From Sea to Shining Sea

Monday 26 September

We left Port Augusta at 8.45 am today and like the last 2 departures our accommodation was on the right side of town so we didn’t have to backtrack.  Today was s short day, just under 400 and it took us a little over 5 hours.  We got to Streaky Bay at about 1.30 pm.

It was a different type of travelling today.  Like all the other days the country varied form desert to wheat paddocks to seaside.  There were quite a few towns to pass through and in some we had to get down to 50 km/h, however most we only had to get down to 80 km/h.  Most were really well kept with the houses ranging from pretty new to some that were from the turn of last century.

An interesting place was Iron Knob.  Iron Knob is said to be the start of the Australian steel industry.  As you approach Iron Knob you see a tall hill that has obviously been mined but it doesn’t really look like a lot has been done.  The town is about 500 m off the road with the mining area behind it to the west. As you move further west along the Eyre highway you see that there has been a lot of done behind the scenes.

 Iron Knob from East

Behind Iron Knob

A little disappointed at a town called Kimba.  There was a sign just outside it saying that there was a “Hot Bakery”.  We thought we might get some fruit buns or similar for morning tea.  Only pies and sausage rolls, they did have some turnovers and Danish though.  I had to get a berry turnover with cream.

I have found another big thing.  At Kimba they have the “Big Galah”.  I have included a photograph to show this one.  We travelled about 50 km from Kimba and pulled over at a rest area for morning tea.  We set up our table and chairs and it was an immediate invitation for all the flies in South Australia to come and join us.  We quickly moved back into the car where there fewer flies.

The Big Galah

As we approached we kept looking ahead to see when we could see the see.  It seemed that we were headed straight for it.  We were caught by surprise when it turned up on our right.  Approaching the town it is a little different than most seaside towns.  There are silos and other infrastructure because it is a grain growing area.  A bit different from what we are used to.

Streaky Bay is a beautiful place.  The town is built around the edges of the bay and goes inland about 500 metres. Very quiet place with very little traffic moving around the town.  Went to the supermarket and there were only 2 other customers there. The town did pick up a bit when school finished.

As in most places in South Australia there are some old buildings.  One of the first to be seen is the Catholic Church.  It is the church of St. Canute.  Quite an imposing building, especially for a small town

We are staying at the local caravan park.  It is the only one in town but is on the shore of the bay.  The caravan sites are about 3 metres from the beach and at high tide are about 8 metres from the water.  It’s a little different at low tide when the water’s edge moves out about 250 metres.  I took this photo of the caravan from the jetty in the town.

Had a really nice dinner.  Went to the kiosk here where they do meals and had some oysters Kilpatrick and King George Whiting and salad.  Really fresh and good value.  Better than baked beans on toast.

Tomorrow we will have a look at our options.  We may move down the road to Ceduna which is about 109 km to the west.  This will set us up for the next day’s travel to Eucla.  Haven’t got the map out yet to make definite plans.