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.

Strathalbyn, South Australia

Ratings: CP ** Surroundings **

 The Murray River at Tailem Bend

Strathalbyn in the early morning

Meningie, South Australia

Ratings: CP *** Surroundings ***

Evening and the everchanging colours and moods of Lake Albert in the Coorong with its abundance of birdlife . It is a shallow fresh water lake, 25 kilometres long, between 7 and 14 kilometres wide with an average depth of 1.5 metres. It was named after Queen Victoria's consort, Prince Albert. Coorong is derived from the Aboriginal word 'Karangh' meaning 'narrow neck'. The Coorong stretches 150 kilometres from the mouth of the River Murray near Goolwa to  just beyond Salt Creek and is the breeding ground for a variety of waterbirds.

Swallows

Sunset from our site

Robe, South Australia

Rating: CP ** Surroundings ***

The Obelisk at Cape Dombey was erected in 1852 to guide mariners into Guichen Bay. It was believed to be painted with the red and white stripes to be clearly seen from 20 kilometres out to sea.

Doorway Rock...the waters and winds of the Southern Ocean have eroded parts of the limestone coast sculpturing the seascape. The Little Dip Conservation Park, just south of Robe was set aside to protect the rugged Southern Ocean coastline, a large area of coastal dune systems, part of the Lake Eliza foreshore and a number of small inland lakes. Large numbers of Aboriginal people lived in this area thousands of years ago with the sea providing plenty of food such as shellfish.... the discarded remains forming 'middens' or shell heaps are reminders of the past.

Lest we forget. A poignant reminder of Gallipoli.

Robe has a seafaring history dating back to 1847 when it was declared a port. There are over 84 historic buildings and sites with many of the original buildings restored. This quaint cornerstone cottage with a splash of red against the limestone caught my eye!

Millicent, South Australia

Ratings: CP **  Surroundings ***

View from our site

Azure waters at Beachport, a small village on the Limestone Coast with the second longest jetty in South Australia. The jetty was completed in 1882 (1220 metres) and is currently 772 metres long. The town was first settled as a whaling station in the 1830s but today it provides a safe harbour for crayfishing boats and trawlers.

Limestone cliffs sculpted by winds and waves at Cape Buffon.  From as far back as 10 000 years, Aboriginal members of the Boandik group lived along this coast in summer and we discovered one of their shell middens on a walk.

A running figure emerges from sea mists along Geltwood Beach in Canunda National Park!

Giants across the landscape dominating the Woakwine Range skyline near Millicent. These wind farms form the largest wind-farm development in the Southern Hemisphere and consist of 135 wind turbines in the Canunda and near Lake Bonney. They will generate one eighth of South Australia's energy needs when fully operational.

Edenhope, Victoria

A jetty leading into the parched Lake Wallace, where fishing and boating were part of the lifestyle in Edenhope until a year ago when waters dried up due to poor rainfall.

An gnarled face appeared on the banks of the parched lake attracting my attention!
These red gums are able to survive droughts due to their deep root systems.

The annual Henley on Lake Wallace Festival.... a day of family fun with a vintage vehicle and float procession, music and air displays. Despite the drought, people come to Edenhope from nearby communities to share and enjoy the day. This float of exuberant muddy young people with eucalyptus branches, was raising awareness about the predicament of the lake. Their placards stated " Fill our Lake". Lakes have been filled in some drought affected areas where water from old mines is treated and used.

The festival ends in bursts of crackling sparkles of colour over Lake Wallace.