The Wild West

We woke early as usual and sat on the deck overlooking Streaky Bay with our coffee and toast. It was calm and quiet beyond belief. We have fallen into the Streaky Bay life tempo an breakfast was quite extended by our standards. It was just so hard to get up from the view an the calm............just staring out at the boats and bird and the big moon.......

Eventually, though, we did an headed off to check out the headland that makes Streaky Bay such a protected little place. Initial stop off was a place called Halleys Beach. A wild west Eyre beach if ever there was one. Most of the places we have been have been in quite protected coves with very calm water. This was a true Australian surf beach, with rows waves and what appeared to be a decent rip. Very reminiscent of some of the peninsula back beaches. There was still a morning haze with a hint of surf spray in the air so visibility was a bit limited. We tried walking along the beach....it was really hard work. The beach was quite steep down to the water an the sand quite coarse and loose. Every step was an effort so we probably only made it 500 or so meters down the beach before we headed back.

Next stop the Blow Holes an Whistling Rocks. The surf was not really pounding nor the wind onshore so the show was not as advertised, but we still got a few loud blows though the limestone solution tubes and a couple of instant rainbows. The Nankeen Kestrels were up and about and decided to put on a mating display. We also spotted some other people....very rare.

Onto Cape Bauer, named after a naturalist with Flinders. We had not realised that this was the spot a local youth died at recently. His car was found at the bottom of these cliffs with him in it. Marjan had the goss at one of our stops yesterday. A few raptors around here as well, but none came close enough for a good shot. Lovely headland though.....a Dad joke!

We then drove to what the locals call The Back Beach, which is in the middle of Corvisart Bay. The beach was strewn with cuttle fish, sponges and sea urchins. Quite astounding numbers of all of them The obvious reefs off shore must be teeming with life. The dunes are also full of colour.

We headed back to our pleasant deck for lunch and amuse ourselves variously with eating, napping, reading, walking, being hailed with “G'day love. How ya goin'?” by a youngish woman (twenties) off a fishing boat,or photographing the B52s of the bird world.

We are well an truly in holiday chill mode.