Winter was fast approaching so we decided to make a quick dash to the Yorke Peninsula while the sun still shone. We were lucky to score a sunny if not exactly warm week and that was good enough for us!
We chose to drive the quickest most direct route as time was short, but never to short to stop and have a good look at the awesome silo art at Kaniva.
Our halfway overnight stop, well, a little more than halfway was at Murray Bridge, for convenience rather than comfort, as the night time noise from the freeway ensured a restless night. Other than the noise, the park was well set up. The amenities old but clean and the showers had a wonderful flow, much needed to recover from the sleepless night. The camp kitchen was an outdoor open sided setting more reminiscent of camping on tropical beaches. The garden provided a lovely ambiance and would be quite enjoyable on a balmy evening.
Lunch time stop the following day was at Port Wakefield to revisit a town we enjoyed staying at on the way to the Eyre Peninsula on a previous trip. The road works were a nightmare but it is worth stopping and going for a walk in this town of pretty buildings and wide streets. Artworks pop up unexpectedly and the giant pepper tree was awesome. It was hard not to hug it. The compulsory vanilla slice taste test wasn’t great from the Port Wakefield Bakery but the sandwiches were good.
We arrived at Moonta Bay Holiday Park glad to have booked a lower level waterfront site. Definitely the better choice of positions. The views were uninterrupted and glorious at any time of the day. The sites are tight but the view more than makes up for it. The amenities are almost fully refurbished and pretty yellow roses in a vase were a lovely touch. Unfortunately the showers are possibly the worst i have ever experienced, and i’ve used many…The pressure was so low i laughed in spite of my discomfort and the hot to cold roller coaster had me screaming and hopping in and out of the three drops that fell on my head. I learned to wash my hair quickly as soon as the water was warm enough and that was as good as it got. A shame, as it is a terrific location. As our first evening fell i marvelled at how lucky we were with the view from our van.
Loving tides as i do, Moonta Bay delighted me. High tide filled the swimming enclosure and low tide changed the colours to pale blues and provided heaps of paddling space for little ones. Add a wonderfully long pier and my joy was unbounded. I can’t emphasise enough how crystal clear the water in this area is. Simply stunning. The clarity of the water rivalled any i have seen anywhere, ensuring we will return in warmer weather to be able to enjoy it from within rather than from above. The swimming enclosure provided some assurance that the beautiful water could be enjoyed without fear of being shark bait.
I was pretty chuffed to see the van next to us named after me. Well, actually, i was told it was Frida Kahlo but eh…
If walks on white sand, fishing and beautiful sunsets are your pleasures, you should visit Moonta Bay. We saw soooo many fish and squid in the water when walking on the pier. When the sun shone, the colour of the water was stunning. And the sunsets were magnificent. Perfect for the evening wine.
We were entranced by the ‘crazy bunny’ in an enclosed courtyard in the main street of Moonta who was waiting for adoption. He was the last one left of his family. Tempting, but nah.
Sadly we had to leave Moonta Bay after a glorious four days but i was keen to check out Point Turton. We could only spend three days at Point Turton as we had to return to work, and it was not long enough. We once again booked a waterfront site but it was a bit noisy with fishermen coming and going in the early hours. The car park for the boat ramp was right at our feet. Best to book a site away from the lower levels at Point Turton. We will know for next time. This is a very busy park, lots of boats and mainly older gray nomads who appeared to have settled in for long stays. Lucky buggers. A fire pit beside the camp kitchen is lit every day at 4pm so anyone looking for company can congregate for a chat. The amenities are old but freshly painted and clean. The showers were wonderful after the sad ones at Moonta Bay.
Pelicans were well aware of the fish cleaning table…and squabbled openly for space as they expectantly waited. The pier was lined daily with hopeful fisher people. In the clear water we could see ample variety’s and numbers of fish happily swimming through lures and hooks dangling in their space. We watched in fascination as a two handfuls of burley thrown in the water created a seething mass of fin and silver turmoil for a couple of minutes before they all swam off with full bellies and not a single hook attached. Oddly, one solitary fisherman was pulling up fish after fish. Filling his bucket while others watched jealousy.
Again i was astounded by the water clarity. It was truly incredible. I was skipping with happiness.
Stingrays under the pier were so beautiful to watch. I took way too many photos. Such magnificent creatures.
These are three of my favourite pic’s.
We visited the famous Flaherty’s beach at low tide and were amused by the fact they hold a sandbar golf tournament there. The tide was just turning as we left and the incoming water was pristine. If it was summer i would have been wallowing like a jelly fish with no where to go. Many beaches close to Point Turton offer beautiful walks, easy beach driving and some super sand dunes that unfortunately were private property right down to the beach and consequently couldn’t be explored. Although tracks in the sand showed not everyone is as law abiding as some of us.
Tiny shells sparkled prettily on some parts of the beach in huge quantities. There is no lack of empty space to enjoy and exclaim over.
The salt lake trail is well marked and although i have seen more spectacular salt lakes, it is worth the drive to see some of them. A sunny day would have presented a better vista but the weather was turning and we were on our last day before heading back home.
While checking out the salt lakes we drove to Yorketown for lunch at the bakery. We don’t often have pies, pasties or sausage rolls, but i can honestly say these were the best pastries i have ever eaten other than my father in laws. Crunchy, golden and full of flavour. This is a bakery i fully recommend. The vanilla slice was pretty good too. Even though they look messy.
Far too quickly it was time to leave this beautiful part of Australia. On the way home we stopped at Ardrossan for Lunch and sat on a convenient bench overlooking the sea with the stunning red cliffs on either side of us.
Overnight stop on the way home was in Bordertown. It was dark by the time we arrived and we didn’t unhitch. Dinner was a questionable pizza from the road house which was across the road. We were too tired to cook and there wasn’t much else on offer unfortunately. A wee stop at Murray Bridge and a nice walk along the Murray led us to the Bunyip. Don’t go out of your way to see this noisy creature. And don’t take little kids unless they are fearless. The volume was eardrum shattering.
simplethingstraveller 