Scheffer Family's Great Aussie Adventure

Sadly, we left Moonta and headed further south in hope that this lovely warm weather would follow us – and fortunately it did. We drove through Minlaton and Warooka and continued all the way to the southern tip of the Yorke Peninsula to Innes National Park. Upon entering we passed a few emus, the first of many that we would spot. We found a campground at Stenhouse Bay to set up home and, once again, set about exploring the area. The thing that we first noticed, and there was no way to miss this, is that there were thousands of flies – they just wouldn’t leave us be (at this point I was wishing we’d bought some of those silly looking fly nets for over your head). We headed for the nearby jetty and learnt that at the nearby town of Inneston they once mined gypsum and it was subsequently transported from this jetty, ending though in 1974. Again, the water was stunning (we expect nothing less these days) and inviting… and even though the weather was perfect for a swim we had plenty to still see. We visited a couple of other places in the N.P. including Cable Bay, the Cape Spencer lighthouse (where we saw a group of dolphins in the clear blue water) and the historic township of Inneston – the kids were not impressed with all the walking at this stage due to the heat and the flies but we pushed them onwards). We went to Ethel Beach to view the shipwreck of the same name and then to the West Cape Lighthouse which had one of the most gorgeous beaches we’ve seen. Our last stop was at the nearby boat ramp before we headed back to our fly-free zone in the caravan. Seeing as though we had no power, we pulled out the Boggle for a few games before settling in to watch a movie, tonight’s pick was Slumdog Millionaire.

We packed up and sadly farewelled Port Lincoln this morning, just as it was about to warm up too. We needed a few things from in town before leaving so headed in. At the same time, we also checked out the big cruise ship that just docked in town as well as the statue of Makybe Diva that stands proud along the esplanade. We began our drive north out of the Eyre Peninsula and were once again surrounded by the numerous wheat farms. A few hours into our drive, Josh decided to give SeaSA a call, the ferry that runs between Eyre Peninsula and Yorke Peninsula, to find out about the cost of this option rather than driving right up through Whyalla and Port Augusta and back down again. The ferry runs from Lucky Bay (Eyre) to Wallaroo (Yorke) and would cost just short of $300. Josh weighed up his options and chose to jump on the ferry to avoid a full day of driving. We had a bit of time to waste so we pulled up at a playground in Cowell to make some lunch and let the kids expend some energy. We checked into Lucky Bay around 3.30pm ready for departure at 4pm. There weren’t a lot of vehicles coming off the ferry when it pulled in, nor was there a full boat load when we left for Wallaroo. After parking the boat on board, we ventured upstairs and there was plenty of seating and a cafeteria. Even better, there was a big tv set up for the kids to watch an Ice Age movie – that would keep them amused for most of this 2 hour trip. They settled in well and I’m pleased to say that Sami again was well on the journey. Josh and I had a relaxing trip, however, I think by the end of it Josh was actually glad to get off. Again it was a bit of a rough ride and this was his 3^rd day on a boat in the space of five days. We arrived at Wallaroo and exited the ferry, still unsure of where we would stay the night. We were tossing up between just finding a free camp or caravan park. Josh decided it to be Moonta Bay Caravan Park, right on the beach… great choice! Here, we sat down to enjoy a gorgeous sunset over the nearby jetty along with a few drinks while the kids dug in the sand. We were originally looking for somewhere to stay just one night – but this turned into three as it was a lovely place.

We spent the following morning checking out the town of Moonta and wandering up and down the street. We had a quick look at some of the beautiful old churches, an art gallery and of course the local sweets shop. We then went for a drive into Kadina, which is probably the biggest town on the Yorke Peninsula and called into their information centre. Josh took us on a hurried road trip through the main streets of Kadina before pulling up at the historic Kadina Cemetery, albeit only for me to wander through here alone. The next stop was at an old ruined engine-house on the outskirts of Kadina, unfortunately without any notes and it wasn’t well kept. However, when we ventured back to Moonta, we were just in time to hop on the “Moonta express”, really called the Moonta Mines Tourist Railway. This was to be about an hour long guided copper mining tour by a small train that passed the reservoir, ore sorting floors and tunnels of the Ryans Tailings Heap. It was something that I originally knew nothing about but this tour was really informative and a bit of fun. The main thing that we learnt was the majority of the district were of Cornish descent, most coming directly from Cornwall. There has since been a Cornish festival each year for the past 40 years with some of the favourite events being the Maypole, Cornish music and of course pasty making. After leaving the “station” we climbed the Richmans’ tailings heap for a view over the town of Moonta and then headed to the Moonta Mines Methodist Church. Men from the mines in the day were blackmailed into going to church for fear of losing their jobs so there would be up to 1200 people attending this church on Sundays for this reason. We were fortunate to meet a lovely woman in this church, Margaret Wearne, who volunteered her time to discuss the history with us. She even went to the effort of playing a few songs on the church pipe organ and the 150 year old pedal organ. Margaret was very proud of her work in this church and, at 87 years old, had lived in Moonta for the past 60 years. Back at the caravan park, the kids busied themselves again down on the beach while I went for a walk out along the jetty. I was surprised to see a fire on the way back, a fence of a home in relatively close proximity to the wharf and thankfully there was a man that appeared to have it under control.

We were supposed to leave Moonta today but the weather was just too lovely to leave behind. We booked in for another day and hung out at the caravan for the day. It gave us a good chance to catch up on washing and enjoy some sunshine. Josh even made some lovely pizzas to enjoy for dinner while watching the sun set. Now we just need some more of these warm days to enjoy!