Innes National Park

Innes National Park
17 – 20 December

Innes National Park is on the tip of the Yorke Peninsula West of Adelaide, and that was all we knew about it, but the lady in the tourist information at Port Broughton said it was lovely. Yes, Port Broughton had to be visited, although the town is named after a different Broughton from our Bro's direct ancestor.

From Spencer Gulf

Our recent string of one night camps was designed to allow us to stop in one place until it was time to pick up Maggie and Millie from Adelaide and Innes National Park was the chosen place. We looped right around the park checking out most of the camps until we reached Browns Beach at the very end of the road. Backed by a large sand dune and situated behind a famous salmon beach, it clinched the deal by being empty save for one campervan. We managed to tuck our camper trailer in between two low Mallee eucalyptus and bunkered down against the blustery wind.

From Innes National park

For the next couple of days, the cruise degenerated into a fishing camp as the weather degenerated into 60kph wind and rain. Firstly an unrewarded effort from the beach the first night, and again next morning but later that day we got a feed of herring from Stenhouse Bay Jetty, teaching the SA locals the WA technique of catching them on a piece of drinking straw.

From Innes National park

The following morning Fabian caught a salmon on a lure from Browns beach and I got a couple of nice squid on Marion Bay jetty. On the next couple of mornings Bro and I also managed to land a couple of Salmon.

From Innes National park

We did take a couple of bushwalks, but mostly it was about the fishing.
After a couple of days, I was surprised to find the car starter battery flat when we went to leave. Luckily the boys were able to get twiggy moving at the snails pace required to successfully bump start it. I thought I must have flattened it by accidentally leaving it connected to the fridge but when it repeatedly failed to start the car after longish drives, I realized something was wrong. A bit of research with the current meter revealed the VSR (the black box which should disconnect the starter battery from all the other things which use power) wasn't working. Then to add insult to injury, I managed to run over the solar panel as we were trying to push start the car on another day.

From Innes National park

From Innes National park

From Innes National park

From Innes National park

From Innes National park

From Innes National park

Whyalla, Fitzgerald Bay, Chinaman Creek

Whyalla, Fitzgerald Bay, Chinaman Creek
14 – 16 December

From Spencer Gulf

After we saw Asher off on the 6am bus to Adelaide, I paid up for a second night at the Caravan Park and set about camp duties – two loads of washing, shopping, and servicing the car. I had notbbeen able to find a mechanic who could service of Twiggy that week, but the Caravan Park Manager agreed to let me use his yard (you can't do mechanical work in caravan parks). I went and got new air, fuel and oil filters, engine oil, a few tools and a sump oil catcher and set about the service. A few hours later, the job was done, and the Manager rewarded with beer and the sump oil catcher to keep. It was free to dispose of the used oil at the local rubbish tip, but I had to pay $1 to tip the empty plastic container I took the oil in! Meanwhile the boys had fun bouncing on the huge air balloon in the playground and riding trikes for which the manager waived the usual hire fee. Although I had paid up for another night, there seemed little point staying in Whyalla as we had done all we needed to do, and were keen to keep moving. Well, except that Bro was keen to have a go at raking for crabs. So we hired some crab rakes (free again) and Bro headed out onto the Whyalla mud while Fabe and I packed up.

From Spencer Gulf

Eventually we all went out and managed to rake up some crabs but even the biggest was just under legal size.

In the late afternoon we drove up to Point Lowly which is a place you can catch snapper from land and is the breeding ground of giant cuttle fish. We were keen to catch snapper but the free camping area was pretty plain and already held a few campers. Heading further up, we checked out a couple of camps at Fitzgerald Bay and found a spot by ourselves on the edge of the bay. By ourselves, that is, until another cruiser and camper trailer arrived. They politely came and inquired if we minded them camping near us and weren't put off by the threat of some trumpet music in the evening. The next carload who arrived even later managed no such niceties and after spending an hour trying and failing to erect first a tent, and then a tarp in the failing light, all six of them piled into their troop carrier for what must have been a fairly uncomfortable night. At least they turned their music off before midnight. The wind was less merciful and kept our tent flapping all night.

