Eyre Peninsula - Tumby Bay, Coffin Bay, Elliston and Kimba

Tumby Bay

25 - 26 November 2015

The wind was howling and the temperature had reached 38 degrees, so we were glad to stop in Tumby Bay and check into a cabin for the night. We felt a bit soft doing this, but there were at least three other camper trailers parked outside cabins by night time.

Tumby Bay in the morning.

Before we left in the morning we took a walk on the beach - it looks like a nice spot, shame about the wind. We decided to head to Port Lincoln and then over to Coffin Bay.

Coffin Bay

26 - 27 November 2015

We had a short drive to Port Lincoln where we stopped for coffee on the waterfront, then over to Coffin Bay by lunchtime. We stopped at the caravan park and chose a reasonably level site, close to the amenities and camp kitchen. The wind persisted so we figured it would be good to be able to use the kitchen to cook dinner.

This young Pacific gull hung around the park hoping for a hand out.

The view just across the road from the caravan park.

A sleepy Fairy tern was a new bird for me.

A Sooty oystercatcher is right at home in this area which is so famous for its oysters.

We decided to drive over to have a look at the Yangie Bay campsite in the Coffin Bay National Park, but hadn't factored in the $10 park entry fee. We considered this a waste of money just to have a look, so we went back into the town and headed out for a drive in the area. We found our way to Wangary and Mount Dutton Bay, just s short drive away. On the way back, we followed the signs to the Pig Farm and Antique Shop. What a find! The piggery and antique shop are on the same property, and the shop has an amazing collection of antiques and old wares, as well as bacon and pork products. Definitely one of the most quirky businesses we have visited for a while. A pleasant afternoon out, with some fresh bacon as well.

Australian ringneck (race zonarius) seen on the drive.

In the morning we packed up and drove the 1/2 hour to the Yangie Bay campsite. 

Yangie Bay - Coffin Bay National Park

  

27 - 28 November 2015

This National Park is one of few that has self-registration at the entrance, so we paid when we arrived, deciding on one night only. We figured we could always drive back to the pay-station and pay for another night if we decided to stay longer. Because it was only a short distance we had camp set up in time for morning tea. Then we noticed the bees. The park brochure advised that bees come looking for water in the summer, and I suppose it was close enough to 1 December that the bees thought it was already summer. We thought if we put a bucket with some water in it away from our camp, they would leave us alone. WRONG! That just seemed to attract more. It was quite unpleasant and we had to make sure there was no moisture at all, to keep them at bay. It was a losing battle and we were unable to do much with them swarming all over our things. One night only for sure!

A small flock of Brown-headed honeyeaters visited a nearby She-oak.

White-browed (spotted) scrubwren (race maculatus). These were common but where were the bee-eaters?

Yangie Bay is the only campsite in Coffin Bay National Park that can be reached by conventional vehicle - along sealed roads. All the other campsites require beach and sand dune driving, and a great deal of skill. The parks information advised that tyres must be deflated for sand driving and we weren't geared up for that. Yangie is a very pretty spot - right on the beach, and even though the sites nearest the beach are designated for tents, there was plenty of room for the camper trailer.

In this area it is possible to see species such as Western whipbird, Blue-breasted fairywren and Western yellow robin without going across the Nullabor to WA to do so. This was a good reason to include the Eyre Peninsula in our itinerary. The Western whipbird has a reputation as a very hard bird to find and not surprisingly, I dipped out. In the morning, the Western yellow robin appeared near our camp for a couple of seconds and was not seen again. Luckily I had my camera! The Blue-breasted fairywren was much more co-operative. Mick.

Blue-breasted fairywren

Western yellow robin.

Later in the afternoon we walked along the Yangie Beach Hike - 2km up to the lookout and then looping back through the bush and along the bay. It was a really nice walk, not too challenging, with lots of interpretive signage (interestingly using a "Heath Goanna" character to convey the message), and some awesome views. It would be nice to spend a few days here at a different time of year.

View from the lookout along the Yangie Beach Hike.

We packed up - dodging bees all the while - and headed into Coffin Bay for lunch. Coffin Bay oysters are available at the local cafe so of course I had some - natural. They were absolutely delicious and so fresh, needing nothing extra. Almost like eating them straight off the rocks! After lunch we headed north up the coast to have a look at some of the western peninsula towns and perhaps stay another night in this part of the state.

Elliston

28 - 29 November 2015

We stopped at Elliston (at the suggestion of a chap we had met in Quorn) and decided this pretty little spot would do for our next stop. The caravan park we chose was right on the beach - although behind the sand dunes. A walk over the dune and you are on a really nice beach. There are cabins up on the dune with great views.

There is a "Clifftop Drive" so we did the tourist thing and went out to have a look. The drive is close to town and affords some fantastic views. There are also a number of sculptures featured along the way.

Great views from the clifftop drive.

Elliston seems like a nice little town - a grocery store, bakery, pub, 2 caravan parks - just about all you could need. We stopped for groceries before heading off on Sunday morning.


Kimba

29 - 30 November 2015

We wanted to visit the Gawler Ranges, so decided to head up the coast to Streaky Bay, then across to Wudinna, but our plans changed as we drove. Our first stop was Venus Bay - what a beautiful spot! We walked out along the curved jetty where a number of people were fishing. There were quite a number of small boats (tinnies) in the bay as well. Fishing is obviously the thing to do in Venus Bay.

Back up the coast to Streaky Bay, where we considered staying, but it really wasn't all that attractive (compared to the other places we had visited). We pushed on and headed inland.

As always our journey was influenced by the possibility of bird photos, and the Gawler Ranges seemed to be a likely destination. You can enter the park from a number of towns so we were able to be flexible about where to stay. We drove through a number of towns, none of which suited us. The caravan parks were generally on the highway, and offered little shade.

We made it into Kimba and had a look at the caravan park - again on the highway. Kimba does however have a couple of free camp sites in the town. We chose the Central Park - an initiative of the local Lions Club. A big open area to set up camp (all gravel) but with shade, toilets, a picnic shelter and BBQs. All this for a donation to the club. There was a caravan and a campervan there when we arrived, and we were later joined by two other vehicles. This is indeed a popular spot.

The forecast for Monday was for wind up to 40kph and temperatures in the high 30's - then for a cool change and stronger winds! We hit the road again before it became too hot.

We abandoned plans to visit the Gawler Ranges National Park and headed instead for Lake Gilles Conservation Park - about 17km east of Kimba. Lake Gilles is a salt lake, of which there are very many in South Australia. We did as was suggested on the signage on the edge of the lake - we went for a walk out on the salt. It was weird walking on a lake, and our shoes became encrusted with salt. We chased some birds and made our way further east as the temperature continued to rise and the wind howled.

The salt lake.

The bird guide book I have suggested the possibility of seeing Rufous treecreeper in the Lake Gilles Conservation Park area but this was not to be. We did see Mulga parrots and Yellow-plumed honeyeaters. Mick.

Yellow-plumed honeyeater

Female Mulga parrot.

We stopped for lunch at Port Germein and then kept on going south - all the while hoping the wind and temperature would drop. We called in to Port Wakefield but decided we might as well head for the Adelaide Hills and Hahndorf and get a cabin for a couple of nights. We have friends nearby who we wanted to visit and the weather forecast suggested camping would be unpleasant.