We were looking forward to getting back to the coast to enjoy the famous Eyre Peninsular. Being lovers of all things fishy this area is the place to be, whether its catching, farming seeing or eating our piscatorial friends. But there was one thing we were not ready for and that was the ‘wind’. With only the ocean between here and Antartica it is normal for this place to blow for 3 or 4 days, be less windy for a couple and then blow again for another few days. But any place belted by the elements is bound to be beautiful. When it was still it was magic, laid back and the waters so bountiful, there is no population pressure here. Most places just have a caravan park, a pub and a boat ramp – the perfect trifecta!!!.

After loading up with supplies from Port Augusta we made our way down the east coast stopping at the big snapper grounds of Whyalla, Cowell and Arno Bay. The winds prevented us from getting out in a boat of any kind but that did not stop us from checking out the local sites and doing a bit of jetty fishing, which is always fun with the kids. Dylans patience meant he was the squid fishing champion of the week. Because of the tides and shallow waters most of the towns have a jetty, which were originally built to cater for supplies and wheat carrying ships. Pacific oysters are also grown in these waters and are now famous around the world. We could not help ourselves, and over the course of a couple of weeks we managed to devour a few tonnes. At Tummy (umby) Bay we found a great free camping site on second creek where we settled ourselves in for some good weather. No one was around and we spent the time hanging out, beach fossicking and fishing with our over friendly pelican friends and a resident seal. Like clock work the fishing would heat up in the last couple of hours of the high tide each day, and at dusk the squid fishing was excellent. All up we lived off whiting, squid, salmon and blue swimmer crabs – a tough life indeed.

It was now time to visit the ‘capital’ of the Eyre Peninsular – Port Lincoln. We had to pick up ‘Auntie Shell’ from the airport as she was joining us on our travels for 10 days. We stayed in the local caravan park for a couple of days to do some washing and visit the fishy attractions and National Parks that Port Lincoln is famous for. The van also went to the mechanics to get the height raised and once done it was now travelling perfectly on the back of the vehicle. Chris and Aimee spent the final morning in Port Lincoln swimming with some oversized tuna in an aquaculture pen located inside the harbour. Tuna and seafood is big business here, with the most millionaires per capita than any city in the world.

 

The next four nights we spent camped in Coffin Bay National Park in Yangie Bay inlet. This quiet hamlet is a special place with the tastiest oysters around (outside the ‘Sydney Rocks’ that is). The local oyster farmers were very generous with their knowledge and very passionate about promoting their product. As well as a couple of hikes and some 4wd expeditions we hired a tinny for a couple of days to do our own exploring. Bouts of fishing were intermittently dispersed with beach landings and swimming. I know we are blessed with our own waterways back home, but this body of water was something to behold. Of course Chris decided to take the kids (in the boat) the long way back to the boat ramp one day and experienced Coffin Bay in a big south-east wind (it’s a wonder they are still keen to step on a boat). Nevertheless fresh caught fish, squid and oysters were the staple diet of the week.

Moving up the western side of the peninsular we were aiming to stay at Venus Bay, but for the first time this trip the local caravan park was booked out – a sign that the grey nomads were commencing their annual migration northwards. We ended up staying at Port Kenny instead where we celebrated Auntie Shells 40^th in grand style. Wendy, Shell and Dylan swam with the dolphins and seals at Baird Bay while Chris and Aimee continued their father-daughter bonding sessions by smashing some local whiting in the nearby waters. All up a great day, which continued into the evening at the local pub in which the locals made us very welcolme. Auntie Shell put the tab on the bar and introduced the hotel to her favourite tipple – ouzo and lemon squash (yeh work that one out!). Hopefully this will be one birthday she does not forget.

The last few days spent on the Eyre peninsula were at a place we kept hearing about all trip – Streaky Bay. This was really the hidden gem of the coast with its great scenery, wild surf beaches and a great little town. Best of all we stationed ourselves at Perlubie Beach and experienced the very best of free camping in this state. Apart from having the caravan right on the beach with our own private shade, we managed to meet up with a good gang of like minded families and couples, with no one over 50 years old (amazing). Days were spent swimming and fishing, while at night we would get together for drinks as the sun went down. On one of the nights we all cooked our meals and put them together for one great big banquet. The kids had an absolute ball and made new friends, which no doubt we will see again in the near future.  Put this place down on the must see list ladies and gentlemen. Blocks of land going cheap there at the moment – could be a savvy superannuation investment!!!

