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| Point Lowly Light House |
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| View from Point Lowly Camp Grounds |
We hit the road from Port Augusta filled with much excitement. It had been far too long between trips and we were bursting at the seams to go forth and explore :) With our campervan loaded and alcohol reserves set on high, we were off and running. YeeHaa!!
Not knowing where were headed or how far we would go, our first day of freedom led us to Fitzgerald Bay (approx 30km NE of Whyalla). With its pristine blue waters and mangrove covered beaches it was absolutely beautiful. You could see the famous Fitzgerald Bay Oyster farms from the beaches and the fishing boats that cruisied slowly around the bay lulled us into a definate sense of serenity (We were in heaven).
Our main goal for this trip was to stay at free campsites every chance we could, so with our trusty 'Camps 6 Australia' book under our wing and our new sense of purpose, we pulled into Point Lowly campgrounds (approx 35 km NE of Whyalla). As you can see from the photo, our campgrounds were nothing short of spectactular. The campgroungs offered public toilets, cold showers and a fantastic view of the bay. Camp fires were allowed (If you were smart enough to remember your own wood supply...JAMIE!!! Grrrrrrr) but a word of caution to anyone wanting to take a generator ** DONT DO IT** People who use generators in public places should be shot on site LOL .
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| The Chef at Work - Point Lowly |
That night we’d met a couple from Queensland who had been travelling throughout South Australia on a work/reminiscense trip. Getting out and about to meet people seems to be the highlight of our trips. The stories that we were told that night, let alone the amount of alcohol that we had consumed had us laughing and making friends in no time. Here's a TIP *Dont wear underwear to the Octoberfest in Munich unless you want strangers to remove them for you LOL. It’s great when you meet people that inspire you. The couple from Queensland were designers of Eco Power systems and co-authors of a book titled Tristan da Cunha - a matter of principle, so they understood our desire to find a business niche that would allow us to travel while still producing an income. Its great when you can meet inspiring down to earth people.
FYI - Point Lowly offers an 8km walking track with foreshore views along the way, multiple bird life for the avid enthusiast, and great rock fishing areas in which to cast a line and hope for the best. There is an operational lighthouse within walking distance from the camp site and quaint little sea side cottages available for rent through the Uniting Church group at Whyalla. .
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| Camping at Kimba |
The next morning as we headed off, we decided to raid the rail yards just out of Whyalla for wood (great idea as our next night we stayed toasty & warm) One thing we had decided before we left was that we would look for a hot shower every day. That task was not as easy as it seemed as some towns offered multiple places to shower whilst others offered nothing. YET WE WERE DETERMINED. Upon arrival to Whyalla we decided to call into the Whyalla information Centre to ask if they knew of anywhere to get a shower. Although there were multiple cold shower facilities down on the foreshore, they could only direct us to the Whyalla Leisure Centre for a warm one. What a difference that made, you feel much more human after a shower, it’s almost as if your demeanour and outlook on life changes instantly. (I think we may have just found our NICHE :))
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| Town of Iron Knob |
On the road again and heading west on the Eyre Highway. WESTERN AUSTRALIA HERE WE COME!! Sorry folks, only joking (sob sob) we only had 4 days to travel and with so many places to see and people to meet you cant win em all.
Our first stop was a small mining town called Iron Knob. What an eye opener. It kind of reminded me of a modern day ghost town. Almost like deliverance country, with approx 130 residents and most businesses & houses either borded up or for sale, with their rusted gates swinging in the breeze. After a quick beer/coffee and a bag of hot chips at the pub it was time to hit the road before they brought out the banjos!
Next destination was Kimba, a farming community with one of the biggest Galah's we had ever seen, wheat silos and railway lines for loading grain. We pulled into a little rest area across the road from the IGA store.
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| Kimba Galah |
This rest area wasn’t in our Camps Australia bible for some reason. It was a great shady little area that had toilets and free bbq facilities. We took a quick stroll around town and the main street before heading back to camp to set up for the night. We cooked up a feast on the bbq before starting the fire and having a glass of wine or two, or three or four or even more LOL
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| Time for a Tinnie, Kimba |
At the fire an older couple from Queensland came to get enjoy the warmth. They had come across from Perth and were heading back home. We also had a young couple of backpackers join us. She was Canadian, he was from England and they were heading to Perth in a sedan. The fire was roaring and much wine was consumed. With the wine came the stories of dangerous animals in Australia (Watch out for those DROP BEARS!!) to terrify the backpackers. Around midnight it was time to hit the fart sack and get some much needed shut-eye.
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| Kimba |
In the morning it was time for a quick brekky, baked beans (yummy) and spaghetti on toast with a nice cuppa. After packing up camp we said our goodbyes and hit the road west again to what would be our final destination before we had to turn back home. We pulled into the Mobil service station just out of Kimba for fuel and to enquire about hot showers. For $5 each we could have used the facilities at the caravan park next door but we decided to try our luck at Wudinna. We weren’t that bad on the nose anyway.
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| Campground between Kyancutta & Kimba |
Lovely drive across to Kyancutta, a little town 13 kilometers east of Wudinna and then onto Wudinna itself. On arrival at Wudinna we dropped into the local watering-hole (pub) to enquire as to were we could get a hot shower. The young barmaid offered us the use of their facilities at the pub for free. Score!! After a wonderful scrub up we purchased some more wine (you can see a pattern emerging here) and asked about free campsites in the area.We had all intentions of staying at Mt Wudinna and drove the 13km out of town to set up what we thought would be a great camping spot.
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| Mount Wudinna |
But alas it was not to happen, much to our dissapointment, Mt Wudinna did not allow campers so we turned tail and drove back to a little off road campsite between Kimba & Kyancutta. We had the best night and planned alot of up & coming adventures, so stay tuned.
