Ingwelala and South Africa are the last posts on this blog.

We have moved to our new blog "Ochre Lands" (see link above) for our travels northwards.

Ingwelala, South Africa, May 2016

Photo by Gillian's sister, Barbara
For more photos of animals and birds at Ingwelala see our blog "Birds and other Creatures".
More photos of South Africa have been added below.

South Africa and Perth

Valley of Desolation with Graaff Reinet (South Africa) in the background.....mother and son reunion!

Good morning, Cape Town... the Mother City and my birthplace!

View of Table Mountain from our balcony in Tamboerskloof which lies on the slopes of Lion's Head and Signal Hill....cable car to the right of the mountain.

Chapman's Peak drive on a perfect day in Cape Town.

Mike and Jane's home and garden with Overberg mountains in the background.

Colours of Africa on a road trip near Hoedspruit, South Africa.



..........meanwhile back in Perth

The Black Swans of Perth

Westonia, WA

Ratings: CP ** Surroundings ***

We spent a few nights in the quiet, rural and historical town of Westonia to rest and recover from days of travelling and visited the Edna May gold mine at the edge of the town.  It became operational in 1911 and has opened and closed three times due to problems relating to underground water, the exhaustion of high grade ore and labour supply during the war. It reopened for the fourth time in 2010 and is expected to have an effective mine life of approximately nine years.

Coolgardie, WA

Ratings: CP ** Surroundings **

The Coolgardie Courthouse was built from local stone during 1895 and operated as a courthouse for over a century. Today it houses the Information Centre and a museum with excellent displays including a huge bottle collection from the gold rush days.  The wide streets allowed the camel trains to turn.

Overnight stops along the Eyre Hwy (Nullarbor)

KIMBA, SA

Kimba Roadhouse with the best curry along the Eyre Highway!

POOCHERA, SA

We were given the key to explore the nearby museum, a treasure trove of memorabilia. Poochera is also home to a colony of the endangered Dinousaur Ants.

PENONG, SA

Our own little shade house! Windmills pump water from the Anjutabie water basin.

NULLARBOR ROADHOUSE, SA

Morning arrives after a night of road trains thundering by.

EUCLA, WA

A welcome peaceful overnight stay overlooking the ocean and Nullarbor Plain. We were one of the first to arrive after the previous night's travellers had left and by evening, the caravan park was almost full again.
The Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) uses demarcated sections of the highway in emergencies as there are no medical facilities and services across the Nullarbor.

CAIGUNA, WA

Time to pack up and move westwards again on the longest straight stretch of road in Australia.

FRASER RANGE STATION, WA

A working station in the outback on the western edge of the Nullarbor where we met up with some emus during an afternoon walk and spent our final night under the clear starry skies of  the Nullarbor.

Port Germein, South Australia

Ratings:  CP ** Surroundings ***

Our final night on Yorke Peninsula was spent at a caravan park in Port Germein on Spencer Gulf.  This view is from the gate of the caravan park.  This recently restored lighthouse was erected in 1894 at the end of the longest wooden jetty in Australia. A vehicle races over the sand flats as the tide turns and the ocean waters begin to rise,

The wooden jetty, constructed in 1881 and extended two years later, appears to have a 'vanishing point' as it stretches 1.6 kilometres to intersect with the Spencer Gulf waters at low tide.  Extensively damaged in a storm surge in 2017 but was restored in the same year!

The return walk...

We woke to find the sand flats covered by a high tide on our final morning on the Spencer Gulf.

Wallaroo, South Australia

Ratings: CP *** (s'be **** too noisy) Surroundings *****

 White sands of North Beach where people drive vehicles of any type onto the beach and enjoy  stunning sunsets over the Spencer Gulf,

Blues and whites on the ocean: these boats are part of the Spencer Gulf prawn fleet based in Wallaroo, a deep sea port which is also the apex of the Copper Triangle.

Returning to port with a day's catch.

The sun sets as the tide rolls in...

Yorketown, South Australia

Ratings: CP *** Surroundings **

Peaceful rural surrounds of Yorketown depicted in a colourful painting on corrugated iron in Centenary Garden. Yorketown is a small rural community at the southern end of Yorke Peninsula. The surrounding landscape is dotted with farms and small inland salt lakes, some of which are still mined.

This spoon laden wind chime attracted my attention outside the Community Shop in this old Masonic Hall, built in 1910.

Circles in the rocks discovered on a walk during a day trip to Marion Bay, a popular holiday destination at the tip of the Peninsula

Time for lunch at this cafe where we enjoyed a welcome coffee and light lunch. Choice was limited due to the voracious appetites of the Easter Weekend visitors who had left the day before!

Port Vincent, South Australia

Ratings: CP **** Surroundings *****

Hopeful fisherman glide into Gulf St Vincent in the pink morning light....

Pelicans and silver gulls greet returning fishermen during the afternoon and wait patiently for fishy morsels to be thrown to them.

My own little beach at low tide in the Gulf St Vincent.

Setting free an undersized King George Whiting caught from the rocks....

.....while content sea lions have an afternoon nap!

View from cliffs overlooking our car, the bay at low tide and our caravan park in the distance. The tidal range can be between 6 and 9 feet and at low tide, crabbing enthusiasts venture across the muddy flats avoiding being cut by the prehistoric looking razor fish.

Balaklava, South Australia

Mats washed and lavender watered on a hot day in rural Balaklava away from the coastal crowds during this South Australian long weekend.

Discovered this beautiful mural on a day trip to Port Wakefield,..... Yorke Peninsula is our next destination before heading west.

Port Elliot, South Australia

Ratings: CP **** Surroundings ****

Granite rocks worn smooth by the pounding ocean near Crockery Bay, Port Elliot on the Fleurieu Peninsula.

Magnificent Clydesdale horse draws this antique tram along a tramway between Victor Harbor and Granite Island. The tramway was established in 1894 to take produce to and from a jetty on Granite Island where larger ships would dock. Tours at dusk allow opportunities to see the fairy penguins.

 The causeway linking Victor Harbor with Granite Island crosses Encounter Bay.

A sweeping bridge connecting the residential island of Hindmarsh with Goolwa. The construction of the bridge remains controversial. A group of Ngarrindjeri women elders claimed that the site was sacred to them in 1994 and this became known as "Secret Women's Business". It resulted in a number of court cases and differing findings. Opinion relating to this issue remains divided.

Mouth of the mighty Murray River! We have followed most of the course of this river during our travels. Dredging is seen as one of the necessary interventions to keep the river mouth open and improve the health of the river. The dredger can be seen to the left of this photograph.