Thursday 1st January 2004

A bit slow starting today, not because of drinks but we are not used to late nights any more...

About 11 am we left the caravan park in the Nissan and made a circuit of the bays near Streaky Bay. This took us onto the west side of the Eyre Peninsula and we called in on some fairly scenic ocean cliff lookouts and a few surf or fishing beaches.

Returned to the Caravan Park about 1 pm and then took it easy for the rest of the day. Packed up the BBQ, chairs and things we are not using at about 9.pm (Still daylight due to daylight saving time) and prepared as much as possible to make our start tomorrow a little quicker.

Intend to travel down the coast and unless we see somewhere we would prefer to stop, will probably make Port Lincoln our next overnight stay. will decide when we get there how long we will stop for.

Friday 2nd January 2004

Today started out at about 8.40 am (SA Time) when we left Streaky Bay and headed south toward Port Lincoln.

Our first call was to 'Murphy's Haystacks' which are granite rocks that look a bit like the old type of haystack if sighted from the distance. It was very interesting and we took some photographs then when leaving met the owners of the farm they are on and had a good long chat with them. They own about 18,000 acres of land, crop about 2,000 and run about 4,000 sheep. But like farming everywhere, no one makes a fortune.

We then called into Port Kenny and also Venus Bay, both interesting little villages on the ocean but the beaches did not appear to be very good for swimming as they were very shallow and the tide was out a long way.

Our next stop was at Elliston (about 170 km from Port Lincoln) which was a really nice little town set on a very pretty bay that obviously had fish in it by the amount of boats out in the bay. We decided that if we come this way again, we will stay in Elliston on the way through but today we decided to continue as we had not traveled very far and there did not appear to be a lot of sightseeing to do outside of the town. Had a cup of tea and ate the last of Elise's biscuits before taking some photographs of the bay and also of the Community Hall which was covered in murals.

The drive from Elliston to Coffin Bay was through varying countryside, from open farmland to taller bush and closer to Coffin Bay we passed a couple of large hills (or small mountains because they were both called Mt).

Coffin Bay was about 14 km off the Port Lincoln Road but worth the deviation to see it. There was a lot of holiday accommodation and a considerable number of boats of all shapes and sizes. Even a sailing club, motel, hotel, liquor store and everything a small to medium holiday resort could ask for.

Left Coffin bay and covered the final 35 km to Port Lincoln and was very pleasantly surprised with what we came into. Port Lincoln is a city with over 14,000 people we have been told and does have some resemblance to Albany. We drove through the city centre and then to the Kirton Point Caravan Park which overlooks one of the bays and is on a slope so the view from almost every site is very good. We could pick our own site to stop on so we obviously have a good view out over the water.

After settling in, went into the city centre and picked up a few supplies to tide us over until we do a bigger shop tomorrow. Shopping looks very good with almost anything a person could need in the city centre and fuel prices seem reasonable, diesel advertised at 91.9 cpl at one service station we saw.

Time to settle down as it is beer o'clock and Pammy is getting thirsty. Will visit the information Centre in the morning and see what we should be looking at in the area. Have already decided we may stay three nights in Port Lincoln.

Saturday 3rd January 2004

A quiet day today with some shopping to pick up a few items we needed and as it is now a week since we left W. A., it was time to do some washing. The facilities are good and Pam wants a view from her laundry at home like she had from the laundry in the caravan park. I don't believe she would find as many people to talk to at home whilst she was doing the washing either.

We took a drive around Port Lincoln and up to a lookout on a hill overlooking the city from the north. After the lookout we went to the local cemetery and looked up a few names that have been here for a long time. There was a section of the cemetery that was maintained by the local Returned and Services League for local veterans of previous wars and conflicts. All headstones were small cement blocks with a brass plaque on it with the veterans details, including the unit the person served with (Veterans Affairs style headstones). It was a well kept area and an interesting concept.

We then just drove around the outer 'suburbs' of the city. We went into the Information Centre and picked up quite a few tourist booklets etc. on the Eyre Peninsula and also one on the York Peninsula.

Intent to have a bit more of a look around tomorrow and stay tomorrow night, them move on Monday morning.

Sunday 4th January 2004

Woke up in the night to very loud thunder and lighting flashing close by, there was a reasonable period of rain that came is varying density and times during the night, with a small shower or two during the morning. The morning was overcast but that cleared as the day wore on until around 5.pm there was only a few clouds in a mainly blue sky. The temperature only reached about 23 degree around mid afternoon.

Used today as a rest day and went for a walk down to the water below the caravan park in the morning. Yesterday evening there were about 8 dolphins swimming with 16 pelicans by the jetty about 150 metres from the caravan (still in the caravan park beach area).

This morning the dolphins were gone but there was a pretty big seagull sitting on a light fitting near the same spot!!! It obviously doesn't realise it is actually a pelican and we are told it perches on that light quite a lot of the time.

This afternoon we went for a drive down to the Marina where there are millions of dollars worth of fishing and pleasure boats as well as a lot of houses that I can't afford to buy. One of the boats is the 'Lady Suzanne' which was previously owned by Nicole Kidman. Took a photograph of it and you can probably guess which one it is.

Filled up with fuel (100 ltrs @90.9 cpl) then returned to the caravan park and played a game of Yahtzee (that Kym & Lee gave us for Christmas) before the serious business of a drink or two before dinner.

Tomorrow we intend heading up the east side of the Eyre Peninsula, maybe as far as Port Augusta unless somewhere else takes our fancy (decisions, decisions, decisions!!!!!!)