Whyalla

2 – 4 September 2023

We went back in to Kimba for lunch as it was almost noon when we left Lake Gilles, and we couldn’t see anywhere suitable on the map, along the way to stop for a picnic. We found a lovely picnic area at the Kimba Lions Park than decided to take a short cut to Whyalla, not realising that it would be mostly on unsealed roads. It’s always fun to get off the highway and try a different road, and this one started off great, but deteriorated significantly as we drove along.

Arriving in Whyalla, and aware that the forecast for the following day was for very strong winds, we decided to stay at the caravan park just out of town rather than the one on the foreshore. We were given a good spot and settled in. Late in the afternoon we drove out to Wild Dog Hill at Whyalla Conservation Park, another birdy spot Mick had been told about. No luck with the birds, but a nice enough place to visit.

The wind picked up a bit overnight and in the morning we drove down to the foreshore for a look around. We walked along the boardwalk to the very impressive circular jetty. This looks to be fairy new, and is obviously popular. We walked right out to the end which has become a bit of a habit when we see a jetty somewhere in our travels. 

After a visit to the supermarket we returned to camp as the wind continued to increase. We retreated to the small camp kitchen to make lunch and spent the afternoon sheltering from the wind inside the camper trailer. The wind dropped a little later in the afternoon so we were able to sit outside for drinks and to make dinner but it soon picked up again.

Overnight the wind continued to howl and we had a very sleepless night. In the morning I checked the Bureau of Meteorology app and discovered that wind gusts of up to 69kph had been recorded. No wonder it was so noisy inside the camper. Fortunately it had dropped again as we packed up ready to move on, again not too sure where we would end up.