Next morning, I was surprised by 4 claws waving at me as I passed our wash basin. The polite campers had departed early and left us the crabs they caught last night!

From Spencer Gulf

We kept the crabs in a bucket in the car and headed off around the Spencer Gulf, through the surprisingly pleasant Port Augusta, and out by mistake past Wilmington thinking we were heading for the campground of Mount Remarkable National Park. Realising our mistake, we backtracked to Wilmington and paid $4 to visit the Toy Museum, the creation of a man who appears to have managed to play with toys (and collect them) for his whole life. On a side track to Hancock's Lookout, we spotted some goannas apparently fighting beside the road. After watching them for a while, we realised it was more like nuptial cuddling.

From Spencer Gulf Always keen for a fish, we dropped in on Chinaman's Creek which we had been told by a Port Augusta local was a place you could catch King George Whiting. It was deserted but nice enough, and we discovered it had a basic camping area. Good enough for us, and while the wind blew and no fish edible fish were caught, there was noone around to disturb with the trumpet playing.

Coffin Bay NP

Coffin Bay
10-12 December

There was a general feeling amongst the troops of wanting to stay put somewhere for a while and Wangi Beach Camp at Coffin Bay National Park looked like the place it would be. We found a secluded spot at the opposite end of the beach from the only other campers and the boys set up camp while I cooked dinner. Wangi Bay itself is small and shallow but the boys managed to wade out and have a swim anyway next morning. Then some volunteer bush regenerators turned up and commenced to cut down all the brightly flowering yellow daisies around camp. When they left after a couple of hours, we continued where they left off removing every plant we could find around the camping area.

From coffin bay NP

That took up most of the rest of the day, although we found time for a short fish from the Coffin Bay Jetty late in the afternoon as showers swept across the bay. I caught a whiting and Bro caught a couple of herring (called Tommy Roughs in South Australia) but that was all.
Next day, Asher drove twiggy up the 4WD track to 7 mile beach as we had heard it was a good place to fish for whiting. Bro insisted we stop at a nice sand dune along the way.

From coffin bay NP

The boys each caught another whiting as well as some Salmon which we erroneously thought were undersize and threw back. Still, we were able to have a feed of fresh fish that night.
On the way out, we visited Almonta beach where Fabian and Asher enjoyed a body surf in the biggish waves while Bro and I watched from the sand dune.

From coffin bay NP

Then it was off to Whyalla so we could get Asher on the 6am bus to Adelaide the nest morning.

Across the Nullarbor

Across the Nullarbor
8-9 December
Following good Caley tradition, we found a 4wd track , the Baladonia track which is a short cut up to the Nullarbor highway. Thanks to the internet, however, we were able to discover a). that it was open and b) that it had a rockhole which had rolled several cars. We never worked out which of the potholes the warning was about but the Ozziexplorer GPS mapping software on the laptop got us through all the unmarked turn-offs up to the highway (thanks Asher!)

From on the Nullarbor

On the highway, we were surprised to see plenty of trees - Null arbor means no trees right? They did start to thin out after a while and by the end of a long day driving, we counted ourselves lucky to find a nice copse of small trees just after Caiguna where we could drive off the highway and bush camp. Fabian particularly likes a bush camp by ourselves so that he can play trumpet without fear of disturbing others.

From on the Nullarbor

Two more big days of driving (we resorted to guess the model of the next truck level  - hint it's probably a Kenworth) and another bush camp saw us across the Nullabor and heading down the Eyre Peninsular looking for a spot to camp for the few remaining nights Asher had with us. I had only researched Lincoln National Park but that seemed too far away, so I had Fabian googling Coffin Bay National Park as we drove along.

