Day 55: Sat 08 Apr 23 - Wudinna to Port Augusta

Sat 08 Apr 23 - Wudinna to Port Augusta (Towed 260km)

We woke to an overcast 10 Deg morning with a fresh 4km/hr NW breeze, reaching 22 Deg with 35km/hr SE wind by the time we arrived in Port Augusta. We packed and drove away from Wudinna by 0800, and had a good drive along the Eyre Highway to Port Augusta, arriving and checking into the Shoreline Caravan Park at 1210. There was very little traffic today, and the majority of traffic we did see were caravans and motorhomes. As the wind increased, it pushed us around at times, but it was still a good drive along a good highway (with a few rough patches). After 100km, we stopped briefly at the Painted Silos in Kimba for an early coffee break and a walk around town. It was a bit fresh, so we didn't stay long, stopping again on the way out of town for a photo of the other BIG attraction in Kimba - the Big Galah. As we neared Port Augusta, we also took a short detour through Iron Knob. Mining of Ore at Iron Knob ceased in 1998, but it still looked like there was heavy machinery operating as we drove past today. I drove through this town in around 2013, and I thought it was close to being a ghost town then - but today it looked even more derelict. With only 70km to Port Augusta, we arrived and set up shortly after midday. We had a quick bite to eat, then drove into the city to visit the information centre, had a short walk around the city centre and bought a few groceries before returning to catch up on some washing (Noeleene) and watch a game of football (me).  Ready for bed - just hope the Easter Bunny is able to navigate his way past the barbed wire fence to leave his chocolates.  Happy Easter 





Kimba - Painted Grain Silos completed in 2017 by Melbourne Artist Cam Scale took 26 days and used 200 litres of paint


Kimba - Painted Grain Silos. The silos comprising 12 cells with a total 176,900 tonne capacity are almost 25m high.  

Kimba - Painted Grain Silos.


Kimba - Silos.


Kimba - The Big Galah

Kimba - Halfway across Australia

Iron Knob - It doesn't take long to see this place, although you could drag it out with a mine tour.

Iron Knob

Iron Knob - Struggling to find something of interest to photograph

Port Augusta - A Nice clean town, despite its reputation


Port Augusta - City Wall Art


Port Augusta - City Wall Art


Port Augusta - City 

Port Augusta - City

Port Augusta - City

Port Augusta

Port Augusta - Statue of Joy Baluch Three time and long time mayor of the city

Port Augusta - City Park

Port Augusta - City Park


Port Augusta - City Park


Port Augusta - View across the river from the Caravan Park to the Flinders Ranges 


Port Augusta - The Shoreline Caravan Park. We'll be safely 🤞 locked away tonight

Port Augusta - Our spacious drive through site at the Shoreline Caravan Park with views across the river to the Flinders Ranges. 



Comments

  1. Steven BarbApril 9, 2023 at 7:47 AM

    Happy Easter to you & Noeleene . Hope easter bunny found his way . Happy safe travels.🐰

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Day 57: Mon 10 Apr 23 - Port Augusta to Flinders Ranges (Wilpena Pound)

Image
Mon 10 Apr 23 - Port Augusta to Flinders Ranges (Towed 165 km) 11 Deg overnight reaching 23 Deg through the day. It was a beautiful morning and it remained so all day. We packed and drove away from Port Augusta at 0800, and our first stop was a short 42km later at the historic township of Quorn. This was our original destination, instead of Port Augusta, but everything here was booked out over the Easter long weekend. We parked, and walked around town for about an hour and decided we would not have been disappointed to stay here. Luckily our stop also coincided with the Pichi Richi Steam Train tour which was also about to depart on one of its daily tours. Quorn is a lovely town, and we would be happy to return for a longer stay some time in the future - even just for an overnighter, and maybe even a steam train ride. From Quorn, we continued to Hawker - the gateway to the Flinders Ranges. There is not much to see here, so we had a wander around, refuelled to make sure we had a full tan...
Read more

Day 48: Sat 01 Apr 23 - Elliston

Image
Sat 01 Apr 23 - Elliston 9 Deg and very still this morning reaching 22 Deg throughout the day. The strong SW wind arrived mid morning making it feel very fresh, and didn't let up until the late evening. This morning, I went for a 5km walk to the Jetty and along the town beach and back. It was a little fresh, but a beautiful morning with sun still rising and providing a little warmth. Back to the van and after breakfast, Dale (next door neighbour) and I went for about a 12km bike ride half way along the hilly Clifftop Drive around the Headland Sculpture trail with more spectacular views over the Great Australian Bight and the amazing coastline. Meanwhile Noeleene went for a walk into town and back. We all met back at the van, had lunch, then Noel and I drove the full loop of the Clifftop Drive and sculpture trail stopping several times. Watching surfers clamber down the steep rocky cliff face and paddle out 100s of meters into massive surf, captivated our attention for quite a while...
Read more

Day 13: Sat 25 Feb 23 - Robe

Image
Sat 25  Feb - Robe Another mild night; 15 Deg with steady rain falling from 0300, easing in the morning and reaching a very moderate 18 Deg throughout the day. It was nice laying in bed listening to the rain falling on the roof, and thankfully it cleared early by 0800.  I headed out for my morning walk, around the headland and back to the van past two very stale and smelly lakes - Lake Charra and Lake Fellmongery. Lake Charra is also known by locals as the smelly lake and looks like a dirty cesspit. There is conjecture about what causes the smell - some suggest its from acid sulphate soil in the lake when it dries and is exposed to the air, giving off the smell. Others believe it's a plant or weed giving off the smell, but I'm just glad we're not staying in the caravan park that backs onto it. We are however staying in the park that backs on to the larger albeit less smelly Fellmongery Lake. This lake has an interesting history in that a fellmongering business (the process ...
Read more