Beach

Lincoln National Park – Memory Cove

Posted on February 5, 2015 by Fifty Toes Walkabout

A short drive from Port Lincoln brought us to Lincoln National Park, and we drove down the 4WD track to Memory Cove. During Matthew Flinder’s trip to the area in 1802, eight of his crew took a boat to shore, foundered on the reef near Cape Catastrophe, and lost their lives. The surrounding offshore islands were individually named after them and Memory Cove as a reminder of the incident.

Sea Hare
Sealion
Sealion
Sealion
Dolpins
Mother and baby dolphin
Memory Cove
Xavier watches a show
White-bellied sea eagle

Access is via a padlocked gate and a very rough road takes you to the beach. Unfortunately as soon as you arrive a swarm of bees descends looking for water, so the full awning went up to protect us, but not before I accidentally trod on one and got stung. Once set up things got better and the next few days were spent exploring the beach, shoreline, surrounding area and a bit of fishing. Wildlife abounds in the National Park and when Xavier wasn’t finding sea hares, peninsula brown snake jawbones and more besides we were watching Australian sea lions frolicking around the bay, and sea eagles flying overhead. We even got to watch a newly born baby dolphin being taught the ropes by its parents in the shallows of a nearby beach. It was tiny, barely a metre long and looked very clumsy when it surfaced to breathe, pushing its whole head and torso out, rather than just exposing the blowhole. Fish were everywhere and when the wrasse had stopped eating all the bait the big stuff came out (around dusk). Having watched swimmers in the sandy shallows it was a bit unnerving to see a 2+m bronze whaler cruising in knee-deep water two nights on the trot. Memory Cove is famous for the presence of Great White Sharks in the murky depths but this was 10m from the shore. That said I couldn’t resist slipping into the water at a spot where the sea lions were hanging out to try and get a photo. Unfortunately they were very wary and not as inquisitive as I was hoping they would be in the water. When I didn’t have a camera at hand they were more than happy to mock and put on fantastic jumping performances as we approached. I landed a large eagle ray on the last night after a 30 minute battle, and released it back.

Categories: 4WD, Adventure, Animal Action, australia, Australian Outback, Beach, Big Lap, Discover Australia, Explore Australia, Journey Narrative, Kids Travel, National Park, Natural World, Photography, South Australia, Travel, Travel Adventure | Tags: , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Tumby Bay – fishing extravaganza

Posted on January 30, 2015 by Fifty Toes Walkabout

We stopped for a couple of days on the way down the Eyre Peninsula at a quiet town called Tumby Bay. The big jetty and favourable weather conditions found us spending quite a bit of time fishing.

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Oscar started getting excited when he saw me catch a squid, but when he stepped up the next day he couldn’t stop catching mackerel, one after another. So many in fact I was having trouble getting a line in. At the end of two days we had caught mackerel, tommy ruff, trevally, snook, garfish and had a bag full of bait for future expeditions squirrelled in the bottom of the freezer.

Categories: Beach, Discover Australia, Explore Australia, Journey Narrative, Kids Travel, South Australia, Travel, Travel Adventure | Tags: , | 2 Comments

Innes National Park – Ship wrecks, Emus, Snakes and Shingleback lizards

Posted on January 16, 2015 by Fifty Toes Walkabout

Innes National Park occupies almost 100 sq km of land at the bottom of the Yorke Peninsula, due west across the Vincent Gulf from Adelaide. It used to be a favourite haunt of mine so it was a pleasure to take the family back.

Kids on Ethel Beach
Mohawk Emu
Emu – pointy end
Emu family
Relic of Inneston
Shingleback lizard
Roos on the road
Ethel Wreck
The Ethel Wreck, Yorke Peninsula, SA
Tick infested shingleback
Cape Spencer lighthouse
Pondalowie Wreck
Tiger Snake
Emu on the Beach
Emu family
Snake at Pondalowie

Thankfully little has changed in the time that has past since I last visited. Surprisingly, only a handful of people were actually staying in the park. On our way down we had a quick close-up of the emus in an enclosure at Minlaton, but just as we entered the park we were greeted by an emu and two chicks strutting by the side of the road. From then on families of them were encountered at what seemed like every bend in the road, with anything from two to six youngsters, even marching towards us on the road at one point.

Shingleback lizards were to be found regularly, either by the side of the road sunning themselves, or rustling through the undergrowth around the camp at Pondalowie. The first one the kids found was infested with reptile ticks and Hannah insisted we remove them all with tweezers, for which the lizard appeared to be grateful, sitting patiently as they were removed one by one and professionally squashed by Xavier.

