Some Musings

On Litter:


Unlike our home State of Western Australia, which is rapidly turning into a shit-pit, South Australia has very little litter on show. Contributing to this is the 10 cents per container refund on beverage containers, the very strong emphasis on recycling (even in the smallest of towns) and the fact that if you don't have your own bags at supermarket checkouts, you have to buy plastic bags at a price that must be a deterrent. (We don't actually know what that price is because we always took bags with us.)


On Wind:


You expect wind anywhere on the coast and the Eyre Pensinsula is no exception. Fortunately, the wind has only caused us to alter our plans on one occasion...right now as it happens...that's why I'm sitting here doing this Blog instead of fishing or sightseeing. The strong winds are not ideal for kayaking, especially on the east side of the Peninsula, where the seas are less protected, so if you plan to visit and are into fishing you would be well advised to bring a dinghy, or at least hire one. During the summer months the predominate wind is offshore on the west side of the Peninsula and onshore on the east side.


On the Towns:


The four key towns, Ceduna, Port Lincoln, Whyalla and Port Augusta, have most of the shops and services that you are likely to need on a holiday here. Outside of those towns the smaller places generally have a population of two to three hundred and the shops and services to suit. We have found the people in the smaller places are friendly and very helpful when pointing out the tourism highlights of their region.We always try to spend some money at each place we visit. It is fairly evident that the realisation has hit home that the farming and fishing industries will not be enough to sustain these towns into the future and that they need to do something to attract and retain tourists. Elliston, for instance, holds a Salmon fishing competition that runs over a three-month period during the winter months. This helps spread the tourist dollar over times outside of school holidays. Let's hope they don't shrivel up and die like so many other small towns in Australia.


On Drinking Water:


Many of the places we have stayed have no water at all. Many have bore water that is absolutely unfit for drinking. Of the rest (so far) that are on scheme water, the water is allegedly potable (drinkable), but by crikey it tastes like shit. If you tour the Peninsula, bring your own water - or a method of filtering some.


On the Roads:

The Flinders and Lincoln Highways (the two roads that flank the Peninsula) are excellent roads, with no significant inclines that would make towing a struggle. They are in a good state of repair and have plenty of long, straight, stretches for overtaking. The gravel roads, both major and minor, are well-made gravel or limestone surfaces that have enabled us to travel comfortably at 60 KPH while towing the van. Most of the roads are just short hops from the main highway to the attraction that you are visiting. We can say, after having travelled much of this country, that the roads here on the Eyre Peninsula are as good as you'll find anywhere, if not better.

On Free or Cheap Camping:

There are some excellent free or cheap campsites on the Peninsula. They are close together and you wouldn't usually need to travel for more than an hour between sites. The complication comes in if you can't carry a lot of water. Often the only reason you would leave a site is to get more water. Quite a few of the camp sites are close to the water, but few are right on the water's edge. National Park sites are generally well back from the water and have limited or tricky access (particularly for launching and retrieving boats or kayaks.) There are some absolutely stunning locations for free and cheap camping such as Sheringa Beach, Port Lincoln National park and Lipson Cove (the last two of which will be reviewed in upcoming blogs.) We have come to the realisation that we won't be able to visit them all and that the east side is more difficult when hoping to fish from the kayak. Summer school holidays means lots of visitors at these sites, so in some places you may miss out. We have been lucky enough to get in everywhere that we have tried.

On Caravan Parks:


Caravan parks are a necessary evil - if for no other reason than to top up water tanks or get a bit of washing done. All of the parks that we have visited have been adequate. I won't go into reviewing individual parks as the needs of each visitor is different. We have everything in our van and thus have little need for any of the facilities at a park. Others use just about all of the facilities. None of the parks we visited were of "Big 4" standard, but neither were they crapholes. Some places had more than one park to choose from and our criterion for choosing may differ from why other people would choose to stay at a place. Prices have ranged from $24.00 per night to $33.00 per night, with the average being $28.00 per night. One thing we have realised is that the more time you spend bush camping, the harder it is to get used to having "neighbours" at a caravan park.