Sun, silos and strange stopovers

 After leaving Coffin Bay NP and eating some underwhelming oysters (oops! Sorry Coffin Bay) I headed to Lincoln NP where I met up with Phill and Liz again. It was a beautiful park with some lovely walks, beautiful views and beaches, and a wide range of bird life. After enjoying the serenity, we left there to explore the east coast of the Eyre peninsula.

At Tumby Bay, I stayed at the CWA which was a bit of a hoot. I did have my own bathroom but it was a bit like camping in someone’s driveway. There were 2 other people there and then a car turned up, full of people in black suits covered in a strange logo, who promptly backed into the veranda post, knocking it over. I found out later that they were members of the Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes!

I left Tumby Bay and had the worst trip so far - gale force winds that blew Van Morrison all over the road. It was a very slow trip and I had to keep stopping when it became too dangerous. Eventually, with lots of stops, I reached Whyalla for an overnight stop before heading to Mt Remarkable NP. And here Van Morrison had to prove himself again! The road into Alligator Gorge was STEEP! Very steep! Very, very steep! Get the picture? At one stage I had to drop to first gear to get up a rise! But Van Morrison rose to the challenge and delivered me (slowly) to a great 9km walk along the gorge. Huge red cliffs and towering red gums - probably my last true glimpse of the Flinders Ranges (do you know that they go all the way to Kangaroo Island?).

So now I’m travelling in more rural and pastoral areas before getting to the Coorong. There’s silo art and rolling hills, all green with crops. Last night was hoot! I’d gone to see the silo at Farrel Flat and ended up going to the pub there (as you do ... especially when it’s the only thing open) and staying in the backyard for free (as long as you buy a meal).

Well the pub is amazing - it is full of collectibles, motorbikes, strange posters and bobble heads. What it isn’t full of is people. Chef cooked me a meal, offered me a job (“I want to have a holiday”), then invited me into his lounge room to watch a movie - with his mate Doug, 3 long haired chihuahuas, one jack Russell, a blue heeler and a scruffy little dog that kept licking my shoes.  It was all a bit bizarre. So if you’re ever in the area, stay at the Farrel Flat Hotel - Chef even has his own wine that he’ll sell you at a premium! It was a very expensive ‘free’ camp!

Rocks, more rocks and lots of pelicans

 I’m sitting in the campground at Yangie Bay, Coffin Bay NP, struggling to get my fire to take (damp and green wood) and deciding which photos to share with you. Not there’s a big choice after the Great Laptop Disaster of 2021, but I do seem to have a lot of pictures of rocks and pelicans - the rocks might need some background information but the pelicans are self explanatory. I will give a plug for the Streaky Bay Cabernet which is a bit of a project for the years 7,8 and 9s from the local secondary college. We tried a bottle and it was okay - perhaps even quite good. I bought some more but I don’t think they’ll make it home. You’ll just have to do with the photo!

After leaving Ceduna (great craft shop there as well as scrummy oysters) I meandered my way along the coast, stopping at every hamlet and turn-off. And it was lucky I did since I was lucky to talk to an oyster-growing local at Smokey Bay and she told me to visit the jetty and see the seals. There were about 10 of them sleeping on the steps going down to the ‘swimming pool’ and they took no notice of me as I snapped away. 

So let’s talk rocks on the Eyre Peninsula. There were whistling rocks, rocks with holes in them, rocks that stuck up out of nowhere, rocks that weathered smoothly and ones that were jagged and white. Let’s take Murphy’s haystacks for example ... these appeared out of nowhere, just plonked on the top of a hill. They

actually have the impressive names of ‘Inselbergs’!

My next stop was Venus Bay, home to a lot of very tame pelicans who hang around for fishy scraps from the fishermen. It is quite amazing getting up close and personal with these huge birds. I was most taken with their colours - on their beaks and around their eyes. They didn’t think much of me ... no fish!

South of Venus Bay were a couple more impressive rock formations, then the beautiful cliffs around Elliston ... which were adorned with sculptures... not that they needed help to be interesting or gorgeous from us humans. 

And now I’ve reached Coffin Bay. The national park is very well organised (I love how you book individual campsites online) and the scenery is stunning. And it’s even sunny, if cold. I pulled into my site and realised I’m sharing it with two kangaroos - Mum has a tiny Joey in her pouch.