Haslam & Ceduna 15/3 to 20/3

A Relaxed Mark outside Woolshed Cave

The Wild Coastline

After spending the long weekend in Elliston, we set off towards Streaky Bay.  We were on the lookout for a free stay, where the boys could fish and the girls could spend time reading their books and sunbaking under blue skies.  On the day we left Elliston, a couple of travellers had recommended that we visit the Talia Caves.  This stop enabled us to observe firsthand the destructive action of the wind & waves as the relentlessly pound this part of the Sth Aust coastline.

Woolshed Cave

There were several caves in this area, but the largest and most impressive was the Woolshed Cave, which I suspect was so called because it was as a large as a woolshed.  This cave has been gouged out to leave a massive underground opening that has undercut the cliff face.  A sign at the top of the walkway explained that the local cliff face is made up on limestone and as the sea levels have risen in recent times, the waves have eroded the immature limestone, leaving an elongated cave that is as spectacular as it is large.  It was only when we were outside the cave that we realized that our car and caravan were parked directly above the cave.

Donna at Talia Caves

John & Kathie at Talia Caves

We then continued our journey and stopped in to visit both Venus Bay and Streaky Bay.  Both of these locations were spectacular but unfortunately the caravan parks were booked to capacity and there simply wasn’t anywhere to legally park our vans.  Faced with this dilemma we then decided to adjourn to the local pub to catch our breaths and establish Plan ‘B’.  After sharing a couple of tasty pizza’s and washing them down with a couple of local brews, we then set off again to find alternative accommodation

About 40 klms down the road from Streaky Bay, we came across a free stay located in the middle of a small village called Haslam.  The name of this town was difficult to remember until Kathie came up with the name “Haslam El Masri” named after the recently retired Canterbury Bankstown winger.  The free stay was almost full, but with some careful manoeuvring we found some excellent sites to park our vans.  We stayed two days at Haslam and while the fishing was poor, John managed to catch a blue swimmer crab in his recently acquired crab pot and this coupled with a very generous serving of large local oysters ($6 per dozen –please note 1 dozen now equals 14) meant that he was in seventh heaven once again.

We always wonder how these small townships stay alive. Haslam was primarily a fishing village where the majority of locals worked in and supported an Oyster lease.  It was interesting to note that this particular oyster lease was based several kilometres off shore and primarily served the Japanese markets.  As we had arrived not long after the disaster in Japan, the locals were gravely concerned at the effect that the disaster in Japan could have on their industry.  In short a downturn in the market, could spell the end for this particular township.

Ceduna Foreshore (Murat Bay)

We also drove to Smoky Bay, a pretty township.  However John decided that we should travel via a local conservation park.  After travelling about 10 km an hour over the corrugated and well-worn track we were very happy to finally make it back to the highway, albeit still shaking from the corrugations in these roads.  From Haslam we travelled to Ceduna.  We were all surprise ed, thinking that Ceduna would be quite a large town as it has 4 caravan parks.  However, Ceduna is a surprisingly small township, having one IGA that opens seven days a week.  All other shops close at 12pm on Saturday, even the newsagent doesn’t open on a Sunday.

After catching a handful of just legal size King George Whiting at several different coastal villages, the boys were hoping to hire a boat and catch the motherload.  We had constantly being regaled by stories that Ceduna was the best place to catch K. G. Whiting in Sth Aust; but sadly this dream was brought crashing down when we unable to hire a ‘tinny’ at Ceduna.  Not to be dismayed we then set off to the local Information Centre to check on fishing charter opportunities.  Once again this dream was kyboshed when it was revealed that fishing charters which specifically target KG Whiting are available, but the cost is $135.00 per person, based on a minimum of 4 participants.  Unfortunately, the dream was finally shattered and due to the wind and rain we’ve been unable to wet a line in Ceduna. Please note that Donna got fed up waiting for the KGW to be caught by the boys so she ended up ordering one KG Whiting fillet at the local pub.

Memorial to those lost at sea at Thevenard

Due to the weather we made several trips to explore what the local area has to offer.  We found that Ceduna is more than just a fishing village and has a very large port, Thevenard, that is home to several large industries including Grain – Gypsum and the usual fishing pursuits. 

On the opposite side of town we took a trip to Denial Bay.  This was pretty bayside location which had the usual large oyster leases.   Not far from Denial bay we stumbled upon The Mackenzie Ruins that dated back to the 1800’s.  According to the memorial Mr. McKenzie was a founding father and was the local Blacksmith, Harbour Master, Farmer & J.P.  Attached to the memorial was a quote that McKenzie was famous for and that was,”You don’t grow wheat with your hands in your packets”.  I suspect that McKenzie might have been a hard task master and expected a decent level of output from his employees. McKenzie condensed sea water into water for farming purposes.

McKenzie's Ruins

Water Storage Tank McKenzie's Ruins (Rock & Cement Lined)

On our trip around Ceduna, there was one thing that made a lasting  impression on all of us. There was a foreshore caravan park located right in the middle of town, just a short distance south of the main jetty.  The main thing that struck us about this park was the existence of barbwire that had been added to keep out unwanted intruders.  In fact the barbwire surrounded at least two whole blocks adjacent to the centre of town and included a large Hotel/Motel, Bowls Club and a range of Government support facilities.  We all assumed that this must have been a tough place in past years!

Ceduna Foreshore Caravan Park - note the lack of grass!  Very few homes even have grass lawns they are all dirt! Saves on mowing!

As you will appreciate, the weather can have a marked effect on your view of a particular place or location and ever since we arrived in Ceduna it has either been extremely windy, wet or cloudy.  However John & Kathie have made the most of their stay,  starting their Nullarbor Golf Course playing two holes in Ceduna.

Tomorrow (Monday) we’ll commence our journey across the Nullarbor hoping for much improved weather and new adventures.