This Adventurous Age

Adventures travelling and working around Australia.

Category Archives: 2004 Travels


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2004 Travels April 14

WEDNESDAY 14 APRIL     CEDUNA

Another cloudy day.

We still had things we wanted to do, so booked to stay on for another three nights. These cost $19 a night.

After an early lunch, went fishing off the main jetty at Thevenard – the port part of town. It was rather industrial around there – naturally, given that there was a major grain shipping facility, amongst other things. But the jetty gave us access to deep water.

We caught some fish – 3 salmon trout, 3 whiting, 4 Tommy Ruffs. I caught one of the salmon – quite a big one. I had another big one get away off the line.

At one stage, I was leaning over the edge of the jetty, not far from the water surface, to check my line, when a big seal suddenly surfaced, right under me – with a loud snorting noise and spray of water. We almost rubbed noses! It scared the hell out of me. I had fishy nightmares during the night!

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It started to rain, at tea time – light, but steady.

We ate some of our catch for tea – very nice.


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2004 Travels April 13

TUESDAY 13 APRIL     CEDUNA

The day was cloudy.

It was a day to rest from bowling, and to go for a little drive.

Filled with diesel – 96cpl.

I posted a parcel of books that I wanted to keep, home. Sent a knitted vest for the baby, to daughter, and a postcard off to grand daughter.

We then drove out along the coast to the west of here – through Denial Bay village, to Davenport Creek. Although the country was flat and dry, it was an interesting and varied trip.

Denial Bay was a cluster of houses, and a jetty.

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Denial Bay

Davenport Creek was a sort of swampy, tidal inlet, creating an arm of land between it and the ocean and beach.  We did a little driving on the Ocean Beach, and a bit of harder, scarier (for me) track driving through the scrubby dunes.

That little outing was enough, and after that it was back to camp.


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2004 Travels April 12

MONDAY 12 APRIL     CEDUNA

It was a hot day.

We all played in the Mixed Fours bowls. Won three games and lost one. I think we came in fourth for the day.

I was not happy with my game – I was very tense and worried about letting the others down, so played erratically. John played somewhat inconsistently too.

I won a cocktail shaker in the raffle! Definitely not something we were likely to use.

Long day again and very tiring.

And that ended the Easter Bowls tournament at Ceduna. John was really happy to have been involved in a proper, serious tournament. He now “owed” me some serious bushwalking!


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2004 Travels April 11

SUNDAY 11 APRIL     CEDUNA

John and B bowled in the Mens Pairs. They were runners up, too!

John won a fishing rod and $40. He also won the raffle – two bottles of red wine. He gave one bottle to B for thanks for teaming up with him.

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G bowled with a couple of others in the Ladies Triples.

I had a lovely, solo, day. I sewed, knitted, walked on the beach.


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2004 Travels April 10

SATURDAY 10 APRIL     CEDUNA

We bowled all day – 9.30am till 5pm. So we had to be up relatively early to get breakfast and get into uniforms.

GH and I competed in the Ladies Pairs – and came second! We won three games and drew one. We received a crystal vase each (of limited use in a caravan!), $40 cash, and a $20 voucher for a local jewellery shop. We were very pleased with ourselves.

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The men were not placed in the Mens Fours. They were teamed up with another visitor, and a last minute fill in by a local high school boy. He was a very nice lad. They won two games and lost two.

It was a very long day.

I was out of the habit of such concentrated  activity and felt very weary. A long shower was most welcome.


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2004 Travels April 9

FRIDAY 9 APRIL     CEDUNA

It was a lovely, pleasant day with blue skies and a cooling breeze.

Good Friday, and the caravan park was full. I was so pleased I’d thought to book ahead – meant we had a decent site, rather than being squeezed in a corner, as some were. The caravan park in town was also booked out for Easter.

John met up with BH, who we’d met at Streaky Bay and with whom we would be bowling. They were in this caravan park, too.

John and B went off fishing together, from the town jetty. John caught enough trevalley and mackerel for a couple of feeds. Success at last!

At 3pm,  we went to the bowls club to practice, for a couple of hours. It was a tricky green!


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2004 Travels April 8

THURSDAY 8 APRIL   STREAKY BAY TO CEDUNA   110kms

Today’s was a rather short move.

It was a pleasant drive, following the coast.

