Millicent and Beachport.
We are on the move again and the sun is shinning. We head into Millicent 50kms away west. Proclaimed in 1870 it is the rural centre for SA pine plantations. At least the roads around here , whether main or dirt [that go through the pines], are good because of the trucks bringing the wood out. We stop to look at Lake McIntyre, walk around and have lunch before we head for Beachport and our stop for the night in the conservation park at 3 mile bend and looking out at Lake George.


Beachport
Beachport was named in 1878 and has the second longest jetty in South Australia, reaching 772 metres into the bay. Beachport has sea on two sides with a surf beach and a safe swimming beach.
Whaling used to take place in the bay but now the jetty is a good viewing point for the southern right whale. 
 
 
While we here we see the sites of
Pool of Siloam -salt lake
This lake or pool is 7 times saltier than sea water so this makes the water good for swimming or just floating. Salt water makes you so buoyant. Yes you guessed, we went for a swim to try it. Apparently there is a group of older people who swim all year. Its bloody cold , you can walk out or use the pontoon, we walk out first. Larry gets out further than me and swims , I get to my waist and nearly gave up and got out, but had to do this. So plunged in and could not swim far , went to get out , stood up, then tried again and again and again. I got out after about 15mins never to return Larry got out then jumped in the deep from the pontoon to swim to shore.
 
 
After getting dry and dressed we drive the Bowman scenic drive which follows the coast line with lots of lookouts and we get some great photos.
This stretch of coast is not for swimming but has a lot of surf fishermen on it and a few contests at different times of the year.


Cape Martin lighthouse walk and lookout is next. A short walk through the dunes and past the lighthouse and you look towards Penguin Island and the ruins of the first lighthouse built 1878. This is a sanctuary for the Little or Fairy penguin and other sea birds.
We have not ha enough walking so we walk Beachports centennial park and lagoon.
If we are to get to the Nullarbor and further to WA ,as well as see as much as we can , we have to keep moving.
 
 
The next night will be a bit further up the coast in the Little Dip National park at the Gums camp site. We are the only ones there except some southern hairy nose wombats, we see 3 different ones in or around the campsite. Camp is only a large sand dune away from the ocean, a 5 minutes walk.
We unhook the van so we can go further into the park along dirt road to see the only fresh water lake in the area. Most coastal lakes are saline.

 

When we leave here we pass through a couple of coastal towns , Robe then Kingston SE. Both fishing towns that also rely on tourism, both quite nice very liveable apart from winter cold.
Kingston SE named SE , south east, because there is another Kingston in SA. This place has Larry the lobster so I had to take photo, he stands outside a licensed bistro, bottle shop place. The main thing commercial fishing here is southern rock lobster.

 

Our next national park is the Coorong of 50.000 ha and 100km coast at the mouth of the Murray river. Camp is for 2 nights at 42mile crossing camp. We are not alone here as it is the start of the Queens birthday long weekend. The walk to the beach and ocean is over a kilometre over sand dunes, and there is a camp site on the beach for tents. These people surf fish.
Leaving the van we drive to Salt Creek so we can walk the nature walk over sand dunes and to a lake and back past where they used to harvest salt. This is a pretty good walk well sign posted with plant names. After the walk we drive bark to the van via the 4 wheel loop track, it busy with people trying out there cars,


 
In the morning we were going to go head for Murray bridge but were late getting away. We had a flat tyre on the caravan and we have had a light frost during the night making handling everything hard. After taking a lot longer than usual to change the wheel we get on the road and it is getting busy with people heading home from their break so we decide to pull in at the other end of Coorong NP at a place called Parinka Point . There is still a few people still here but by early afternoon we are alone apart from the occasional car just driving in to see the sites on their way home.So we walk and see the sites but it is still cold ,I have a hat and mittens on. Tomorrow we head for Murray Bridge then up through fossil country and around Port Augusta and west.

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