Relaxing

Enjoying our time here at Port Julia, decided to stay a week. Enjoying the comforts of our van, especially on these sites with no power, finding the solar panels and batteries are providing what we need, but occasionally we talk about getting a small generator, but so far have not needed one.

 Had a day out at Moonta, had a walk on the beach there by the caravan park, remembering where we camped two years ago. We planned to have cake and a cuppa in Moonta town and then get cold pasties to take back for tea, that didn't work and we ended up with chips and dim sims for lunch and had to buy our Cornish pasties in Maitland on the way back. We also caught up with Jim and Jenny who are staying at Ardrossan about 25ks away for a morning cuppa at their caravan,  plan to catch up again over lunch tomorrow, not seen them for a few years so lots to chat about.

Today we had relaxing morning and then a drive to Port Vincent about 15mins down the coast, a lovely seaside town, we had a coffee and hot donut at the cafe and it was the best donut I have had, so hot you needed a napkin to pick it up, really yummy.

The weather has been great, warming up over the weekend but always a breeze around especially in the afternoons, because of daylight saving it doesn't dark till around 8pm.

Our Cornish pastie and salad tea

Port Vincent

A man and his dog, 

Cafe where we had coffee and donuts

Yummy donuts and coffee

Looking towards caravan park, Port Vincent 

Port Julia

Yesterday we travelled about 200 ks South on to the Yorke Peninsula and stopped at Port Julia, a nice small place, few houses about, no shops!! We are camped on the oval, $7 a night, no power or showers but a clean flush toilet, looks a nice relaxing place and we walked down to the jetty before tea. Tea was steak for Brian and salmon steak for me with salad, the salmon we caught earlier at Woolworths. Good tv reception but nothing we wanted to watch, did catch Downton Abbey on Sunday night at Gladstone, first time we had tv reception. 

Enjoying travelling with the van, it's so nice to stop for morning tea and just pop into the van, make the tea and sit out of the weather or flies etc.

This morning we walked along the coast a bit hoping to reach some bays we could see in the distance but when we got there it was private property, so we wandered back, Bentley was getting a bit tired and hot, and we took him down to the beach and he was straight in the water, he does love the water and then he was madly running up and down the beach, he is now asleep in the van!! 

Jetty at Port Julia

Bentley scrambled down the sea wall and struggled to get back up. Brian went down to help him and Bentley got up on his own with no help, such a clever dog.

Looking down on Port Julia on our walk this morning

Bentley relived to get in the water after a hot walk

Cooking day

Today is our first full day with power so I decide it was time Thelma saw the light of day, she has been safely under the bed for the last two weeks. I made a red lentil and tomato soup, and easy quiche (without pastry), Brian made savoury scones and tonight I will make Chickpea and Sausage casserole plus Brian cooked food for Bentley in the camp kitchen, so a very productive day...

It got warm this afternoon and we had the luxury of the air conditioning, so so cool, had a quick drive around town to the old Gaol which looks quite impressive and has had some restoration and then back to camp. Still deciding where to move on to tomorrow 

Photos of our productive day, the freezer is now full ..

Thelma sees daylight

Savoury scones

Soup

Quiche

Tonight's tea sausage and chick pea casserole

All about food tonight, maybe some scenery tomorrow 

Point Lowly

Weather a bit better today, not so windy, as we hadn't been to this area before it was good to explore,  we took a walk to the lighthouse and surrounds and also a drive up the track to more isolated campsites, had to go into 4wd!! There is an oil refinery nearby run by Santos.  It's a lovely coastline, we can look across Spencer Gulf to the southern Flinders Ranges, the shoreline is very rocky and cuttlefish come to this area specifically to lay their eggs under the rocky ledges. I have read all about how the cuttlefish mate but maybe won't write that in my blog, very interesting if anyone wants to google .....

We have decided to stay another night and plan to drive into Whyalla tomorrow to do some shopping and have a look around.

We will then head on to the Yorke Peninsula and we have been in contact with Brian's brother Jim and his wife Jenny who are also on the road and plan to meet up somewhere on the Yorke Peninsula.

The refinery with storm clouds behind.

Point Lowly light house

Rocky coastline 

Point Lowly

Today we are at Point Lowly it's  on the Eyre Peninsula still, it's a $5 a night camp and quite busy, a few locals come here, but all saying it's too windy for fishing !! And it is too, about 40 knot winds at the moment but we are very snug in our van, drinking tea, looks a lovely area and we are thinking of staying a couple of nights.

Because of the wind we couldn't cook outside so decided on scrambled eggs on home made toast followed by sticky date pudding and ice cream.......

Maybe some photos of the area tomorrow 

Brian and Bentley checking the weather

A lovely pudding, looks romantic with the candle

Another lovely day.

Another lovely day in Haslam, made even better by Brian catching a lovely King George Whiting, a couple of other fish too which he is keeping for bait. It's been a pleasant day, chatting and relaxing and doing some washing, have to do chores sometimes, our caravan neighbours moved their van last night as they couldn't get their satellite dish on top of the caravan to work under the trees, still didn't work after the move so they moved back this morning, I think there must have been something special on tv last night to hook up and move the van!!!

