Moonta Bay to Port Vincent via Point Turton

Sunday 25th March 2012

We left Moonta Bay today after waking up to a glorious day. We headed south through Port Victoria where we stopped for an ice cream.  In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, grain used to be loaded into sailing ships at Port Victoria and taken around Cape Horn to Europe. There are about 8 wrecks of old sailing vessels around Wardang Island which is just off Port Victoria. Consequently the area is very popular with divers and fishers.

Mural outside bathrooms at Port Vincent

View from jetty at Port Victoria

From here we went through Minaton and then out to Point Turton. At first sight it was delightful. The sun was glistening on the water, the sky was so blue and we ended up with a camp spot where we could see out on the boat ramp and the jetty.

Jetty at Point Turton

When booking in the manager told us that all of the scenic areas to see around the bottom of the Yorke Peninsula were only a 30 minute drive from Point Turton, so we booked in for 4 nights.
Point Turton is on Hardwicke Bay and faces east looking back over Yorke Peninsula.
We walked out on the jetty and lots of people were fishing and not catching much worth having, so the next day Ray gave it a try, but he didn't catch anything either. We then decided to go for a run out to Corney Point which is a little further south.There are quite a lot of sheltered beaches which face into the Spencer Gulf.
The next day, Tuesday we woke to an overcast day so we decided to go for a drive around the bottom of Yorke Peninsula. We headed out to Corny Point Lighthouse where we saw 3 fishing trawlers resting at anchor.

Corny Point Lighthouse

We then drove to Berry Bay North where we came across a surf school. Some students were at a camp at Point Turton and one of their activities was learning to surf and this is what they were doing. We drove to Berry Bay south and came across another big group doing the same thing.

Surfers at Berry Bay south

Surfers and trawler at Berry Bay south

We then went to Point Annie, Gleeson's Landing and Daly Head.

Daly Head

Point Annie

Next into Innes National Park, where we startled a big flock of emus.

Stampeding emus

We then went into Marion Bay where we had lunch and saw these huge boat trailers, but we didn't see the boats which came off them.

We then started up the other side of Yorke Peninsula. First stop was Meehan Hill Lookout and then Kangaroo Island Lookout. As the day was overcast, Kangaroo Island was a bit blurry.

Next day was washing day and after doing that we decided to go the the Point Turton Tavern for lunch. The Tavern is perched on top of the hill and has a magnificent view of the Spencer Gulf. We each had seafood for lunch. I had salt and pepper calamari and Ray had seafood trio, King George Whiting, prawn cutlets and salt and pepper calamri. It was all delicious and very fresh.

After lunch Ray went for a fish out on the jetty and caught a squid which he cleaned and put in the freezer. We might enjoy it for an entree on Good Friday.

On Thursday we left Point Turton after Ray took photos of aa incredible sunrise.

 We drove across the Yorke Peninsula to Port Vincent which is on Gulf St Vincent and nearly straight across from Adelaide as the crows (Ha Ha, Adelaide crows) fly. A very pretty spot, right on the water. Our campsite is on a corner and we have water views on both sides. Not bad for $26 per night. We are staying here for 3 nights. I have been watching the people hunting for crabs out in the water. They wade out to groin height and then rake the sandy bottom and scoop up the crabs and put them in a container which they have floating behind them attached to a cord around their waist. Very interesting.

Today, Friday after another glorious sunrise we went for a drive around the area.

Sunrise at Port Vincent

Port Vincent from caravan park

 First we drove south down to Stansbury which is another fishing village on Gulf St Vincent and another beautiful spot. The water was crystal clear and plenty of people were out crabbing and squidding on the jetty.

Stansbury

Next stop was Wool Bay and more of the same and then to a town called Edithburgh.

Ray on Wool Bay jetty

The area is starting to gear up for the Easter weekend. All of the caravan parks are going to be filled to capacity. We have spoken to some travellers who had forgotten it was Easter coming up and they are having to move inland for the weekend and then come back to the coast after Easter. I am glad we have booked at Goolwa for the holiday weekend.

