Port Augusta to Black Point.

We left Pildappa Rock and headed to Port Augusta for Sunday service. We went to the Presbyterian Church here and had a wonderful morning of fellowship around the traditional morning tea before heading off to the Yorke Peninsula. We had planned to stay overnight at a free camp, but we missed the first one and the second was no go as it was on a highway junction and would have been a very noisy location. We drove on and found that our 3rd choice at Red Hill. We stopped by the pub there to ask directions only to find that the free council campground no longer existed. The very friendly pub owner suggested that we camp up the road 200 metres alongside the river. She said it is such a safe and friendly town that we wouldn’t have any problems. Which is what we did and she was right, it was nice and quiet.

In this sunrise photo you can just make out one of the water side shack

We continued on the very bumpy & wavy roads towards Buta which has a delightful fauna park right next to the highway and a picnic area. The fauna park included the customary red & grey kangaroos, emus and some parma wallabies. It also had some black swans, Cape Barron Geese, white bantam chooks and some other animals. Though it wasn’t big, it was a delightful unexpected interlude.
Anyway on we go down the east coast of Yorke Peninsula. After the long distances we had become used to, it was surprising to come across towns every 30 – 50km. Yorke is so small! Our overnight stop was at Black Point which literally has shacks right up to the waters’ edge. We enjoyed a long leisurely walk along the water edge though our walk was cut short by meeting and chatting to a couple who were renting a shack. They have been renting the same shack for nearly 20 years. We enjoyed a couple of hours chatting with them. They informed us that these same dilapidated shacks are going for $1.5 million. The council here wants all the shacks pulled down but do not have the right to demand it so they have put severe restrictions on building and renovating. You cannot renovate or add to the shack at all, if you build a house further back on your block, you must demolish the shack, etc etc etc. Whilst we were with them we saw dolphins playing just in shore and then a manta ray swam past. By the time we stopped talking and walked back it was high tide and we literally had to walk right up against some of the shacks to get back.

The next morning was a glorious morning & I was up early to catch the sunrise on camera. I also caught up with the washing here  - I just had to wrestle with a twin tub, which I have never used before. I was doing well until I suddenly remembered that I had not rinsed the soapy water out of the clothes, so I had to do that & spin dry all over again. Oh well it is all part of the experience! We left close to lunch time to allow the sheets and clothes time to dry on the line.