We are thinking of moving on tomorrow, have been here a week. Not sure exactly where we will go but heading across the Eyre Peninsula, eventually getting on to the next  peninsula which is the Yorke. 

We have enjoyed our stay here despite the weather at the start and are finding the van lovely and comfy, feels like home, Bentley has been allowed to roam around so he will miss that if he has to be on the lead or tied up. 

Just like home for Bentley, sit on the bed and look out the window

Happy Hour at Haslem Beach

Catch of day

Our yummy tea, note the cute salt and pepper set, thanks Deb xxxxxxx 

 

Loaves and Fishes

Yes loaves but no fishes, Brian baked some bread today, started the dough last night and left in the fridge overnight and gave it a second prove this morning, into the oven and fresh bread for lunch!! Today is the first day we felt the weather has been normal since we arrived, we have had hot hot, blustery winds, stormy rain and today was sunshine, just a breeze till after lunch, was able to sit under the awning and relax, read, chat etc.  Brian did go down the jetty as did others hoping for some fish but nothing, the wind came in strong in the afternoon which doesn't seem good for fishing. A few people moved on and different neighbours tonight, very friendly, managed to get my iPad charged by one of them as they had a generator.... 

Ready for the oven

Baked

Ready for lunch, was so yum 

Haslem Jetty

Settling in at Haslem

Cooler yesterday thank goodness, still very stormy looking sky but nice southerly breeze. We both felt hungry so had bacon and eggs for breakfast, spent the morning around camp, settling ourselves in, Brian got solar panel up etc. a bit of an exodus with about 4 vans leaving but as the day progressed it gradually filled up. Nothing much on the fishing scene, maybe it's the winds! We did try for squid after tea but the wind and then some rain came in so we headed back to camp. Tea was curried chicken and rice which we had frozen in the engel 

Well that was Wednesday 

Today Thursday we have take a trip to Streaky Bay about 40ks south to get some supplies,just enjoyed a take away coffee and vanilla slice on the foreshore before we hit IGA. We have used one tank of water since arriving in Haslem, but asking around that seems about average, filled up our tank using the town water in bucket and 12 volt pump, very clever we thought ..... Internet reception not good in Haslem catching the opportunity while in Streaky Bay

Bentley at the beach

Under the jetty

Chicken curry for tea 

Xxxxxx

Hot Hot Hot

Well yesterday was so hot, we travelled into Ceduna to pick up water as our tanks were empty and headed out to Haslem Beach which was about 70 ks further on, we could see the temp gauge in the car rising saying it was 42 as we reached Haslem !!! We found a reasonably shady spot and decided not to unhook the van while it was so hot, about another 8 campers here. The winds were strong coming from North and east so hot winds. We made sure we drank lots of water and just rested, Bentley started to get quite stressed in the heat and was panting and couldn't find a cool spot so we took him down to the beach. The beach here is very rocky and mounds of seaweed so it was a matter of finding the best way to the water, which was shallow as the tide was low, he enjoyed a swim and then of course had to roll in the seaweed, so we dumped him back in the water before heading back to camp and sat him on a chair in the shade, he sat there for quite a while. About 4pm the windy changed to South easterly and we got a cooler breeze coming in, we went to the happy hour with other campers, very friendly lot, a few from Perth who are heading to Melbourne and crossing on the ferry to Tasmania later this month.

We sat and enjoyed the cooler breeze and watched the storm clouds gather and then about 7pm the wind got very strong and it was a case of bringing in the awning and making sure nothing was lying around as it felt like we were going to get a storm come through, but it didn't happen,just wind. We hadn't had tea at this stage and our idea of cooking eggs and bacon outside was not going to happen we ended up with beans on toast in the van!! 

I'm writing this at about 4am after having a good sleep and it's lovely and cool, think I might make a cup of tea, no idea what the weather will do today, hot, stormy, not sure 

Bentley feeling cooler and relaxing after his swim

Our camp at Haslem 

On the Nullabor

Well we started our trip on Friday 7th February heading out from Albany and camping outside of Ravensthorpe on our first night, second night saw us on the Nullabor camped at 90 mile sign, which is the start if 90 miles or 145 klm of straight, straight rd. Third night we stopped at Eucla caravan park, $25 a night and showers cost $1, we had power so used electric frypan, microwave, didn't need air conditioning, such luxury, tonight our 4th night we are 80 or so klm from  Ceduna in SA at a rest area, it's warmer today and forecast warmer tomorrow. Now on SA time which is two and half hours ahead of WA and at 7pm the sun is still quite high in the sky, it's warm but nice breeze. Tomorrow we plan to head to Ceduna, top up with water and head out to Haslam Beach, which is a free or donation camp site, after travelling the last few days we will be ready to set up camp and relax 

Sunset on the Nullabor

Bunda cliffs just last Eucla 

Our camp tonight