Ethel Beach is named after a shipwreck in 1920 whose rusting iron carcass still protrudes from the sand above the high water mark. In the shallows nearby lies another wreck, the Ferret, that used a rope tied to the Ethel wreck to save its passengers. After exploring a few caves at the end of the beach it was time to go fishing and looking for shells at Shell Beach. By the end of the day Hannah had caught three fish (sweep and zebra fish) and was happily baiting her own hook casting, landing, and even trying to unhook them herself. I caught a salmon for dinner off my favourite rocks, and Amanda and Xavier had accumulated a nice collection of shells.

Categories: Adventure, australia, Australian Outback, Beach, Big Lap, Discover Australia, Explore Australia, Journey Narrative, Kids Travel, National Park, Photography, South Australia, Travel, Travel Adventure | Tags: , , , | 2 Comments

Stokes Bay, Kangaroo Island

Posted on January 4, 2015 by Fifty Toes Walkabout
Cave access to the beach
The exit from the beach
Beach Access!
Stokes Bay beach
The “squeeze”

Expecting a rush for campsites after Christmas we left Flinders Chase NP and headed for Stokes Bay on the north coast. Having not had much company so far the campsite looked pretty crowded but we were shown a little slot under a tree and squeezed in expecting to stay a couple of days as we were accustomed.

We ended up staying a week due to the warm welcome that the locals extended to us and the stunning beach, accessed through a cave, that has a natural rockpool keeping the kids busy for days.

Our neighbours Thelma and Terry Bennett, KI locals had been coming with the extended family for years, and Terry kindly took me out on his boat a couple of times introducing me to using braided line to catch the huge King George Whiting that frequent the waters down here. He then shared a bag full of the sweetest juiciest grapefruits from his garden – the best way to start the day is a cold grapefruit half! Our experience just improved with other relatives giving us a big piece of tuna steak fileted straight from the morning’s catch – that made several meals from ceviche to plain quick pan seared.

The kids took a couple of days but then made a few good friends around the campsite, more rockpool buddies to explore the caves and swim throughs with their masks, fins and snorkels. I managed to snag a few crayfish that made very pleasant dinners and our days passed very peacefully over the festive season.

 

Dinner

Dinner

New Years Eve saw us on the beach with a roaring fire and midnight fireworks lighting up the calm seas, the latter only possible due to favourable winds. All Fifty Toes even made it to see in the New Year, though the beach party continued on until the wee hours. Once again we had been given a truly local KI welcome, making this one of our favourite spots so far.

Then to top it off our new friends James and Liz delivered us 2 huge pieces of home-made haloumi cheese, from Jersey cows. We tried it deep fried two ways, one with tomato and the other with a squeeze of lemon – both delicious!

Categories: Adventure, australia, Australian Outback, Beach, Big Lap, Discover Australia, Explore Australia, Journey Narrative, Kids Travel, Photography, South Australia, Travel, Travel Adventure | Tags: , | 1 Comment

Towards Adelaide – whistle stop touring

Posted on December 21, 2014 by Fifty Toes Walkabout

Unfortunately with a deadline to meet for another ferry we had to rush from Ewens Ponds up the coast.

First stop was Carpenter Rocks where a bright red lighthouse at nearby Cape Banks alerts passing boats to the treacherous limestone rocks that line the shore. This spot was where in 1802 English Botanist Joseph Banks and Frenchman Nicholas Baudin passed one another as they mapped the coastline. A shipwreck on the beach and witnessing an unfortunate diving accident when we arrived all reminded us of how much respect the rugged coastline here deserves. We did witness a big fur seal haul itself up onto the rocks at dusk then disappear into a craggy hole to rest for the night.

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Heading north we flew through Mount Gambier but not before I showed everyone the Blue Lake, a remnant from ancient volcanic times in the region, and a few of my old cave-diving haunts, like Allendale East, where the road splits either side of the cave in a tiny town, Little Blue and Fossil Cave.

Fossil Cave
Blue Lake, Mt Gambier

We stopped in Little Dip Conservation Park, literally, because we got bogged deep in sand on the coastal track. After two hours of digging and making slow progress, with several kilometres still to go, and Christmas Carols beckoning in nearby Robe, I had to concede defeat and turn around. A good learning opportunity for the kids that they responded well to, but we sustained a significant ding to a panel on the car trying to turn it around. We made the carols and enjoyed a rare treat of fish and chips.

The next day we back-tracked to the Coonawarra to meet the Prof at Majella Wines. We got a tour around the winery and an obligatory tasting. The first wine in 2 months for me and it tasted magnificent.

