Monday 30^th July

This morning we walked the jetty – I estimated it to be about 1500 metres long, and I wasn’t far out. The jetty was opened in 1881 and extended by 122 metres to a length of 1680 metres in 1883. The present length following storm damage is 1532 metres. The jetty was used to load grain onto sailing ships from all over the world.  About 100,000 bags of wheat were loaded per year by winches or shute at low tide.

I wanted to count the number of upright metal posts along the jetty, so counted them on the return 1500 metre journey – there were 602 on one side, so double for both sides.  When I related this to the caravan park managers they were not surprised as they told me that two separate people had counted the number of planks on the jetty – now that would be a challenge.

The area is famous for blue swimmer crabs, so I wanted to find out when these are ripe for the catching and was told that in any month with the letter “r” in the name there will be crabs available.  The park was very well set up for the cooking, cleaning and freezing of any catch in the “crab hut”.

We left Port Germein and headed for a town which had been recommended to us by a few different travelers, Burra.

At this stage I only know it was a place where copper had been discovered and that Welsh miners lived here.  More tomorrow as I uncover the story of Burra and the history of this quaint little town. 

Burra is marked with the white star on the green background

Sunday 29^th July

As it turned out we skipped by Mount Remarkable, but observed its beauty from the car. 

They are part of the Flinders Ranges and it was lovely seeing this formation once again after being close to the water for the past two weeks. 

Our destination tonight was Port Germein, which we understand to have the longest wooden jetty in the southern hemisphere. 

Apparently, Bussleton, Western Australia also claims the longest jetty, the defining point being the Port Germein one is “longest wooden”, whereas the Bussleton  jetty is “timber piled”.  Oh such semantics!!  

Nevertheless, the photos here show as best as possible the original jetty, the length of the current jetty, the pylons now in disrepair where the extra length had been as well as a wonderful mural in the town.  

This picture shows a fellow cooking a BBQ, however the emus have taken off with his snags and beer - how Australian and funny.

Saturday 28^th July

The Tandarra Markets had been advertised around town, so we made sure we were there to explore all the arts and crafts.  The building for this market was the former single men’s hostel built to house the BHP workers from 1942. Sometime between then and 1990 the hostel ceased to exist and so the village was established as the permanent home for the development of crafts in Whyalla, as well as providing an outlet for locally made handicrafts. 

We enjoyed our steak sandwich for lunch and bought some homemade fig jam and apple pies. It was lovely wandering in and out the rooms which would have been the bedrooms for the single men, and chatting to spinners, machine knitters and woodworkers.  We stumbled across a museum of sorts which displayed a project from a primary school on the processes involved at the steel works.  Voila – there it was for Mrs. Average Smith – a clear, simple explanation of what we had seen yesterday.  Now I feel like a walking encyclopaedia on steel manufacture.

We noticed this large tyre in the grounds and upon closer inspection the stats were given.  It was a tyre for a slag pot carrier which in 2006 cost $8000 for a front tyre and $20,000 for a back one.  The vehicle these tyres went on cost $2,000,000.  This tyre weighs 1.3 tons – wow big boys toys.

We stopped to take a photo of this sculpture, known as “The Loaded Dog”. It is based on the dog from Henry Lawson’s famous Australian bush tale, “The Loaded Dog”. The story is about a playful mischievous retriever, Tommy, who makes off with a stick of explosive. Tommy drags the fuse through the campfire, lighting it and creating mayhem in the chase that follows.  The sculptor was Andy Scott and he created this in Glasgow entirely out of steel using his unique construction technique of welding thousands of pieces of 10mm and 12mm rod together.  It is in the garden of the Whyalla Veterinary Clinic.

We needed a walk to shake down the nibbles and lunch from the markets so headed to the Whyalla Wetlands which is a combined recreational and stormwater capture facility.  These wetlands include almost 7 hectares of artificial lakes fed by a combination of underground seepage and stormwater runoff. The wetlands were initially the site of Whyalla’s first airport, the original hangar has been restored and proudly sits at the rear of the site.

Another night out at Lowly Point and then tomorrow we will move through Port Augusta again to re-stock some groceries before making camp at Mambray Creek close to The Remarkables a mountain range.  More on that as it unfolds for us.

