Week 45: Moonlight Bay SA - Quorn SA

 Stats Overview

Kms Travelled: 679

Kms Hiked: 11

No. of Camps: 5

The Adventures

We have made it off the Eyre Peninsula and are now officially starting our journey back home. Although we are not quite sure which way we will be heading home yet, as we are waiting to see what the weather does and what roads will be open to get us back into Queensland.

We ended up having a bit of an unexpected adventure this week, as we decided to explore the inland of the Eyre Peninsula as we got sick of the miserable weather along the coast. It turned out to be the best decision as there is a lot to see and enjoy in the countryside. The highlights of the inland were exploring the Yeldulknie and Carappee Hill Conservation Parks, where we even managed to get some hiking in which made for a nice change! We then found ourselves up at Kimba, where we got a photo with the Big Galah, before heading back across to Whyalla. Fortunately by this time the sun had come back out which meant the weather was slightly more tolerable along the coast. However, the wind was still gusting like crazy which made our outdoor kitchen nearly completely unusable! (We cannot wait to have an indoor kitchen again where the wind can't continually blow the gas burners out!).We did make the most of the huge jetty at Whyalla by trying our luck with our fishing rods. Sadly, once again we couldn't reel anything in, however, there were some dolphins swimming around the jetty which provided some entertainment while we forlornly watched other people reel in their catches. The other big highlight in Whyalla was visiting the HMAS Whyalla, which now sits proudly on land at the visitor information centre. It was the first ship built in Whyalla and was bought back by the city of Whyalla in the 1980's to turn into a tourist attraction. The most interesting part was seeing how they got the ship out of the water and delivered to its final home a couple of kilometers inland...lets just say that WHS was definitely not a thing back in the 80's! 

After Whyalla we made our way up to Port Augusta where our main mission in town was to get the car's suspension fixed so we can hit more dirt roads if the weather permits it. As luck would have it, there was something wrong with a different part of the suspension than what the mechanic in Esperance had initially diagnosed, which meant Bertie ended up having to spend a night in the shop while they waited for the different parts to arrive. Thankfully they could get the parts delivered overnight, so we didn't have to extend our stay by much. We really enjoyed exploring Port Augusta with the highlights being the Arid Lands Botanic Gardens and also the Wadlata Outback Centre. Although the vibe of the town left little to desire, as ever second house has their cyclone shutters down (we don't know what they call them down here!) due to the high crime rate in the area. We have now made it back up to Quorn (it's pretty wild returning to an area we have been to this year!) where we are enjoying being away from the coastal winds and returning to our favourite part of SA - the Flinders Ranges.

Kodak Moments

We enjoyed getting out and exploring some of the countryside by foot. - Yeldulknie Conservation Park

Got to tick off the Big Galah after all on this trip. - Kimba

Not sure about the statistical accuracy of the sign...but it makes for a fun photo! - Kimba

We have been back in silo art country on the Eyre - Kimba

Got some nibbles...but once again no bites! - Whyalla

The Maritime Museum had a massive model train set up. We spent ages watching it! - Whyalla

Will was pretty excited to get aboard the HMAS Whyalla! - Whyalla

I got to have a go captaining the ship - Whyalla

Beautiful views over the Upper Spencer Gulf with the Flinders in the background - Port Augusta

So glad that remote learning did not feature the use of the pedal radio...although the kids on the School of the Air would have certainly got fit doing their lessons! - Port Augusta