Whyalla – Port Lincoln – Whyalla
Kilometres 24915 – 25997 km
Monday promised so much, we would finally get some appropriate
treatment on Leonie’s busted finger. The fracture clinic in Whyalla didn’t open
till midday so we spent the morning grabbing a few caches and sightseeing
around town. At lunch time we dropped Leonie off while the kids and I headed
for a dose of plastic food as they’d been pestering for some since we left
Perth. With their fix complete we spent the afternoon catching up on some
laundry as we patiently waited to hear from Leonie. After a few text messages and some 4 hours
later we picked Leonie up from the hospital. She was furious!!! The specialist,
who’d been so keen to see her, now fobbed her off suggesting a couple of weeks
rest would suffice……3 hospitals, 2 orthopaedic surgeons, 2 sets of x-rays and
1800km later we have decided to use traditional healing methods and simply
splint the finger…… Grrrr! Needless to say, we spent the rest of the day staying
out of Mummy’s way. LOL
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| Port Lincoln |
It was time to put the events of the past week behind us and get our
holiday back on track. We decided to see a bit more of the Eyre Peninsula, it’d
been 11 years since we’d been to the peninsula so we headed to Port Lincoln where
we thought we’d spend a few days adjusting to the more relaxed lifestyle of a traveller….
After a couple of hours driving we were in Port Lincoln and setting up right on
the water’s edge. The kids were keen for a spot of fishing and as there was a
jetty nearby we spent a brief time satisfying their urge, but they’re quickly
learning the art of fishing requires patience. Needless to say we didn’t fish
for long. Back at the van we had a few hours r&r before heading into Port
for a few supplies.
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| Old Mill - Port Lincoln |
On Wednesday we had a bit of a lazy morning around the van, the kids
had to get their schoolwork up-to-date which seems to be a constant battle.
Eventually we were able to head out to do a bit of the sightseeing around Port
Lincoln, the first thing you notice is the huge grain silos and port facility
which occupies much of the town. Nearly all the grain grown on the peninsula is
exported via this facility. We had a look around town, saw the Makybe Diva statue
and the Old Mill before heading up to “Winters Hill Lookout”. From here the
view looking south over the nearby islands and the Spencer Gulf is spectacular…
As our day ended a huge westerly change rolled in bringing with it howling
winds and a couple of thunderstorms.
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| Fur Seals - Whalers Way |
The severe weather persisted all night and at times we wondered whether
we’d be blown into the bay. As Thursday dawned we woke to rain scrawls which blew
in one after another. The kids were soon snuggled up on the lounge and watching
a DVD as we prepared for our first wash-out day of the trip…. However to our
surprise and delight by late morning the skies were clearing and we were able
to head out to a privately owned property called the “Whalers Way” which is the
southernmost point of the peninsula. This area was once used as a refuge for
whaling ships, but today it boasts a colony of fur seals which sun-baked on the
rocks and playing in the water only metres from us, it also features a number
of spectacular natural formations and towering cliffs.
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| Theakstone Crevasse - Whalers Way |
Friday should have seen us on the move again but for the sake of a
45min drive to our next destination we opted to stay in Port Lincoln and simply
extend the distance of our day trips…. After having breakfast overlooking the
bay we headed off to Coffin Bay. This sleepy fishing hollow is renowned for its
oysters and fishing. The resident population of 400 swells to over 4000 in the
peak summer months and we could see why. We stopped at the town jetty where we
watched some locals bag fish after fish straight off the jetty. At one point
the fishermen had to fight with shags as they duck dived for the baited hook or
stole the fish off the line. We continued following the coastline around to
Farm Beach and onto Gallipoli Beach, so named as it was used to film the above
mentioned movie. We sat high on the cliffs having a picnic and pondered how
difficult but brave our diggers must have been 100 years ago in Turkey….
Heading back through Coffin Bay we were fortunate enough to catch up with our
regular traveling friends as they setup in Coffin Bay. The kids played for a
few hours while we relaxed enjoying some oysters and a cool drink. We completed
a great day by having dinner out on the town in Port Lincoln.
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| Gallipoli Beach SA |
Saturday started really early for us, we were woken by numerous
thunderstorms that caught many of the van owners off guard, we were up at
4.30am grabbing anything we could to bring it in out of the rain as the sky was
lit up by a spectacular lightning show. When we resurfaced later that morning
there were clear skies and no hint of the previous nights downpour. We headed
into town about mid-morning to do a bit of shopping and check out the nearby
marina which is where many of the large fishing trawlers dock. It was amazing
to see so many trawlers docked in the one spot. The money sitting idle was
incredible, there’s certainly money to be made in deep sea fishing. No wonder
Port Lincoln has more millionaires per head than anywhere else in Australia…. We
came back to the van by mid-afternoon where the kids once again caught up on
some schoolwork. The afternoon breeze made for a beautiful afternoon to laze
around and watch the many boats out on the bay.
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| Tuna Trawlers - Port Lincoln |
Sunday was moving day, so there was no lazy Sunday mornings at our
abode today. We’d packed up and were on the road by 9am. As we headed back to
Whyalla we stopped at a few of the small fishing towns that hug the coastline
on the Eyre Peninsula. Tumby Bay, Arno Bay and Cowell were a few of the ones we
stopped at with Tumby Bay being one of those havens where we could easily spend
a few months relaxing. By mid-afternoon we were back at Whyalla and had checked
in to the same park where we’d stayed last week. We quickly setup in an attempt
to beat the afternoon storm. With nothing planned for the rest of the afternoon
we spent the time relaxing and enjoying an extended happy hour.
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| Tumby Bay Jetty |
As another week draws to an end we’ve certainly enjoyed our relaxing
week. Leonie is coping well with her finger in the splint and by this time next
week we hope to have the splint off and start using a buddy strap.
Until next week, ciao!
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