We have decided to have one night in Ceduna, before we tackle the trip across the Nullarbor.  It's just a bit far to go to Eucla in the one day from Streaky Bay.  And we like the park at Ceduna, right on the foreshore and close to the main street.  In fact it is great, you can walk to the shops and the hotel for a meal.  And the bowling green is opposite if you feel like a roll!  

They have done lots of work to the park recently.  There is a new ablution block, camp kitchen and lots of trees have been removed and new ones planted.  Now you can see right through to Thevenard Port.  The new concrete pads are wide enough for the caravan and annex.  We were in the last section to be done and it is definitely happening next week the guy told Peter.  It was the same area we were together in 4 years ago.  No oysters this time though!

We left a little before 9.00am once again, which does seem to be our favoured time, stopping at Smokey Bay for morning tea.  Smokey Bay is known for its oysters and our timing was perfect, as all the oyster boats were returning with their catch.  So there was a bit of clicking happening.

We were set up at Ceduna by just after 11.00am so we decided to go out to Thevenard Peninsula and the Port before lunch.  The town of Ceduna has a population of just over 4,000 and the Port region is 3 kilometres from the town.  The port at Thevenard, handles bulk grain, gypsum, salt and zircon. Thevenard is a terminus on the isolated Eyre Peninsula Railway  network, and receives several trains daily of bulk gypsum from the Lake MacDonnell  mine at Kevin near Penong. Iluka Resources exports 300,000 tonnes of zircon product from Thevenard annually.  The existing jetty has two berths each capable of handling ships of 198m length overall.  In 2014 I took a photo of an information board at the viewing area at the Port.  On the board the quantities were listed of each commodity shipped from the Port.  I couldn't believe that the board hasn't been replaced with something they can update!  So with the help of the web once again, I have found the Port exported over 500,000 tonnes of grain following the  2016/17 harvest.  It was a record export, the previous being 479,000 tonnes.  These figures are so much higher than the 140,000 tonnes displayed on the panel.

There was a Cairn at Pinky Point, the name of the viewing area at Port Thevenard, and it was about the Dutch Explorer in 1627.  The explorer that we have had quite a bit of discussion about since our stay in Streaky Bay.  There has been more discussion between us all after reading the plaque on the Cairn.  It is a different named ship and a different commander, but he charted the main islands in 1627 and mapped the coast and called it 'Peter Nuijtsland' in honour of his 'Supercargo'.   The plaque had been donated by the Dutch people of South Australia.  I have searched to find out about 'supercargo' and it is is a person employed on board a vessel by the owner and he has the highest rank aboard the ship and receives the highest salary.  So is this Peter Nuijts the same Dutch man?  I even found that there is a geocache at Ceduna named 'Nuyts to You' and there is lots of information about Pieter Nuyts' in the description of the cache.  It's not all about finding, there's lots to be learnt too.  We will never know the answers, but it has created lots of discussion about the Dutch maping this area of Australia 150 years before Matthew Flinders.

Then there was another display panel named 'The Absolute Edge'.  It made reference to 'Gulliver's Travels' and the popular 1718 novel by Jonathon Swift and it may have well been set on the islands before you.  This display panel does mention Pieter Nuyts, so surely it is misspelt on the Cairn plaque.  Oh dear!  The story goes on and on.  The visit to the Port area certainly provided another history lesson and discussion.  There were a number of tiles set in the concrete around the picnic seating and shelter.  Observation by John informed me the CWA had provided the structure to celebrate the branches 70th birthday in 2003.   I had taken photos in 2014, just didn't necessarily retain the info!  

I spent some of the afternoon cooking.  I made some of the Lemon Poppyseed Cheesecakes in the Thermie and some Lemon Curd.  Just because I had 2 lemons to use up.  Couldn't through them away!   But we will enjoy the dessert and it is good to do some cooking, even when you are caravaning!   And we have a potato bake and a small potato salad in the fridge.  We made a coleslaw at Streaky.  It is okay to take salads across the border so long as they have a dressing on them.   I wandered down the street for a bit and spent a few dollars in Ceduna and checked out the craft shop across the street on Dorothy's recommendation.  So all in all it was a nice cruisy afternoon.

Peter and I went off to find the geocache at the golf club and Pete found that one.  It seemed a good thing to do as last time here we played the first two holes of the Nullarbor Links.  We enjoyed playing the longest golf course in the world on our journey back across the Nullarbor.  I'm hoping we might stop for a geocache or two this trip!  We will see.  I know what my dear husband is like about stopping!

We enjoyed dinner at the hotel and that was where we read about Thomas Mudge from Streaky Bay having the Ceduna Hotel for over 20 years in the early 1900's.  The story of the Hotel is on the first two pages of the Menu.  It was a good idea.