Moonta Bay

We left Renmark last Saturday 17th March, yes St Patricks Day. I have a couple of photos I forgot to put in the last Blog.
One is of a sign in a park near the opening bridge in Renmark. Enough said about that.

This one was taken when a speed boat raced past on the river towing 3 people on what looked like a three seater blow up lounge. They were having a great time and were being spun around at a great speed.

Next stop after Renmark was Port Germein. We stopped at Burra for lunch and got to Port Germein around 2pm. The usual breeze was blowing and it was a nice day. Ray was going crabbing the next day but apparently it was no good for crabbing as there were only 2 tides on Saturday, one high and one low. This is a phenomenon which happens commonly in the upper Spencer Gulf. All of the daylight hours the tide was out over 1.5km so there was only shallow water off the end of the jetty.

Anyway he went crabbing on Sunday and came back with 6 good crabs which he cooked up and we we enjoyed for lunch on Monday.

The temperature rose quite high on Monday afternoon. It was 41 degrees under the awning at 6pm.We had a magnificent sunset on Monday night as there was a bit of cloud around. The vibrant colour in the western sky was the brightest I have seen.

 Later that night a storm came and by Tuesday morning the temperature had dropped to 17 degrees.
On Wednesday we left for Moonta Bay which is about 140km south of Port Germein. It is on the part of the Yorke Peninsula called the Copper Coast. The area is well known for its Cornish heritage and was home to a large number of mining families back in the late 1800's when copper was discovered. A lot of the miners came over from Burra as the ore was running out there. We visited the Miners Museum today and learnt a lot about those tough cornish miners and their families.

They have left a lot of history in Moonta. Every bakery makes its own version of the traditional cornish pastie, which those old miners used to eat when they were working down the mines.

They even had one which was meat and vegetables at one end and apple or jam at the other separated by a strip of pastry. The pasty had a thick twist of pastry on the top so the miners could hold it without the dirt getting on their food. Then they threw that handle of pastry away when they were finished.
Today, Friday we went for a drive about 10km north on the coast to a town called Wallaroo. Wallaroo was the site of a huge smelting works where copper from Wallaroo and Moonta mines was smelted. Large numbers of Welsh people were employed at the smelting works at Wallaroo.The smelter closed down in 1923. When the jetty was constructed in 1861, Wallaroo was the busiest port in South Australia. Now the ships which pull into Wallaroo are transporting wheat and barley.
There were quite a lot of fishing trawlers anchored in Spencer Gulf at Wallaroo. A large prawn fleet operates in the Gulf and the prawns are very tasty.

The weather is a bit cooler here in Moonta Bay but that is a blessing after the 41 degrees.
We are moving on further down the Yorke peninsula on Sunday, possibly to a place called Point Turton.
Will Blog again soon.

2012 Travels Part 1 South Australia

Friday 9th March 2012

Well, we are on the road again. We have decided to head back to Port Germein in South Australia and catch some more crabs. Then we will tour  around the York Peninsula and have booked into Goolwa for Easter. Goolwa is south of Adelaide where the Murray River runs into the sea. We will then head down around the Coorong and over to Victoria and then home sometime in May.

Our first stop was Bathurst where we spent a couple of nights with Richard and Sarah. Richard and Sarah used to run the pub at Hill End where Ray and Mark used to go every Melbourne Cup. Richard and Sarah now live on the outskirts of Bathurst and have a great caravan spot at the back of their place where we stayed for two nights. We had a great time and thank therm very much for their hospitality.

From Bathurst we intended going towards West Wyalong and then to a free camp about 35km west of West Wyalong, but we only made it as far as Grenfell. The road between Grenfell and Marsden was closed as the road had been washed away by floodwater. All other roads out of Grenfell heading west and north west were closed. We booked into the caravan park for 2 nights and had a look around this really old town. It was the birthplace of Henry Lawson some say Australia's best poet and it was also where Ben Hall, the bushranger hid out in some caves.

