Streaky Bay to Port Augusta

We have been working fairly consistently for the last few weeks so our blogs have been slow.  We have got the store to where they can run automatic re-orders of their stock.  This included a stocktake of 14,500 products in the Retail side of the store, training of all staff and a compiling a 60+ page instruction manual.  It has been satisfying and was good to see that some of our grey matter is still doing its thing. We all had a bit of fun including having our vehicles front doors shrink wrapped while we were parked out front of the shop on our way out of town.  It’s nice to know we will be missed.  The weather has been beautiful for the last few weeks with cool nights and warm days and the water on the bay has been like glass.  We will miss rolling over at day break and cracking the blinds to watch the sunrise over the water a few metres away.   And we will miss paddling the kayaks in the evenings and the sunset jetty walks.

Sunset jetty walks were great with colours like this

Our side yard for Feb-Apr

Cute Sea Lions

Sunning them selves

Spectacular limestone coast

Returning from an afternoon paddle

Another beautiful sunset from our van.

Apart from all that, we are glad to be back on the road again.  We are heading east from Streaky Bay and decided to make our first stop a short distance away at Pildappa Rock.  This is South Australia’s Wave Rock. Very similar to the photos of the WA one that we have seen.  The sunset was very pretty and there are several camp sites around the rock and we had one to ourselves under the shadow of the rock.  The serenity is amazing once we turned the generator off. We are 15kms off the highway towards the Gawler Ranges and the rock is a large lump of pink granite (that is actually dark red) rising out of the limestone wheat plains.  It is several hundred metres long and 30 odd metres high with a big wave formation on the northern and southern sides.  The proper term for it is an inselberg – an area of bedrock remaining after all of the surrounding land has been eroded away.  Next stop is further east to Port Augusta where we turn north toward the Northern Territory.  On the way across we had smoko in Wadinna which is a rural town and has the largest bulk grain handling facility on the peninsula.  It also has the largest galah.  The bird, not the tourist!!!

 

Pildappa Rock just before sunset

Good lookout

Waterholes trapped on top of the rock - Gawler Ranges in the distance.

Wave formation on the south side beside our camp

Rock wall drains added in the 1800's to catch rain runoff

Big things are good out here too..

Port Augusta is at the northern tip of the Flinders Gulf and is a reasonably large town with Coles & Woolies.  The bank beside the shops and the water has been grassed nicely and there are numerous old piers and boats moored in the city.  Our van park is a bit out of the city away from the highway and is advertised as ‘Lakeside’ with waterfront sites and cabins.  Technically they are available but there is about 200+ metres of desert sand between the 8ft high chain wire park boundary fence and the water’s edge. The Gulf at this point is narrower than the Fitzroy and the far bank is lined with iron ore and goods trains.  It is still very pleasant and water views are welcome given where we are headed for the next couple of weeks.  Our larder is full again after a spend up at the grocery store and we are looking forward to heading into new parts tomorrow.  As long as the locals don’t get the cruiser over / through the perimeter fence during the night.  There is enough signs about theft around to make you paranoid.  Not like Streaky Bay where it takes forever to even find a key for most doors.  Last time we had a few days away we locked some gear in the units where are parked and I had to find my own key to lock the door.  I eventually found one for the door to unit 4 on a shelf in unit 2.  Ah the security of small country towns!!