There was cloud over Ceduna when we packed up this morning, but no rain. Our first stop was the bakery for take away coffees, croissants, and other baked goods. The “croissants” were more like a white bread roll, and bore no resemblance to real croissants.
Our second stop was to have been Coles Express to top up diesel for the Bushtracker heater. There was a truck in the lane we needed so we gave up and spent our $8 at the OTR on the western outskirt of Ceduna. The tank was still over half full so we were just topping up.
We drove 70kms west along the Eyre Hwy to Penong, where we discovered the van’s Anderson plug had fallen out of its receiver on the Toyota, and is beyond repair. When properly connected this allows the batteries in the van to be charged when the engine is running. The batteries can also be charged via the four solar panels on the roof, or by connecting to 240 volt power.
The service station and General Store were both out of stock of Anderson plugs, so we will have to manage without this for a while. The store advertises it is the last shop for 1,000kms – not quite true as roadhouses are stocked like shops.
We made a brief stop at the Penong Windmill Museum which has 20+ windmills restored by a group of dedicated locals. Since opening in 2016 it has attracted about 100 visitors per day.
After another 47kms driving along the highway, we turned south onto the sealed section of Fowlers Bay Rd. The last 8kms of the road are gravel, mostly good quality but with sections of corrugations.
There is one shop/cafe that doubles as the Fowlers Bay caravan park office. Whale watching tours are available in a small scary boat. A dozen whales were spotted this morning by the tour group. None were spotted by us landlubbers. Apparently early morning is the most likely time to spot the whales.
European settlement here dates back to the late 1800s, but the Dutch first navigated this coast 200 years earlier.
Large areas are designated as a conservation park, where dogs are not allowed. Blue had a good run on the dirt road and piles of seagrass. He would have liked to run up the sand dunes.
The resident Indian ring necked parrots were very busy when I walked over to take a photo.
Anita visited our friends at beer o’clock, causing Bluey to sulk behind my pillows. He loves visiting the luxurious motorhome but doesn’t like Lithium Leo trying to hump him. They had a squabble about this but are still good friends.
Committed Travellers 