Thursday 21st Nov
How bizarre. After that 40+ deg day we went to bed and listened to the wind howling through the olive trees and felt it rock the van at times. It was a hot blast too, no relief until early morning. It had dropped back to about 14 deg C by the time we were rising. We pulled on the fleecies again as we packed up and moved on.
Normanville was once the area's main port but most of the original jetty has been washed away. The white sandy beach stretches for more than 7kms, and the caravan park we are camping in, sits just behind the heritage listed sand dunes. Right now hooded plovers are nesting there. The park sits on either side of the Bungala River and plenty of birds are enjoying the surrounds.
We went for a walk along the beach to the jetty and beach cafe at the Surf Club. Looking at the state of the sea today I would think the members here get as little experience of surf as those at Darwin Surf Club but Glenn assured me that when there is a southerly swell conditions would change dramatically.
Later the boys checked out the local golf course, one that Eric has had on his bucket list all along. We are booked in for tomorrow. Jenni shared with me her altered book project and it is something I think I will try my hand at. It is a type of visual journal, I just need now to find the right text to begin. I went for a cycle along the bike path between here and North Bay at Carrickalinga. It was an out and back trail that follows the coast, separated from the traffic.
Back at the jetty I found more hooded plovers. These birds like surf beaches and to nest between the high-water mark and in the sand dunes. This is one of the reasons they are vulnerable as we like to walk in the same space and many people take dogs with them. They are easy targets for ravens, gulls, foxes and other predators so the local Natural Resources task force do their best to protect them. I found this lovely leafy sea dragon mural on the wall of the public conveniences. South Australia’s leafy sea dragons – or ‘leafies’ as they’re known locally – are doing their spring fling right now. An act that lasts for days and leaves dad with about 250 eggs to hatch. You can take a guided dive to watch respectfully, which would be interesting, but nothing is going to get me submerged in that water temperature. I'll have a look on YouTube.
The sun was bright today but we spent most of it searching for shelter from the chilly wind as we read and relaxed. We all enjoyed another of Glenn's specialty rendang curry dinners in the comfort of our van.
Friday 22nd Nov
Greeted by a beautiful sunny morning and the wind has abated for now. The sky is a beautiful blue and so is the water. Jenni chose to find a quiet corner and have a peaceful day with her book while the rest of us played Links Lady Bay Golf Course.
Laid out over the coastal plain which is wedged between rolling hills and the waters of the Gulf of St Vincent, this is South Australia’s No.1 ranked Public Access Course. The layout takes you out from the clubhouse in two loops of nine holes. Each hole runs in a different direction to the previous, so you are always considering the wind which of course has sprung up again by now. Every hole has strategic mounding and bunkers lie in wait beside the fairways and around the greens. Although relatively flat, there seemed to be an inordinate amount of walking between green and tee, so we were all pretty weary as we returned to the carpark. I'd hire a cart if I was to play this one again.
The park had filled while we were golfing, early starters for a weekend by the seashore. It was great to see kids out playing 'hide and seek' etc and making their own fun instead of being stuck to a screen. It got to a high of 17 deg C this afternoon. Whoopee!
For the first time in a long time we were able to eat dinner outdoors as it was quite warm and the wind had abated again. Then we went indoors and played Australian Rummy while Eric read and checked cricket scores. He cannot stand card games. Jenni whipped us big time. Tomorrow we head to the Barossa region.
How bizarre. After that 40+ deg day we went to bed and listened to the wind howling through the olive trees and felt it rock the van at times. It was a hot blast too, no relief until early morning. It had dropped back to about 14 deg C by the time we were rising. We pulled on the fleecies again as we packed up and moved on.
Normanville was once the area's main port but most of the original jetty has been washed away. The white sandy beach stretches for more than 7kms, and the caravan park we are camping in, sits just behind the heritage listed sand dunes. Right now hooded plovers are nesting there. The park sits on either side of the Bungala River and plenty of birds are enjoying the surrounds.
We went for a walk along the beach to the jetty and beach cafe at the Surf Club. Looking at the state of the sea today I would think the members here get as little experience of surf as those at Darwin Surf Club but Glenn assured me that when there is a southerly swell conditions would change dramatically.
Later the boys checked out the local golf course, one that Eric has had on his bucket list all along. We are booked in for tomorrow. Jenni shared with me her altered book project and it is something I think I will try my hand at. It is a type of visual journal, I just need now to find the right text to begin. I went for a cycle along the bike path between here and North Bay at Carrickalinga. It was an out and back trail that follows the coast, separated from the traffic.
Back at the jetty I found more hooded plovers. These birds like surf beaches and to nest between the high-water mark and in the sand dunes. This is one of the reasons they are vulnerable as we like to walk in the same space and many people take dogs with them. They are easy targets for ravens, gulls, foxes and other predators so the local Natural Resources task force do their best to protect them. I found this lovely leafy sea dragon mural on the wall of the public conveniences. South Australia’s leafy sea dragons – or ‘leafies’ as they’re known locally – are doing their spring fling right now. An act that lasts for days and leaves dad with about 250 eggs to hatch. You can take a guided dive to watch respectfully, which would be interesting, but nothing is going to get me submerged in that water temperature. I'll have a look on YouTube.
The sun was bright today but we spent most of it searching for shelter from the chilly wind as we read and relaxed. We all enjoyed another of Glenn's specialty rendang curry dinners in the comfort of our van.
Friday 22nd Nov
Greeted by a beautiful sunny morning and the wind has abated for now. The sky is a beautiful blue and so is the water. Jenni chose to find a quiet corner and have a peaceful day with her book while the rest of us played Links Lady Bay Golf Course.
Laid out over the coastal plain which is wedged between rolling hills and the waters of the Gulf of St Vincent, this is South Australia’s No.1 ranked Public Access Course. The layout takes you out from the clubhouse in two loops of nine holes. Each hole runs in a different direction to the previous, so you are always considering the wind which of course has sprung up again by now. Every hole has strategic mounding and bunkers lie in wait beside the fairways and around the greens. Although relatively flat, there seemed to be an inordinate amount of walking between green and tee, so we were all pretty weary as we returned to the carpark. I'd hire a cart if I was to play this one again.
For the first time in a long time we were able to eat dinner outdoors as it was quite warm and the wind had abated again. Then we went indoors and played Australian Rummy while Eric read and checked cricket scores. He cannot stand card games. Jenni whipped us big time. Tomorrow we head to the Barossa region.
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