Streaky Bay

No other campers came into the parking area last night so we had lots of space. At the old telegraph station , Eucla, yesterday we were talking to some people travelling in a big red bus, they had to hand over their fruit and veg, and even the bird seed they had for their birds. We expected to be stopped by the quarantine mob when we crossed the border so we gave them all the stuff we had but we weren’t stopped at all. Rather than buy more then have to relinquish it near Ceduna we had a make do meal with some left over bread roll from Esperance, steak and Tomato Relish. The steak was fine and the relish added a touch of piquancy ( for any foodies) but I can tell you Turkish Bread which is worth delaying your departure for on Day 1 is very tough and not worth fighting over on Day 2!

We packed up and drove out it was 7:30 SA time so we stopped for some breakfast at Nundroo. Alex is very relieved that the long stretches are behind us. We’ve been trying so hard to obey the road signs and watched for wombats all the way but only saw 2 and they were “out of this world” or to put it more bluntly, dead. Thevenard was our next stop and from a lookout we could see lots of seabirds clustered on rocks and then someone pointed out some seals. We had fun watching the antics for quite a while.

Smoky Bay didn’t have anything to keep us there so we came on to Streaky and have decided to stay for 2 nights. The Campground is nice, right on the waterfront but hopefully not blasted by winds, the amenities are perfect and there seem to be interesting sights to see.

Pelican Pair hanging out at the fish cleaning station.

Seal and Cormorants.

Kidnippi, 20kms west of Nundroo

What would you expect to be transported into WA on semis? Villies pies, Maggie Beer Quince Jelly, Annies Lane wines, Electrolux washing machines or even Holden cars but swimming pools? Yesterday we saw a semi with two stacks of pools, each stack had 10 pools one inside the other, just astonishing. Why wouldn’t they be made in WA?

Nothing like that today, just boring semis, some emus with chicks, one wallaby, some quails and driving into the Head of Bight, Whale Watch Centre, lots of Sleepy Lizards –mostly squished. The whales we saw were close so easy to watch, a mother and calf. There were some further out breaching. We thought the mother was feeding her calf because she was lying on her back and the calf appeared to be nuzzling her but apparently that’s what the mothers do when they don’t want the calf to suckle.

Before we reached the Head of Bight though we went to the old Telegraph Station at Eucla where there were no signs of any business other than the telegraph, no old fuel pumps or bits of shop. When I was there in the long ago, the “Service Station” with its old pump up bowsers was down there beside the half buried old Telegraph Station. The dunes have now reclaimed that area and Eucla services are now on the escarpment above.

We weren’t sure how far we’d get today and because of the two long stops we haven’t made it to Penong which is about 94 kms further east. This place is just a Free Parking spot with no facilities apart from cleared areas where you can set up camp. There are 3 other lots of people in here but I expected more. I guess it’s the lack of facilities which makes people bypass it but the reality is those parks with toilets are often overcrowded and the toilets gross.

Tomorrow we’ll probably mosey down the western side of Eyre Peninsula and around towards Port Lincoln.

Old Telegraph Station, Eucla.

“Nullabor Nymph”, Eucla Roadhouse.

Mini Me -Eucla

Holding back the wind, Kidnippi

Cocklebiddy

What a way to start the day. We were evicted from Woolies!!!! We left the Caravan Park just after 7:00 and went to the Turkish Bread Shop but it was closed so we went up to the Shopping Centre and bought some stamps in the Newsagents then went in to Woolies to get some supplies. Alex went to get some meat and I went looking for biscuits but a Woolies Worker caught up with Alex & said they weren’t open yet then they both came looking for me. I’ve never been evicted from a shop before! We went back to the bread shop but the bread wasn’t ready so we decided to walk on the jetty but when we got near the jetty there was a caravan called the “Coffee Cat” and they were serving choice coffee and other hot drinks. Chairs were set up on the lawn and lots of people were drinking coffee and gazing out to sea. At first we thought there must be something special happening out at sea but then it appeared to be just a normal morning event so we enjoyed hot chocolate and coffee then went back for the delicious bread.

Nothing eventful happened between Esperance and Norseman, a town named after a horse which fortuitously kicked up a gold nugget and so made the place a good one for a town. When we were about 10kms out of Norseman we passed a Storm Trooper striding along the road and then later a person in a wheelchair being pushed along. At least they had a support vehicle behind them but we didn’t see any support for the Storm Trooper. A few days ago we heard on the radio about a guy who was walking to Sydney, I think, and there were plans for a mass greeting by suitably dressed Star War fans when he walks into Adelaide. At least his Storm Trooper helmet was protecting him from the flies.

Alex had the pleasure of driving the 96 MILE straight which started just outside Baladonia but he did remember how to turn the car when we arrived at Caiguna.

The mechanic’s shed here is the same one that housed the original Cocklebiddy “Roadhouse” but there is now a new Snack Bar/Restaurant and Motel units which seem to be filled with workers. We passed quite a few gangs working on relaying sleepers on the railway line and wondered if they were contributing to the strings of bottles discarded along the roadside. Not just beer bottles but heaps of flavoured milk, water and also “energy drink” bottles.

We’ve been hooked by a couple of garrulous people so we now should know all about the cost of petrol and the best camping places from here to Timbuktoo. I do now know that Combivans, 5^th wheelers, Winnebagos etc  and campers that fit on the back of utes and are all considered motor homes by the organisers of the Motor Home Convention being held in Kalgoorlie  next month. I also know that different groups going to the Convention are also playing the longest Golf Course in the world, the Nullarbor Course. You won’t be surprised to know the editor thinks there are far too many trees on it even though he hasn’t checked out a single hole!

After Grasspatch the country to starts to dry out a little.

The Horse That Named a Town

What was the original “Roadhouse”, Cocklebiddy.

Not exactly “lush”. Cocklebiddy Campsite.