Friday 27^th July

This morning we had booked on a tour of the OneSteel factory.  

BHP was the former owner and OneSteel has continued as an Australian-based mining, ore processing and steel manufacturing company specialising in steel-long products for the construction, mining, transport and agricultural industries. In particular is the manufacture of railway lines for all Australia. 

The trip was on a mini-bus and we meandered along many roads within the complex alongside which were furnaces,  VERY large vehicles, piles of slag (waste), mounds of coke encased in paper mache to prevent rogue dust throughout Whyalla and many dirty workers!!  While the lady who took the tour admitted she had worked there as a furnace assistant, her descriptions of the processes were quite technical and sadly not really geared to Mrs. Average Smith who needs a more simple explanation.  My understanding was to change quite by accident at a later time.

Following the tour we headed to Stuart High School to have a tour of their Murray Cod and Barramundi Enterprises.  This is a fully operational inland freshwater aquaculture venture in an educational setting, delivered to students between years 8 and 10.  We saw the various growth stages of the barramundi and learned how technology is used to sustain the fish. Dave, the teacher who gave us the tour was passionate about his job and we could see his enthusiasm would certainly be transferred to the students.  Apparently they go to about 4 field days a year where their smoked kingfish is quite popular with customers.  

Dave showed us the smoking oven he had built with the assistance of some students, and he gave us one of their packets of smoked kingfish to enjoy at home.When they harvest their barramundi at the school, a note in the newsletter ensures it is all sold.  I’m not surprised!!

We returned for the night to Point Lowly as it is a nice spot and I do enjoy watching the beacon of the lighthouse.

Thursday 26^th July

We realized today that we have been on the Eyre Peninsula for two weeks, and while we have certainly seen quite a bit, there is a significant area in the middle which remains unexplored by us.  Another time!!

We were on the road by 9 am from Cowell on route to Whyalla.  While our knowledge of Whyalla is basic and only elicits iron ore when prompted, we thought we should be more open minded and visit the information office to see what is on offer for us.  As soon as we entered the lovely warm office the lady asked if we were there for the 11 o’clock tour.  We were not aware of any tours having just driven in, so she explained it was a tour of the ship “Whyalla” sitting right next to the information centre. There was no good reason not to go onboard, so a guide took us all over this ship, which was built as a ‘mine-sweeper’ and was the first ship built in Whyalla in 1941.

Following the outbreak of World War II, the Government asked BHP if they could develop a shipyard for the war effort.  In 1940 BHP Newcastle recruited seven shipbuilding personnel from the United Kingdom to establish a shipyard at Whyalla, South Australia.  One was soon dismissed after expressing his dismay with the flies and heat of Whyalla, the others set to and developed a yard that built 634 ships, an oil rig and two barges over the next 38 years.

In 1947 the Victorian Ports and Harbours Department bought the Whyalla and renamed her the RIP.  Her role was to perform dredging work in Port Phillip Bay in a narrow and treacherously turbulent entrance in area known as “The Rip”.

In 1987 money was raised to bring her back to South Australia, where she was restored as the Whyalla just as when first built and brought ashore to be mounted as the central exhibit for the Whyalla Maritime Museum.  Although she was purchased back from Victoria for only $5000, it took another $560,000 to remove her from the sea and haul her the 2 kilometres on shore to set her up as she is today.

As I had left my camera in the car for the duration of this tour, I am using a photo I found on the net to display some of what we saw.

There is a lookout which gives views of the Spencer Gulf and has statues of Matthew Flinders and Louis-Claude de Freycinet, both of whom had navigated and charted this coast of South Australia. A good place to enjoy our lunch while looking at the Gulf.

A hill nearby, which is seen in this picture named Hummock Hill was our next stop. 

This was quite a steep climb and I can see why part of this hill was used as a fortification during the Second World War as it has 360 degree views of Whyalla the OneSteel operations, the foreshore and marina, and as far as the Point Lowly lighthouse.

In fact tonight we are camping at Point Lowly and I have just returned from a very enjoyable walk around the lighthouse and the lighthousekeepers cottages – ah the memories.

