We headed out of the remote Fowlers Bay and back onto the Eyre Highway, doing a triple pass through Penong to check out the windmills and unsuccessfully hunt for the legendary surfboard shaper that apparently resided there. Due to time constraints, we decided not to check out the Cactus surf spot off the road a bit, but Rich vows to come back one day.
From Penong, we carried along the highway until we came to Ceduna. We knew we had arrived because we were greeted by the Big Clam, possibly the lamest big thing to date!
After a quick photo stop, we travelled to a caravan park and set up the van before heading back to the Big Clam for the best fish and chips around (there’s actually only two places that sell fish and chips in Ceduna). Hung out at the park on the bay over lunch, before deciding to get some culture and visit the National Trust Museum in town. At first we thought the museum was just confined to the small house area that showed an eclectic assortment of old and antique things. One room was dedicated to memorabilia from the first nuclear tests at relatively nearby Woomera, including transportation containers, computers, signs and photos amongst other things. A flag with the emblem of the army unit stationed at Woomera was hanging on the wall. We thought it was kind of funny that the centre piece of the emblem was a mushroom cloud! There was also a letter reassuring the museum that their stuff tested safe for radioactivity, but suggested it was prudent to keep the lid on the uranium transport container! Somewhere between the mushroom cloud and some 18th century dresses, the kids met a little dog which led us out the back to where there was so much more stuff, including school rooms, railway, and farming equipment. Kel stayed behind to absorb some 1950’s wisdom on child-rearing, packing away some lessons on how not to produce monstrous, demanding little individuals (it is too late anyway, apparently we should have started with refusing to give in to their demands to be fed overnight as newborns!). Rich got talking to the volunteer who worked there and found out that apparently he was an old surfer that was instrumental in bringing surfing to SA and discovering Cactus. He was even about to have a surf lifesaving boat named after him. Unfortunately we ran out of time as the museum was about to close, so we headed back to the campsite where the kids played with another family that we had met back at Norseman.
After a quick photo stop, we travelled to a caravan park and set up the van before heading back to the Big Clam for the best fish and chips around (there’s actually only two places that sell fish and chips in Ceduna). Hung out at the park on the bay over lunch, before deciding to get some culture and visit the National Trust Museum in town. At first we thought the museum was just confined to the small house area that showed an eclectic assortment of old and antique things. One room was dedicated to memorabilia from the first nuclear tests at relatively nearby Woomera, including transportation containers, computers, signs and photos amongst other things. A flag with the emblem of the army unit stationed at Woomera was hanging on the wall. We thought it was kind of funny that the centre piece of the emblem was a mushroom cloud! There was also a letter reassuring the museum that their stuff tested safe for radioactivity, but suggested it was prudent to keep the lid on the uranium transport container! Somewhere between the mushroom cloud and some 18th century dresses, the kids met a little dog which led us out the back to where there was so much more stuff, including school rooms, railway, and farming equipment. Kel stayed behind to absorb some 1950’s wisdom on child-rearing, packing away some lessons on how not to produce monstrous, demanding little individuals (it is too late anyway, apparently we should have started with refusing to give in to their demands to be fed overnight as newborns!). Rich got talking to the volunteer who worked there and found out that apparently he was an old surfer that was instrumental in bringing surfing to SA and discovering Cactus. He was even about to have a surf lifesaving boat named after him. Unfortunately we ran out of time as the museum was about to close, so we headed back to the campsite where the kids played with another family that we had met back at Norseman.
Next morning we were off south down the Flinders Highway toward Streaky Bay. It was a lovely drive through rolling farmland and we were very impressed when we entered Streaky Bay, a small town with beautiful old buildings set on a large blue bay. We parked up and hit the bakery for some pies and sausage rolls, and then also bought some dessert which Rich and the kids devoured by the bay while Kel received the good news that she had been successful in her job application. We went for a stroll through town, finding out that a local had caught a massive white pointer with just a normal rod. Rich showed tough he his - having a wrestle with a model of said shark.
We continued heading on south to Murphy’s Haystacks, where we explored these strange and (for the imaginative) almost mystical rocks sitting at the top of a hill in a farmer’s paddock.
We continued heading on south to Murphy’s Haystacks, where we explored these strange and (for the imaginative) almost mystical rocks sitting at the top of a hill in a farmer’s paddock.
From there, we drove as far as we could toward Whyalla before the light disappeared, in the end reaching a small town called Kimba, 140km or so short of Whyalla. We stayed at a park next to a roadhouse where the permanent residents had decorated a central tree with Christmas decorations, and some of them had placed Christmas lights on their caravans. In the morning we visited the Big Galah and a sign and map that showed that we were ‘halfway across Australia’ (really? 26,000km and still only half way?). After a few camera malfunctions and some interesting shots of trees and sky, we got the snap we were after.
Our next stop was Iron Knob, the birthplace of iron ore mining in Australia, hilarious name and practically a ghost town at the moment, e.g. Iron Knob Primary school.
We stopped at what we thought was the Information Centre, where Kel got glared at by a number of the old locals that were catching up for a chat. We got grudging directions to the Mine Museum up the road, where we investigated the history of the mine, the town and the mining and smelting process. We were offered tea, coffee and biscuits from the proud volunteers that worked there and appeared not to get too many visitors. The town of approximately 5 occupied houses is surrounded by huge spoil heaps and once housed plenty of workers and their families. Mining has moved a few kilometres away to other hills and seem to be staffed by FIFOs. Apparently the town is about to resurrect itself – with Iron Knob mine set to restart soon. So if you ever dreamed of owning a pub or a newsagent, this might be your opportunity!
Our next stop was Iron Knob, the birthplace of iron ore mining in Australia, hilarious name and practically a ghost town at the moment, e.g. Iron Knob Primary school.
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| Welcome to the Iron Knob Primary school! |
We stopped at what we thought was the Information Centre, where Kel got glared at by a number of the old locals that were catching up for a chat. We got grudging directions to the Mine Museum up the road, where we investigated the history of the mine, the town and the mining and smelting process. We were offered tea, coffee and biscuits from the proud volunteers that worked there and appeared not to get too many visitors. The town of approximately 5 occupied houses is surrounded by huge spoil heaps and once housed plenty of workers and their families. Mining has moved a few kilometres away to other hills and seem to be staffed by FIFOs. Apparently the town is about to resurrect itself – with Iron Knob mine set to restart soon. So if you ever dreamed of owning a pub or a newsagent, this might be your opportunity!
The museum was really interesting with much history regarding the civilian and military shipbuilding that took place and it still currently underway. BHP was asked to establish the yards next to their steelworks by the government to build navy ships for the Second World War. The kids (and Rich) loved the model trains built to represent the railway line transporting ore from Iron Knob to Port Augusta.
We then embarked on a tour of the ‘Whyalla’, the boat dry-docked out the front. We all really enjoyed being shown around the vessel, used as a military corvette during WW2, and later as a survey vessel. We saw the junior officers’ quarters, the seaman’s quarters, the captain’s quarters, the mess, the head, the engine room, the bridge and many other fascinating areas of the ship. Dylan and Ari took it in turns aiming at the caravan with the anti-aircraft gun on the aft (that’s ‘back’ for you land-lubbers) deck and tooting the horn.
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| The caravan's going to get it! |
We stopped briefly in Port Augusta for some supplies before heading north to Wilpena, Flinders Ranges. We decided we would have to go back to the desert to catch a bit of sun!
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