Even when on holidays housekeeping chores need to be done and today was the day for that. Despite the threatening skies, Lucinda did a load of clothes washing this morning and in the afternoon I took the car to the car wash to try and remove the bugs and dust we'd collected along the way. Interestingly apart from the ability to select the usual foaming brush and high pressure rinse attachments, this wash had a built-in set of under body wash nozzles - perhaps I've not seen them as I can't remember the last time I used a commercial car wash at home.

We actually awoke to a strange weather day because while when we looked out the caravan windows we saw sun and blue sky, it was raining! It didn't seem to worry the many rabbits which make the Port Lincoln Tourist Park home along with us caravanners . They quite happily come out during daylight hours to browse on the grass near the campsites. There is also a surprising amount of birdlife around the Park and one particular bird with some bright yellow colouring seemed to take a liking to the rearview mirror on the Territory. At times it almost seemed it was looking at its reflection in the mirror. And at one stage it jumped onto the amateur radio antenna mounted on the bonnet of the Territory - pretty tricky given it's just a vertical pole.

We lunched at a cafe on Tasman Terrace which is like Port Lincoln's esplanade, overlooking Boston Bay and just near the Makybe Diva statue (refer our previous visit). While we'd walked down this street during our previous visit, we'd not noticed the Flinders Archway adjacent to the Civic Hall. The archway and associated bronze memorial tablets were unveiled 27th May 1936 by Governor Winston Dugan. It was decided to place a memorial here together with one at Proper Bay to compliment the older Monument on Stamford Hill . The two tablets are framed by the archway that spans between the Civic Hall and the former site of the Institute.

The museum at the old Railway Station has limited opening times, but Wednesday it is open from 1 to 4pm and so that's where we headed after lunch. While the rail network of the Eyre Peninsula is the theme of this museum, we found the collection of displays gave a great insight into the lives of those who pioneered this area. A couple of reports/recollections were very insightful:

A report from the Port Lincoln Times of Thursday 7 May 1942 in regard to a three level camouflaged structure constructed for the Volunteer Air Observers Corp - "The provision of the necessary shelter and accommodation at the post is not carried out by the government, but by the local volunteers. Observers at the posts for the whole 24 hours seven days per week. The 24 hours are divided into eight three hours shifts . Ladies take the three shifts between 9am and 6pm while men are on watch from 6pm to 9am. During the Winter the watching will be a very cold job. There are no doubt many people who cannot offer to take a turn watching, who would nevertheless be willing to assist in providing protection from the cold for those on duty.
Since writing the above, Mr N. W. Wright states that he has been offered a kerosene heater for the post and a tin of kerosene. He has the matter in hand and something will be done."

A recollection by Dorothy Chesterfield titled "From the Office Upstairs" - "When I left school in 1931 it was the time of the great depression. I consider that I was fortunate to have gained the necessary qualifications to be accepted by the SAR as a stenographer in the Superintendents office.
From an upstairs office window, one of my favourite pastimes was to watch the arrival of the newly appointed school teachers as they transferred from the boat to the train . They always looked so glamorous and filled with excitement as they set out. Returning to the city at the end of term appearances had often changed."

In the goods shed display was a tent and just to show how history repeats itself, the storyboard for the display explained that while this style of tent was used by ordinary rail workers, it was also used post WWII to accommodate displaced persons from Europe who were engaged by the railways for work on the Eyre Peninsula. In the goods shed were also a couple of Fairmont rail inspection vehicles that were manufactured in 1955 and were restored by Murray Wright. This had a connection with Lucinda with 1955 being the year of her birth and Wright being her maiden name.

On the way out on the side of the shed wall they had all the Melbourne Cup winners names from 1862 until the 2014 with a space ready to fill in for the 2015 winner, with of course local Makybe Diva being listed for three consecutive years: 2003, 2004, and 2005.

Dinner was smoked fish cakes accompanied by stir fried lemony green beans and snow peas with toasted almond sprinkle - very nice. Desert was creme caramel.