 

Majella Merry Christmas
Mmmmm Majella

Stocked for Christmas we headed up to Naracoorte to visit the World Heritage cave site and visited the Victoria Cave where a massive bone deposit of Australian animals, including mega-fauna, lies documenting some 350,000 years of history.

Naracoorte Caves
Victoria Cave
Marsupial Lion bones
Victoria Cave, Naracoorte

Then back to the coast, along small roads, watching emus running through the fields as we went, to see a big icon. The Kingston Big Lobster is an impressive construction, that we spotted from some distance out of town, lurching above the treeline.

The Big Lobster

The Big Lobster

It was late but we were keen to stop in the Coorong and we pressed on up the coast arriving much later than normal at 42 Mile Crossing. After a late dinner, the kids went to bed as dusk fell and I noticed we had a visitor. I set the camera up to catch him, came oh so close and got within 2 metres of him, but my flash scared him off before the shutter went. Waking up the next morning 2 shoes were missing, courtesy of Fantastic Mr Fox! It couldn’t take a pair but nicked one of Oscars and one of Xaviers. If I hadn’t retrieved Hannah’s before I went to bed it could have been the set! We found some foxes earths around the campsite but no sign of the shoes.

Spot the problem here

Spot the problem here

Next day we headed north to explore the shores of Lake Alexandrina, where the river Murray meets the coast. The birdlife was fabulous and we spotted quite a new species for the twitching list. At Narrung we caught a ferry across one part of the lake to Point Malcolm, which hosts the only inland freshwater lighthouse in the Southern Hemisphere, that was used when log barges used to ply the waters.

Country Santa
Point Malcolm Lighthouse

Then things went pear-shaped and we ended up with a broken windscreen late on Sat afternoon. With a ferry to catch at midday on Monday it was starting to look like we might be driving around for the next two weeks with a broken windscreen!

Categories: 4WD, Adventure, Beach, Camper Trailer, Discover Australia, Explore Australia, Journey Narrative, Kids Travel, Offroad, South Australia, Travel, Travel Adventure | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

The Great Ocean Road icons

Posted on December 19, 2014 by Fifty Toes Walkabout
Sunrise at Gibson Steps
The Arch
London Bridge
Twelve Apostles
Loch Ard
Dawn at the Twelve Apostles
The Grotto
Categories: Adventure, Australian Outback, Beach, Discover Australia, Explore Australia, Journey Narrative, Kids Travel, Photography, Travel, Travel Adventure, Victoria | Tags: , , , | 1 Comment

Narawntapu National Park

Posted on December 8, 2014 by Fifty Toes Walkabout

Narawntapu National Park hadn’t been on our radar but when Hannah rejected our camp in the middle of the river at garden island near Clarence, after we had set up camp I may add, but we stumbled upon it as we headed towards Devonport, with only a few days left before we leave Tasmania.

NarawntapuNP

Dubbed the Serengeti of Tasmania it comes as no surprise to see vast expanses of short grassland, but instead of wilderbeest, lions, and elephants, this national park is full of marsupials. Forresters Kangaroos, Bennetts Wallabies, Pademelons, Bettongs and Potoroos all can be found here. I still can’t work out which is which but the ranger told us the rule of thumb was whether they are knee or waist high, and bigger or smaller than this, but there are so many joeys around too they are starting to all look the same. The wetlands are a haven for bird lovers and one of Tasmania’s top 60 short walks is the Springlawn walk to the bird hide in the middle of the lake. Our camp was surrounded by wombat holes, but no sign of them yet!

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The boardwalk takes you past swamps, melaleuca and silver banksia forest, then on to the lakehide. Black swans and coot were everywhere but also to be spotted were Australasian grebe, maned duck, pacific black duck, egrets, herons, blue billed duck, musk duck, hoary-headed grebe and many others.

Just beyond the hide the path takes you on a bush walk to the top of Archers Knob, where commanding views over the park can be enjoyed, including the full length of Bakers Beach. This beach has millions of soldier crabs parading the shoreline at low tide and the kids had a competition to see who could find the most shark and ray eggs. They found at least 4 different species.

I also spotted my first snake here – a tiger snake basking in the sun on the walking path.

The poor wombats are suffering from Wombat mange caused by mites and seeing a wombat with very little fur staggering around during the day, covered in flies was not a pretty sight.