On Monday an old fellow in the park told us that we could get out by going south to Young. On Tuesday we left Grenfell and headed to Young and then on to Temora. At Temora we stopped at the Tourist Information and the lady told us we couldn't get direct to Griffith due to flooding, so we headed west to Ardlethan and then to Barellan, where the road was closed due to flooding. We were detoured south towards Narranderra and then had to turn west as the roads into Narranderra were closed.......yes you are right, due to flooding. So we went to Leeton and found out from the Tourist Information that the road to Griffith had been reopened that morning. Leeton had just been declared a disaster area as the irrigation channels which normally overflow into the Murrumbidgee River were overflowing onto surrounding land and had flooded it. We had some lunch and then went to Griffith. On the way to Griffith  we passed the flooded irrigation channels. There was so much water in them that they looked like rivers.

Flooded irrigation channel at Leeton

Water alongside the road

From Griffith we went north to Goolgowi and then turned west onto the Mid Western Highway to Hay. Travelling across the Hay plains there was a lot of water along the side of the highway, which is normally very dry.

Another view of water from the car

Water in channels along the Hay plains. This is very unusual

Watery Hay plains

Hay and surrounds was being sand bagged and the levee banks were being built up to 9.5 meters. The river was expected to peak at 9.1.metres by this weekend and all were hoping the levees held.

From Hay we travelled through Balranald and on to Renmark with no more issues. We are at the Riverfront Caravan park and our site is right on the banks of the Murray River.

Looking acoss the Murray from our van

Renmark Hotel down the Murray from our caravan site

It is now Thursday and we got a big storm last night with rain, thunder and lightening. But when we woke up this morning it was a beautiful day with a lovely breeze blowing. We are staying here until Saturday when we will head to Port Germein.

Mildura

We left Port Germein on Sunday and stopped at Morgan overnight. Morgan is a lovely little town on the Murray not far from the Victorian border. It is very popular with skiers and a ferry goes back and forwards from one side of the river to the other.
We got to Mildura on Monday and booked into the Buronga Riverside Caravan Park which is on the NSW side of the Murray River. We have a site right on the river opposite Mildura Wharf.

The paddlesteamers and house boats go back an forth all day so there is a lot going on, on the river. We have booked in for 5 nights so we can get our Xmas shopping done as I couldn't face it when we get home.
There are water birds everywhere, black swans, wood ducks, waterhens, eurasian coots, brown ducks, egrets. It is a really beautiful spot.

On Thursday we went on a river cruise on an authentic paddle steamer which was built in 1912. We turned around right in front of our caravan park and had a great view of our van from the river.

Our van from the river

 We then cruised downstream and through Lock 11. On the upside the water is 3 metres higher as they use a series of weirs to control the water in the river. Without the weirs the Murray would run dry each year. We entered Lock 11 and the water was removed to drop us 3 metres and then we went downstream for about 20 minutes and then came back to the Lock and the process was reversed bringing us back up 3 metres again.

Approaching Lock 11

Locked into the Lock

Down side gates about to open

Guess who with Lock 11 in background

The cruise was great in the old paddle steamer.

It was very hot when we got back and we stayed outside until bed time. The caravan park has a very over the top Xmas display which they have entered in the Bunnings competition in Mildura, so we went around to have a look and take some photos.

High 5 with Santa

The  next day, Friday was extremely hot, 40 degrees and no wind. We watched the paddle steamer party boats going out for the night and then we watched them come back about 10.30pm with all of the party people yelling and laughing. It was nice and quiet after this.

Party Boats

Today, Saturday we are in Hay. When we were here in November last year the Murrumbidgee River was at 6.4 metres, near flood level. This year it was a bit lower. Some people were waterskiing..

 Tomorrow we will go to Gundagai and will probably get home on Monday.

If I don't see you, please have a very Merry Xmas and a Happy New Year. Our travels are nearly over for 2011 and I hope you have enjoyed our Blog. I will continue it next trip in 2012. Our 2012 trips will be a bit shorter.

See you all soon.