Cape Arid National Park

Cape Arid National Park
5&6 December
It was definitely worth traveling the extra 100km on to Cape Arid, given our predilection for empty campsites. At the Thomas River campground, we opted for closest to the beach and furthest from the only other camper, rather than some of the panoramic views and proximity to nice new camp kitchens.

From Cape Arid

As I prepared the calamari for dinner, Fabian and Asher's trumpet playing wafted up on the sea breeze from the beach. Imagine my surprise when they turned up for dinner carrying a rabbit!

From Cape Arid

Apparently Fabian had shied a stone at it in the dark and got lucky. After a short discussion, we decided to kill it and eat it. After all, they do damage the national park, and it fitted in with our boys own adventure. So Fabian did the deed with a tomahawk. With a bunny hanging up, our camp looked quite rustic.
Next day after an unsuccessful morning fish for tailor, Fabian set about cleaning and skinning the rabbit - we really could have used the Dangerous Book for Boys for guidance but in its absence made it up.

From Cape Arid

Once he finished we had a body surf, then packed a lunch and took twiggy for a drive along the beach to the Mt Arid walking track. After the 30km drive to the start of the walk, it was slightly disappointing to find a sign informing us the track was closed to prevent the spread of die-back (a root disease which kills plants). Still, it was a nice drive.

From 2010-12-07

Back at camp, Fabian stretched out the rabbit skin to dry - even more rustic.

That afternoon we tried again for tailor then switched to herring. Herring feed on maggots (which hatch in the weed washed up on beaches). We had been told a small piece of drinking straw on a hook looked enough like a maggot to fool most herring so we gave it a try. Sure enough, almost every cast of the drinking-straw-on-a-hook rig caught a fish. I quickly made up a couple more rigs and the boys spent the rest of daylight hours catching herring.

From Cape Arid

Good fun. They paid for it that night though, filleting fish until 10.30pm.

From Cape Arid

Overall, the stay was quite a hunting gathering experience.

Esperance - Picking up Asher

Esperance and Cape Le Grande
5-6 December

Fabian and I got up early for a final fish at Waychinicup, but there wasn't much happening. Bro took over from me when he turned up at the fishing spot while I started packing. Then I checked the distance to Esperance - 450km – and called the fishing to a halt. Back through Waychinicup National Park and along the highway through hectare after hectare of blue gum plantations.

From Esperance

We took a scenic detour via Hopetoun but didn't have have time to stop anywhere. Lots left for another trip.
In Esperance, I checked into the Caravan park, successfully arguing that Broughton was not an adult, and left the boys to set up camp while I did a quick shop and picked up my Nephew Asher Caley from the bus stop. He had caught the bus down from Perth to join the cruise from Esperance to Wyalla.
Next morning we packed quickly and I sat down to do some work while the boys tried their luck fishing off the tanker jetty.

From Esperance

Bro quickly came back to tell me there was a seal lion lazing on the beach under the Jetty. When I returned from stocking up on fuel and food, Broughton had caught two squid. I set about the messy business of cleaning them at the cleaning table on the jetty. Unfortunately, unfamiliar as I was with the trigger spray nozzle provided, the first jet of water from the trigger hose sprayed my shirt front, and the second flushed the first squid tube down the pipe to the water below where it was claimed by a waiting pacific gull. I was much more careful with the second squid, although the sea-lion which had swum out to catch whatever else fell through the hole looked so imploring I was temped to through it a large piece.

From Esperance

Loaded up with squid, we drove out to Cape LeGrande National Park, home of Lucky Bay, the third most beautiful beach in the world according to some authority. We drove there for lunch just in case there was a vacant campsite but found the place not to our liking. Instead we picnicked at Hellfire Bay then climbed Frenchman's Cap past some beautiful wildflowers for some great views of the cape.

From Esperance

Then we left Cape Le Grande and headed on to the less visited Cape Arid National Park.