Today the temperatures were the highest we have encountered on our travels yet, with the outside temperature shown in the car reaching 44degC at times.

It was actually a very pleasant 22degC as we reluctantly departed Port Lincoln under a cloudy sky . Our original plan was just to retrace our route back to Port Augusta via the coast, but in some tourist brochures we'd seen few points of interest around Kimba and we realised we could get to Port Augusta via Kimba without adding too much to the trip length.

But before we headed inland on our revised route we stopped off at Arno Bay for a morning tea break. It's very clear the locals are very proud of this little hidden gem on the coast as illustrated by the heritage mural painted on the wall of the old bakery, other historical story boards at points of interest and the general tidiness of the village. A cup of tea and a sticky bun at the mini-mart adjacent to the pier car-park hit the spot perfectly.

On the other side of the car-park was a row of beach side cottages. A couple tending their front garden said hello and we had a pleasant chat about the area. They were from Ceduna, but had their cottage as a holiday house for many years and have recently moved there permanently . Their cottage was originally the harbour master's residence and so they've chosen not to significantly renovate it to keep its character. However some others in the row have not taken the same path and have added a second storey while retaining the old building to avoid building constraints. Only the newly local council developed grassed Centenary Park, which was previously a road and a line of pine trees, separated them from the beach and one could imagine going to sleep each night to the gentle sounds of waves. They admitted their life in the sleepy village was like being on a permanent holiday. 

But it was time to move on and we headed inland towards Cleve and then onto Kimba. The undulating countryside provided an enjoyable change from the terrain we'd been covering, despite the cross winds. And with the move inland came rising temperatures and soon the outside temperature had risen over 40degC.

Kimba's claim to fame is being 'halfway across Australia' - that is it is halfway between Sydney and Perth . And to go with that they have the Big Galah. We had lunch at the shop adjacent to the Big Galah and you'd think in such hot country they would offer something other that hot pies, pasties and sausage rolls, like a sandwich, but not so!

Before continuing onto Port Augusta after lunch we took a 3km detour West of Kimba to a high point named Whites Knob. The contemporary Edward John Eyre Sculpture is located here. Erected in November 2011, these stunning figures are an artistic tribute to Edward John Eyre and the indigenous men whose bush skills he so often relied on. Roland Weight and Marcus Possingham were the sculptors. Born in England in 1815, Eyre is remembered as the first man to cross the continent from Sydney to the Swan River. The Eyre Peninsula, Lake Eyre and Eyre Highway are named after him.

Iron Knob was the last point of interest before we reached Port Augusta and as we approached the signs of the mining activity could be seen, however on making the short detour into the Iron Knob township it was like entering a deserted town from a Western movie. It is referred to as the birthplace of the steel industry in Australia, but apparently when the mine closed down in 1998 people began to leave the town in the search for work, turning it into a ghost town.
  
And so it was onto Port Augusta for an overnight stay before heading toward Morgan for our last night in South Australia, but we are looking forward to a lengthy stop tomorrow at Peterborough as there appears to be a number of interesting attractions there. 

Dinner tonight was a chicken honey stir fry, which we could enjoy in the relative cool thanks to the caravan's air-conditioner.