Wednesday 25^th July

Our trip northward along the Lincoln Highway took us through small towns named Tumby Bay, Port Neill and onto Cowell where we spent the night.  I have spoken in the past of the tourist information people being helpful, knowledgeable and friendly – well today we struck the opposite. A very lacklustre approach was displayed by the person who had the information office and who also ran a takeaway fish and chip shop.  There was no interest from him telling us what Cowell had to offer, so we found a caravan park  for the night, enabling us to get good TV reception to watch the final episode of Master Chef, went for a walk and and determined we would move in the morning.

There were two features we found for ourselves in Cowell, one being a shopfront which had lovely painted murals of the local area and a gift/patchwork shop with a delightful lady serving customers.

Tuesday 24^th July

Today was bike riding day.  We headed to the marina to explore the boats at a closer proximity and while there noticed a tuna boat pull into dock and unload.  

One of the workers told us that in each large box there were 20 tuna ready for processing and then off to Japan.

We returned to the café on the marina where we had enjoyed our fish and chips last Sunday, so today sampled a delicious Florentine – apparently made locally by a lady who certainly knows how to pack a biscuit with lovely textures and flavours.  It coupled so well with the coffee too.

Our final destination for the day was Mill Cottage, now a museum (only opened on specific days – today not being one of them.  

It was nice to just wander around the grounds and enjoy the gardens. This cottage was built by Captain John Bishop in 1866.  He was one of the earliest settlers in Port Lincoln, had extensive land holdings and raised six children in this cottage.

Monday 23^rd July

We were hoping to go on a guided tour through one of the oyster factories, however the minimum number of interested people was not reached and so it didn’t go ahead. More the pity as I would liked to have seen a professional “shuck” some oysters, enabling me to have less cuts on my hands when doing it myself.

As our interest was in something seafood, we found another outlet and purchased our lunch – these oysters had already been opened thank goodness.  You can see how Bob fared after this lovely feast.

Later in the day we took a walk along the esplanade where the statue of Makybe Diva sits well in front of the water, so we paused to marvel at the achievements of this horse, trainer and jockey.

Across the road we found the Civic Centre in which is housed a craft shop, an exhibition space and theatre.  There is currently an exhibition with only two items on display by Patricia Piccinini. The first one is named the Lovers and the mediums used are fibreglass, automotive paint, leather and scooter parts. This sculpture cleverly mixes the appearance and features of animal and machine. Two Vespas are transformed into deer coupled together in a tender embrace.

The second sculpture is named Big Mother and is created from silicon, fibreglass, leather and human hair.  The inspiration for this work arose from the artist hearing a true story based on a female baboon whose baby died while still nursing.  The primate mother, overwhelmed by grief, abducted a human child as a substitute. The child was recovered unharmed.

Sunday 22^nd July

A beautiful sunrise was ours for the taking this morning, so we surprised ourselves by being ready and out on the road by just after 9 am.  Our first stop was the Old Mill again so that I could be confident in my climb – yes I did it without any worries today. As I mentioned before the grain silos and the jetty are blots on the seascape, however the view from the mill was quite good.

The next stop was named Winters Hill and here we enjoyed a vista of both the ocean and the countryside behind this hill. 

We could just make out the slight yellow haze of canola which is nearly ready to bloom. A man was just leaving this lookout as we arrived, but a few minutes later he drove back to tell us about Sleaford Bay, about 15km away and a place where whales have been sighted recently.  We found out he is an abalone diver and he was happy to answer my questions about the industry.  He only works about 50 days a year as there is a quota of abalone which can be caught and after that they wait for the next year. We did drive out to Sleaford Bay to join a few other people who were on the same mission, but alas the whales were otherwise occupied today and not out to entertain us.

We had been given a recommendation of a place to get the “best fish and chips in Port Lincoln”, so down to the Marina we headed to find the Coastal Café.  We left our platters clean after a delicious fish, chips and salad lunch – the owner came to tell us that he has a source of fresh fish here and that is all he uses – no frozen fish at all.  This was refreshing to know as on many occasions we are lured to a spot as it is the place where something is grown, or farmed, only to find there is a shop selling souvenirs of the said industry.  I want to be at the coal face, not just look at souvenirs or photos!!

