out trip north along the west coast of Eyre Peninsula. I think we will both be sorry to leave this part of South Australia as we have had a great time. This coning week promised wet days so we are not so happy about this.

Lincoln Ringneck Parrot

Safari 2019 August 3rd

Saturday August 3rd

An hour long walk this morning took us through the bush and up to the lookout. The coastal system here is complex with long spits of land coming out into bays which surround many small islands. We thoroughly enjoyed the bush because of all the bright flowers--red, orange, yellow and mauve. The track was very rocky in many places so we needed to take care with each step.

Clematis

 This afternoon we took a drive to a more southern area of the park. The coastal views were beautiful with steep, rocky cliffs and waves rolling in.
 At one viewing spot we saw a couple fishing from a much lower rocky ledge. Then we could see a small child with them...They must be keen on fishing to take such risks.

We were lucky to see a flock of emus. 'two fully grown and seven 3/4  grown'
We presumed they were parents and  seven 'teenagers'. It is a privilege to see a family together like this. They did not seem very alarmed at our vehicle being so near. Further around the coastal drive we saw two Rock Parrots, which we were not all familiar with. They are coastal birds endemic to the southern coasts of Western Australia and South Australia. Their diet is mainly seeds from grasses.

The day has been fine and very much warmer and most enjoyable...maybe a cold night to follow!

Rock Parrot

Safari 2019 August 2nd

Friday August 2nd

Line & Label Restaurant

A welcome fire to sit by

The highlight of the day was lunching at Line & Label which is a delightful Restaurant and vineyard situated  a little west of Port Lincoln. We were given a very comfortable table near the open fire. It had rained on and off all morning so this was the perfect setting for lunch. We both indulged in a fish meal. John had King Prawns and I chose a delicious Fish Tart. Shortly before 2.00pm we headed west out to Coffin Bay and on to the Yangie Bay Camping Area within the Coffin Bay National Park. Although we have not explored this delightful spot this evening because of the fine mist which continues to fall, I have already found some very attractive flowers in bloom. The most interesting one is the Port Lincoln Gum (Eucalyptus albopurpurea) The flower is pink/mauve in colour. It would be great to grow one at Milawa.
The camping area is well planned and clean. We are settled for a comfortable night..but it is cold!

Port Lincoln Gum

Safari 2019 August 1st

Thursday August 1st

Again the sky dawned with some cloud and maybe misty rain. Each time we have walked,in the last few days, we have come back to the van with damp clothes, so we donned our rain coats this morning...of course  there was no mist this time. We walked out to the northern point of Surfeet Cove. Again we saw orchids and now after visiting the Information Centre in Lincoln I think I have identified them. The bigger one is called a Mallee Shell Orchid and the smaller and taller one is Midget Greenhood Orchid.
We have booked into a Tourist Park for tonight so we can do our washing, and drying in this case, because the afternoon has been quite wet. After hanging the washing on the line, we spent our time catching up on various things in Port Lincoln..the Nautilus Art Gallery, Information Centre, Bunnings, booking for dinner tonight and driving around the huge Marina with many boats sheltering/ especially fishing boats. The Fishing Industry down here is big and important.

Shared fish Meal

This is the Shared meal that we chose at Del Giorno's Cafe+Restaurant. We had this Cafe recommended to us by several people. The tables were full and food came out to the patrons very soon after ordering. The meal we chose was for 2 people. A small basket of chips on top, Calamari and Squid, Natural and Kilpatrick Oysters, Whiting and Mussels in a Chilli Sauce. It was delicious. John had a glass of Boston Bay Reisling  and I had a delicious Boston Bay Sauvignon Blanc. They were both very dry wines and delightful with fish. Boston Bay is one of the local wineries.