Tuesday – Star Log

We leave Port August at about 9am, its cold and raining. The highway way west has plenty of traffic, but don’t stop and walk in the paddock beside the road, it has a warning on the fence that the area is military and subject to live firing exercises. Convinced me to stay in the car. The Don is Nomad 2 chief pilot and doing a good job, new underwear and no emus or roos today, we hope.

We left turn and head south west down the Eyre Peninsula.

The first stop is Whyalla which has 23,000 people, but it’s a quiet town centre, looks like a smaller town centre than 23k. It’s industrial originally based on iron ore mined from the Middleback Ranges, I’m assuming these are the scared ranges just outside town which have a patterned environmental rehabilitation works on them. BHP then turned it from a port into a steel production business. Originally a BHP town, then a dodgy Indian company took over, went broke so a rescue by the SA government is the most recent iteration of Whyalla. Coffee in town and a pit stop before we move on.

Further south we pull into Cowell – just out of town Nomad 2 spot some very pretty parrots on the side of the road, Nomad 1 crew is no help identifying these birds but Google tells me they are Australian Ringneck Parrots ( see Cowell solo art photo). Fishing boats and oyster boats are setting off leaving green John Deere tractors with their trailers in the boat ramp car park. The Cowell silo art has an Australian Ring Neck Parrot, a camel called Diamantina and a bloke ( local legend Lionel Deer and apparently he owns the camel). What would we do without Google???

The crops are improving and its less scrubby as we drive into Arno Bay – we are greeted by a small dolphin statue, in a land of big things its a contradiction but their effort is admirable. A pit stop for Pauolo is required,  the toilet is the Harbourmasters House ( thats what the plaque on the outside says!!!), he/she must be happy living in a toilet and administering the harbour. I wonder if it’s a posting you get for doing something wrong like letting a ship run into the rocks or a lihhthouse? A sign chalked the path between the men’s and the ladies says  ” follow Jesus”.  I wonder if Jesus needed a leak here as bad as I needed one after the Whyalla coffee stop. I’m taken back to the church we saw at Port Wakefield yesterday, nice church but it had a mural painted on it ” Jesus” written over a fishing boat. I feel like there is something that a higher being is trying to tell me but I’m just not getting the message. I consult Captain Kirk, he advises this part of SA is a strong Lutheran area, I conclude the Lutherans are very good at maintaining clean working toilets but if get any more messages from the son of God I’m gunna freak out.

Viterra silos are everywhere. This mob is a combination of Glencore, the old Australian Barley Board, CBH and Canadian company Viterra, they must employ half of rural SA

The crops run to the seaside and look pretty healthy unlike further back where they looked a bit sick.

Tumby Bay is next stop, the weather hasn’t improved but it’s lunch time and we luck out  at a nice looking pub that doesn’t normally serve lunch on Tuesdays, however today they have  a Probus group meeting, so a lunch is on, we feel privileged. Pumpkin soup is popular, Boar Fish on cous cous salad for me and Jenzy is really good. The Navigator goes for the soup, nice and simple. Tumby Bay is very nice, lovely water front houses, nice pubs and lots of murals. They have an annual street art festival and its reflected around the town. There is a great silo mural here as well, two boys falling towards the wheat fields.

The last it into Port Lincoln sees bigger trees, still not big by NSW standards and much healthier looking crops running to the sea, almost.

Our accommodation is Port Lincoln Beachside Apartments. Compliments to Captain Smurf, sorry Kirk, good selection. Tonight is a light dinner at a pub close by.

Ciao from Port Lincoln

Pauolo