We stopped and had a quick look at Smoky Bay. It was a small place, but looked pleasant enough, with a foreshore caravan park that looked alright. It was for sale – could be a decent business, given the way this coast seemed to be going ahead.

Noted this as another place for a possible future stay. There was a jetty that would offer fishing points.

We were already booked into the Shelly Beach Caravan Park. I had decided that we would prefer not to stay in the centre of this town, and Shelly Beach was about 3kms south  of town.

It was a lovely caravan park, for these parts, apparently being developed from a formerly run down place. It was a FPA park, too, so after discount we paid $17.50 a night. Not bad, over Easter.

We had a nicely shaded site, in an area of the park that was irregularly laid out, with sites tucked amongst bushes. The bathrooms were unusual – a number of unisex shower and toilet rooms – like ensuites – but shared by a few sites. They were clean and spacious.

There were quite high sand dunes between the park area and the sea – Bosanquet Bay. There was a long beach, for walking along, although the sand was a bit soft.

After we set up and had lunch, drove back into town and went to the Information Centre. As well as getting materials about the area, we bought six polo shirts – they were having a sale. For $15 each, bought ones that would be birthday presents for my offspring, one for John, and three for me. One of mine had  a Googs Track insignia, another was Nullarbor logo-ed , and the other referenced the “bugger” Toyota ads on TV, with a little logo on the pocket plus the word. It certainly was not one I could wear on all occasions, but I did love those ads – and the sentiment was frequently very appropriate for camping scenarios!

Stocked up for Easter, too.

Back at camp, we walked the path across the dunes, then walked for about an hour along the beach. That was a real workout for the calf muscles, in the soft sand.

There was a huge bull ant on our outside table. Very aggro it was too. I made a mental note to keep a careful eye out for its mates.

Texted our whereabouts to V and K and received replies. V and family were at Bonnie Doon for Easter. K said that grand daughter loved her “grandma jumper”.

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2004 Travels April 7

WEDNESDAY 7 APRIL     STREAKY BAY

Before John got up, this morning, I walked for an hour or so, along the bike path alongside the bay. There was less wind, but it was still a bit cool.

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The bay at Streaky Bay

Eventually, we drove to Hallys Beach. It was still not a great day for fishing, but John was determined. We were a bit late getting out there, so the tide was already going out.

There were some big waves, and lots of rips. John lost the rigs off both the surf rods, plus the smaller rod! It was more likely to have been from weed entanglement than from fish that got away. He lost too much line to be able to continue fishing. I thought the salmon must have departed at the same time as the warmer weather!

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Lone surfer

This was our last day at Streaky Bay. We agreed that we could have stayed quite a while longer. We will return!  Great place, pleasant little town, and at this time of year, not teeming with holiday makers.

We left a phone message for L to forward our mail tomorrow, to Ceduna PO.


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2004 Travels April 6

TUESDAY 6 APRIL     STREAKY BAY

There had been a real change of weather overnight. Today was quite chilly, with a very strong wind and even a little rain.

John had intended to fish today, but the weather was too poor for it, so he spent some time working on his fishing gear, then back onto the phone/internet thing – again!

After lunch, we drove to buy some oysters and King George whiting, to cook for tea.

Later in the afternoon, drove the Cape Bauer circuit, to take in the features we hadn’t seen the other day.

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Just some vegetation by a path, but it appealed to me

The oyster entree and cooked whiting were absolutely delicious, for tea.


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2004 Travels April 5

MONDAY 5 APRIL     STREAKY BAY

It was a very hot day.

Having yesterday made a gesture towards my wish to do some “tourist stuff”, John spent yet another day on the phone/internet hook up problem. This involved phone calls to Telstra – long ones!

I walked up to the shops and posted a card to grand daughter, and paid the Telstra bill at the Post Office.

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Beach in front of the caravan park

I went for a short walk in the other direction, away from the town, along a rather interesting-looking cycle/walk path that follows the southern shore of the bay around. It was too hot to walk far along here, though part of me was wishing we’d bought the bikes on this trip.

We had a talk with two Trakmaster owners we found in the park. Both had Nullarbor models. One of these had a number plate only three digits “younger”  than ours – from 1997. It was the first full van Trakmaster had built, and was much more travelled than ours, being on the road most of the time. I was envious – not of the van, but of the almost full time travel!.

The guy from the van behind us caught lots of salmon today, out at Hallys Beach, reached from the Cape Bauer loop drive.