After the beautiful dry weather we experienced in Kangaroo Island we were confronted with our first bit of rain of the trip once we got back into Adelaide. And rain it did – 90mm over a couple of days, which is a lot for this dry state. Areas to north that were affected by bushfires were now in flood – ‘you gotta love this country’. We packed up pretty quickly and recommenced our journey west to the Eyre peninsular. Of course one last stop had to be made to satisfy our love of the vines – the Adelaide hills region. Here we visited some more wineries, microbreweries, cideries….etc., as well as staying a couple of nights in the Germanic village of Hahndorf. Wendy got a chance to take in some of her heritage while Chris attacked the pork knuckle and sour kraut with great gusto!!. Aimee loved the traditional German cuckoo clocks and candle sculptures, while Dylan liked the lollies and apple strudel. This was one last taste of city living before getting out of Adelaide and back on the road.

 

On the way up to Port Augusta we checked the weather and noticed the temperatures were going to be in the low to mid 20s for the next five days. This was a perfect excuse to head into the normally scorching Flinders Ranges and spend a couple of days hiking. On the way up we visited a small village called Melrose to ride a few of their mountain bike trails. Next stop was Wilpena Pound, which we had originally thought was the site of a meteorite explosion (so we told the kids anyway to get them up the mountain) only to find out it was due to valley erosion.

The first hike we did was straight up to the top of the pound. The kids surprised us with their stamina and agility to scramble up the rocks – it will be hard to keep up with them in a few years. The views of the pound were spectacular and we were lucky the temperatures were so mild at this time of year. The next day we did an easier walk into the pound to stretch out our weary legs. We camped in the national park, which had great facilities and many walks on offer. The surrounding vistas were stunning and a special place only hours north of Adelaide. We saw more emus, kangaroos, lizards and birds of prey in three days than the two weeks we had just spent on Kangaroo Island.

Afternoons were spent either relaxing by the caravan or going for a drive. In this type of country it is a pleasure to be just behind the wheel. Places visited included the nearby old mining towns of Blinman and Parachilna that were connected by a magnificent gorge. We were so glad we had the opportunity to get back up here again. Some times you need to get away from the coast and experience these beautiful areas.

A couple of more trips to the beach and a few wineries on the Fleurieu Peninsular and we were ready to ditch the van and head across to Kangaroo Island (‘KI’ as the locals call it). The plan was to spend about two weeks on the island camping in the council and national parks. This would compensate for the $450 it costs for all of us (including the car) to travel on the ferry from Cape Jervis to the island. When we got there it was like stepping back in time, as the shops and street-scape where the boat landed (Penneshaw) looked like something out of the 1970s. The first thing we noticed was, that since the school holidays were over, this place was deserted !!!. There was no need to book camp-sites, and most of the time we were the only people in them.

First stop was Emu Bay on the north side of the island and wow was it stunning – 4km beautiful white sand and clear turquoise water. Best of all, at all phases of the tide you could drive up and down the beach and not have to let the tyres down. Days were spent fossicking around the beach and at night it was catching ‘calamari’ squid off the jetty. Even though the north side is protected against the prevailing south-east winds, it still blows fairly regularly here and at night. I think we managed to lose a couple of buckets and a filleting knife over the side of the jetty, and Dad got ‘inked’ on several occasions trying to land the beasts without a net. On the real calm day Chris met a couple of locals early morning down the wharf and headed out the local reef for some fishing. Well this was a real day of fishing with over sixty fish landed including blue fin tuna, snapper and the bag limit of King George Whiting (very much larger than the NSW species). So combined with the squid it was definitely “we’re having fish for dinner” – fridge and esky completely chock a block.

Then the real wind came and it was time to move on and do some sight seeing until the weather was calmer. We headed down to the south-west to the Flinders Chase National park which was surrounded by rugged coastline. The weather was windy and cool so we got out the walking shoes and dragged the kids along.  Aimee and Dylan are now at the age where we can do a couple of hours hike without having to carry them. We plan to do a lot of walking when we can on the trip so now was the time to get them in training.  The south coast was rugged but gorgeous. Not many people apart from tourism operators, abalone and cray fisherman live here. How they put up with the wind is anyones guess. The colder days really worked out well as we got to do the touristy things and finally come across some of the wildlife the island is famous for.

Once the weather warmed up again it was back across to the north side of the island. The national park and council camp-sites on the island all had very good facilities including clean toilets, barbeques and tables  - and we really enjoyed the car camping. The protected beaches on the north side were great for the kids and a good chance to just hang out in the warm weather, swim, fish and watch the sun go down. We decided for the last few nights that we would like to live it up a bit and maybe even grab a shower. The Driscolls who we met up with in Mildura were kind enough to let us stay in their beach house at Baudin Bay and we jumped at the opportunity. We had a special time there as we got all the creature comforts and we were blessed with great weather, more great beaches and yes more opportunities to go fishing. We had almost become sick of eating Tuna and Whiting (I said almost) and hired a small tinny for the last couple of days to chase some more ocean friends and catch up with a dolphin or two.

Snellings beach

Baudin Bay beach house

At least someone knows how to drive

 

Folks this is one destination that must be put on any family travelling bucket list. Kangaroo Island ‘ya gotta go’.