Detour to Fowler's Bay

Fowler's Bay

Some friends we met recommended we have a look at Fowler's Bay, which we did and we liked it even if it was a bit windy and damp. I was quite pleased when even the "ridgy-didge' fishermen weren't catching anything, as it meant we didn't even have to think about trying!

This little town was a very old town, with a history of being a thriving, 'bustling' little place in it's day, as it was on the old telegraph route and many people passed through on their way to the west! Now it is a small sleepy, seasonal fishing town with only a few permanent residents. However, the caravan park is always busy, according to it's maintenance man. Between fishing, summer hols, and the whale season they don't really have a quiet time. The whales, who had left just 4 days prior to us getting to the Head of the Bight,, come right up to the beach in Fowler's Bay and some calves have been born right in the bay. We might have to go back!



Sandhills bordering the town



Miles and miles of sandhills



Flinders was good to acknowledge the efforts of the Dutch - discovering the
coastline a long time before the British, in 1627.



Matthew Flinders was at Fowler's Bay in 1802, during his epic travels and a charting of the Australian coastline. Flinders was evidently married in 1801 and lived with his lovely wife for 3 whole months, whom he then did not see for another 9 years while he sailed around the world!! What a tolerant wife she must have been. some museum, or other, has a collection of their 'love letters' - boy, they better have been good for that long!

The grain growing season appears to have been a pretty good one for the West Coast farmers. There were some really good looking wheat and barley around Ceduna and Streaky Bay, and even the more marginal area of Nundroo was looking okay. And we loved the water supply system above, for Penong - all those windmills!

Our next stop was lunch at Ceduna and on to Streaky Bay - another place in SA that we had never been before, but had heard lots about. (And something happened to the photos I took there, as they are nowhere to be found!?? The 'digi-monster'has taken them). Here we stayed for a couple of nights and had a drive around the nearby coast - more interesting and striking southern ocean landforms! And the associated cold southerly breeze, and a bit of misty rain! We knew we were in SA by now.

Our final night prior to being back in Adelaide we spent at Mambray Creek, on the south western corner of the Flinder's Ranges, about 40 kms from Port Augusta. We arrived on a perfect afternoon - mid twenties and sunshine. Hooray! This is a great camp spot, with individual sites, no power but solar heated hot water in the showers and for doing dishes etc. And ...we decided the ablution block was one of the best we had been in all trip!

There are a few short walks (and longer ones) you can do from the camp site. (Cate participated in a 2.6km walk, and got 'freaked out' by some early morning grazing kangaroos!)

And we realised that SA has a few beautiful,

big trees too. The river red gums at Mambray

Creek are amazing.

Next stop ... Adelaide!