Eyre Peninsula March 2015

Off again in the van, travelling to Port Augusta and then on to Venus Bay. We are traveling with Lyn and Steve.
We will spend the first 4 days with Rick and Kerry at the Venus Bay CP.

Mambray Creek

Mambray Creek

We left at 6.15am on Sunday 1st March and caught up with Lyn & Steve at a road side parking bay (where L&S had spend the night) Breakfast was served to us not long after 9.00am, nice way to start the trip. Mambray Creek was where breakie was had.

But who did spend the night?

We stopped for lunch at the Lions Club Park where you can stay overnight for a donation, has toilets, shade and BBQ. While making some lunch we spotted a guy in a gopher, who made his way down to us, for a chat. Bruce is 93 and has lived all his life in Kimba and now visits the park every day to

Lyn, Bruce& Helen

care for it and havachat!! A lovely man..

On arriving at Venus Bay we were met by a woman named Linda, who promptly told me I taught her in Year 5 at Grange PS. Made me feel real old!! We set up the vans and then headed to the  Happy Hour of the fishing group.

Monday (2/3/15) started slowly and with weather and tides not ideal no fishing was to be had.

L&S and H&R headed off on some sightseeing of the area. We toured the township and then headed off towards Eliston for about 10K.

Camel Beach, note the home & shed in the background

Camel Beach

Camel Beach footsteps

First stop Camel Beach, Apparently a great fishing beach but for us today a walk along the sand.

Next stop Talia Cave, great scenery and easy walking.

We also found a place called The Tub. A sort of a sink hole that has an arch what opens onto the sea. Someone had made a step ladder out of a tree log and stood it ne xt to some bush roots, using both and being careful you could get done into the tub. Steve found a beehive and brought some bees wax back.

Tuesday (3/3/15) had Rob fishing with Kerry & Rick while the others had a slow start, then walked around the cliffs until I got back. 16 whiting and a flathead made for a worthwhile fishing trip.

After lunch L&S and H&R did a road trip around Venus Bay. The roads were very rough and we entered a national park which had an electric fence to make sure feral a animals couldn't region. We stopped when we reached the sand dunes, which you can see in the photo map.

Venus to Streaky

4/3/15 (Wed) Saw L&S and us do a day trip to Streaky Bay. We saw a sleepy seal lion under the SB jetty, lunch at the cafe overlooking the jetty and did the usual tour of the town. The CP looked great as did the new school opposite. On the return journey took the coast roads to go on the Westall Way Loop then onto the Pt Labatt Sealion Drive and the Cape Bauer Loop. Met an interesting English couple from Darwin at the Granites, his Pajero number plate was KAREN I asked why, his long winded story about his wife car and then she got a company car, so he put it on the 4WD. Also visited Bairds Bay, see aerial photo, saw a lone red car on the shore and a little boat out in the bay fishing

Pt Labatt

Lunch Streaky Bay

Sealion Streaky

Pt Labatt

Thursday (5/3/15) was a travel day. We packed up but before leaving, Rick's car wouldn't start. I drove the Pajero over for a jump start. It took a number of attempts to get it started.
Off to Elliston, visited bakery for coffee (they were closing the bakery the next day :(, the info centre and town hall and stayed for lunch.
About to leave and a Victorian traveler across the road pulled away from the curb to sharp and crunched a storm water downpipe and hitting a veranda. No damage to the building but he ripped the base of awning arm off the wall and bend it badly.

Town Hall Mural

MAKE A NOTE; CHECK TO ROAD'S EDGE FOR THINGS TO HIT

Elliston

Elliston

Friday (6/3/15) Slow start to the day, did the Oyster Walk thru town and out to the big bay. The video shows the bay.

Saturday (7/3/15) 4WD down National Park

Sunday (8/3/15) Drove to September Beach

Monday (9/3/15) Toured the National Park, Fished and walked park

Tuesday (10/3/15) Drove to Lipson Cove

Wednesday (11/3/15)Drove to Pt Augusta

Thursday (12/3/15) Left Pt Augusta for the drive home

Victor Harbor

Our next trip took us the Victor Harbor on the Fleurieu Peninsula, 100 or so kilometres South of Adelaide to the Victor Harbor Beachfront Holiday Park with friends Paul & Heather and family, Lyn and Steve.
We spent 3 nights at the park.
All of us are new to the caravaning world so it was good to be together and learn together.

First day (Wed 14/1/15) was spent setting up, and beer, champagne and food occupied the rest of the day and night. It was noted that Lyn & Steve's new annexe came in handy as the weather wasn't topical summer, in fact cool and windy..




Thursday Paul, Putty and I drove to Goolwa to play golf, which ended in a 3 way tie!!! The girls and Steve walked to the Bluff and then back into town for coffee. We all met up at Goolwa beach after lunch to collect cockles for Paul's fishing trip the next day. Bums up digging for cockles was only out done by Steve bogging his 4WD the first time he stopped on the beach!!! A guy in an old Pajero pulled up in seconds, took out his sand boards and had Steve mobile again in minutes. A drive to River Murray mouth ended the trip. It must be noted the there were a number of golf balls smashed down the beach and out to sea using Putty's new driver.

Dinner that night has held at the Hotel Crown where Putty and Cathy also joined us.

Friday saw Paul leave very early to drove home to Delemare to take Julian and mates out fishing. Again the weather wasn't favorable, glad I didn't go! He returned later in the day with 3 snapper for us, thanks Paul.  The rest of us took a walk into town, coffee, shopping. I tried making bread in our new halogen fan cooker, very limited success, dough didn't rise!
Saturday was slow, followed by packing up, working out how to empty the van toilet canisters into the depot at the front of the park. All good...

Shake Down

Shake down trip to McLaren Vale CP

Adelaide to McLaren Vale, staying at the McLaren Vale Caravan Park 7,8,& 9 Nov 2014

We took the van on its first trip to McLaren Vale with Lyn and Steve in their brand new van.

Drove down on Friday after Helen had finished work, we used the Southern Expressway and had no problems towing it.

The photo shows Helen next to the car just before we set off.

Friday ,evening was spent setting up and then celebrating our first evening!!!

Friday was very, very hot but Saturday brought, cloud and a little rain. Steve and I spent a lot of the day working out why the fridge wouldn't work on 12 volt, problem solved. A walk into town for coffee, came with a little rain but nothing to cause a problem.

The CP was great, clean amenities, and we were very close to the camp kitchen so most of our meals were prepared there and eaten at the tables and seat provided.

We called into the The Menz FruChocs Shop, MMMMMMMMM

$30/night