Categories: 4WD, Adventure, Animal Action, Australian Outback, Beach, Big Lap, Discover Australia, Explore Australia, Journey Narrative, Kids Travel, Location, National Park, Natural World, Photography, TAS, Tasmania, Travel, Travel Adventure, Twitcher, Walks | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Eddystone Point and Deep Creek

Posted on December 7, 2014 by Fifty Toes Walkabout

On the far eastern point of Tasmania, above the Bay of Fires, within Mt. William national park is Eddystone Point. Our new home was the Deep Creek campsite several kilometres away, where a handful of fishing shacks line the shoreline. A short walk from the campsite up the shallow creek takes you to a large deep pool that would be great in summer but given the weather we have been experiencing no-one was up for the challenge to jump in.

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A quick visit to the lighthouse built at the end of the 19th century was followed by a visit to nearby Larc beach. Recent storms had laid bountiful piles of seaweed on the beach, but on closer inspection one pile turned out to be a particularly gruesome seal carcass. The kids loved this, though were a little disappointed that it wasn’t a Thylacine (extinct Tasmanian Tiger). It was so badly decomposed all we saw at first were the big canine teeth and fur. With storm clouds approaching we had a quick look at the Bay of Fires beach, recommended as being one of the whitest sands to be found, before returning to camp. When we returned the following morning Xavier found a Hooded Plover nest with two eggs in it.

Categories: 4WD, Adventure, Animal Action, Australian Outback, Beach, Big Lap, Camper Trailer, Discover Australia, Explore Australia, Journey Narrative, Kids Travel, Location, National Park, Natural World, Offroad, Photography, TAS, Tasmania, Travel, Travel Adventure, Twitcher, Walks | Tags: , , , , , | Leave a comment

Bay of Fires

Posted on December 6, 2014 by Fifty Toes Walkabout

Cosy Corner was our camp for a couple of days in the Bay of Fires. Luckily the day we arrived the sun was out and we got to enjoy the pure white beaches and beautifully coloured water. A day trip from the beach took us up to the St. Columba Falls and a forest walk through tree ferns (or “man ferns” as they are called here). With the rain we have had recently the falls were looking very healthy. Apparently these are the tallest falls in Tasmania

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On the way back we stopped at the Pub in the Paddock for early refreshments and the opportunity to give the resident pig a beer. Unfortunately for us it seems Pinky was nursing a hangover from the previous day and was not interested in a couple of stubbies. Her predescessor’s sty still stands next door, though unfortunately Priscilla passed away recently.

Next stop the Holy Cow Café for Cheese-tasting and to watch the robotic milking process that even included an impressive automated neck, back and bum massager for those cows in need. The cheese recipe used is the original and the mature cheddar is highly recommended by FiftyToes!

Categories: Australian Outback, Beach, Discover Australia, Explore Australia, Journey Narrative, Kids Travel, Location, National Park, Photography, TAS, Tasmania, Travel, Travel Adventure, Walks | Tags: , , , , | 5 Comments

Douglas-Apsley National Park

Posted on December 3, 2014 by Fifty Toes Walkabout

A short drive north found us in the town of Bicheno, the biggest we have been in for a while and the first where we could top up the gas. First stop was the famous blowhole, for a photographic opportunity, then down to the Gulch! None of us were quite sure what a gulch was so we had to go and have a look.

 

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It was the narrow channel of water between the boat ramp and islands inhabited by hundreds of birds, particularly the crested terns. The office near the boat ramp where the glass-bottomed boat trips can be purchased caught the kids eyes and a showcase of Tasmanian underwater secrets drew them in. With giant crab pincers as long as your arm, sperm whale jaws, urchins, abalone shells all displayed randomly in a big glass showcase the kids noses were pressed against the glass trying to find some new treasure previously undiscovered – it turned out to be the piranha, and only alien in the tank. After a very informative chat with the man in the office we drove to Chain of Lagoons to camp. This lies just to the east of the Douglas-Apsley National Park, just behind the beach. All day the hills in the national park were masked by low lying clouds that constantly drizzled, and periodically this stretched down to our camp.

Waterhole at Douglas-Apsley NP

Waterhole at Douglas-Apsley NP

Next day in pouring rain we decided we couldn’t miss a trip to the famous waterhole in the national park, and somewhat reluctantly the kids agreed to come along too. It rained, and rained but that didn’t stop Xavier from finding a frog!

Frog

We then decided it was a good day to focus on schoolwork until the rain stopped.

 

Categories: Australian Outback, Beach, Camper Trailer, Car, Discover Australia, Explore Australia, Journey Narrative, Kids Travel, Location, Mitsubishi, National Park, Photography, TAS, Tasmania, Travel, Travel Adventure, Twitcher, Walks | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

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