Close by we paused at the Fisherman’s Memorial, created in honour of all the fishermen who have never returned from their seafaring.  One can see the mother and children looking out to sea.  It was crafted by Marijan Bekic, the same person who made the Farmer statue in Wudinna which we saw about a week ago.

One of the brochures from yesterday was about a Segway track at Glen-Forest Tourist Park and vineyard at Greenpatch about 20km from the city. This sounded like something different and a way to work off the fish and chips, so we headed out there to be greeted by many species of wildlife including kangaroo, peacock, emu, ostrich, alpacas and many others.  

Kym the owner took us on a 45 minute trip on the segway which was a whole lot of fun.  The idea is to lean your body toward the handlebars to gain speed and bend the knees, and to stop you need to almost stand up straight.  Apart from two minor spills we hooned all over his farm and paddocks, scaring a flock of sheep in the process and generally just having a great time.  Yes even old grey nomads can do this – I would recommend it to anyone as its very easy to pick up.

Our final destination today was the Axel Stenross Maritime Museum featuring older style tools used in building wooden boats, wooden dinghies, large collection of maritime artifacts and photos as well as newspaper cuttings of the local fishing and boating history.  The museum was named in honour of Axel Stenross, a Finnish fisherman who made Port Lincoln his home.  There was a poignant story about the fiancée whom he had left in Finland.  He wrote to her after being in Port Lincoln for a few years telling her that she would not be able to cope with the lifestyle out here and that it was best to call off the engagement.  She never married, looked after her elderly parents and it was only after her death that Axel married a lady from Port Lincoln whom he had been courting for 30 years.  They had 17 years of marriage and he outlived her by about 5 years.

Saturday 21^st July

Our trip from Coffin Bay to Port Lincoln was only a short one, however upon looking at tourist brochures it seems there will be quite a few attractions for us over there so we will book into a van park, unhitch the caravan and be tempted by all this town has to offer us.

Much to our surprise and lack of researching the place before we arrived, the place is a city and has a population of 14,000 people.  Again our friend Matthew Flinders placed his mark here by discovering the harbour in 1802, and because it was a good harbour he named it Port Lincoln, after his native Lincolnshire in the United Kingdom.

Port Lincoln is known as the “seafood capital” of Australia with tuna, rock lobster, prawns, abalone and oysters being the major catch from around here. Most of the tuna, lobster and abalone are destined for Asian countries, while the others have an Australian market.

Since our travels began on the Eyre Peninsula we have seen many grain silos and here in Port Lincoln is the final destination for the many grains as it is loaded onto bulk ships for overseas markets. 

The bulk grain silos here on the bay could not be missed  - they don’t add to the attractiveness of the region, however they are certainly a reminder of one of the valuable industries.

The tourist information office saw that we were laden with brochures so we decided the first box to tick on our list was a tour of the city by car.  The tourist map had a clearly defined route and it took us along the attractive foreshore, past the life size statue of the racehorse Makybe Diva and then a meander around the perimeter of the city.  This was valuable as we are now orientated and have some priorities mapped out for tomorrow.

The Old Mill was built as a Flour Mill in 1846 but never commenced operation. It is now a historic lookout with views of Port Lincoln and Boston Bay. While I am generally not fearful of heights I was only able to walk 2/3 of the way up the outside spiral staircase before I got a case of the “freeze frame”, and had to go back down to the base and let Bob tell me about the view.  I will go again tomorrow when the weather is better and hope I can get to the top.

Friday 20^th July

Today was designated to tackle a longer walk, and while the brochure indicated it was a 5 km return walk, we both believe it was 5 km each way – someone is foxing us!! 

Whatever the distance we found this walk to be one with so many changes in vegetation and groundcover.  

At one stage we were rock hopping and not far after that a long sandy stretch awaited us. 

A few weeks ago we learned of a lantana vine which is choking the gums and while this blue flower looks innocuous, we believe it is the flower of the lantana and we could see the dead gum beneath its clutches.

A spider web caught our attention, still glistening in the morning sun looking so perfect.

After our walk we were quite spent, so we used the afternoon to catch up on housekeeping, pedicures, bush showers and I finished reading my latest book, “The Lightkeeper’s Wife” by Karen Viggers.  It was a captivating read and was hard to release the book once I had started.

You can see what we did for the evening entertainment until the rain forced us indoors.