Once our decision to stay another day was firmed up before breakfast, I thought today’s entry would either be a one liner or simply delayed until tomorrow. If my husband read this, he would surely roll his eyes and say, “Really?”
But of course life has a way of throwing up oddballs and today was such.
Both Chris and I went up to the office after breakfast to pay the extra day and to exchange a book in the well-stocked exchange library. We found a backpacker couple broken down; a couple of old local chaps doing their best to right the matter. The morning passed with little change in the situation. I thought how lucky it was for them that their problem had occurred here and not halfway across the Nullarbor.
Chris washed the landcruiser and the caravan, hoping no one would come and tell him he should not. There are few rules here I suspect; it is hardly a salubrious camp but does meet our needs. This park is not listed in the advertising brochures or on TripAdvisor; I had thought to offer my advice to any future travellers. There are many permanents, none very inspiring and Chris and I decided the park was no better than the Coach Stop at Maitland in NSW which had been on our “Worst Stayed-in Parks”.
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| A seal at Denial Bay |
After lunch we decided we should venture out; the rain had come to little. We drove the twelve kilometres around the coast to Denial Bay, referred to yesterday as being the beginning of Ceduna. We were quite surprised to find such a big settlement there; perhaps twenty or thirty houses. I had expected little more than a cairn marking the spot.
Across the bay, the grain silos stood out a glistening white on the horizon in the sunlight. The well maintained jetty stretched out into the clean waters of the Bight. We needed little encouragement to set off out to the end and were soon treated to the company of a sleepy whiskered seal, tucked up on a step just above the water level. He looked at us, listened as I spoke to him about the best pose for a photo, and was glad when we bid him farewell and left him in peace. What a bonus!! For us.
We detoured up a few kilometres to the McKenzie ruins, remnants of the homestead from the late 1800s, a few scattered bricks and not much more.
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| Broken dreams; the McKenzie ruins |
As we returned to town, we were obliged to drive once more through the quarantine station, this time quickly dismissed when I told the officer we had been for a tiki-tour out to Denial Bay, nothing more. We then continued on through the town to Ceduna Waters, a new subdivision development south of the main settlement, already occupied with quite a few very plain houses, all with lovely views out onto the bay, none very appealing.
Back in town, we pulled into the Shell Service Station to top up with fuel and then on restarting the vehicle, there was a deathly silence; nothing. We rang the RACQ and they advised someone would be there within the hour. Just as the backpackers were lucky to be here rather than somewhere remote, so were we.
I walked back to camp and caught up with Olly on Skype. Soon Chris turned up, the RAC man having come quickly to his rescue. One of the batteries is stuffed; one purchased in Mildura not so very long ago, so it will be covered by warranty, but in the meantime…?
As I had arrived back at camp, the backpackers were again mobile and thanking all helpers, heading off so late in the day, just glad to be independent once more.
Fortunately tomorrow is Monday and business will be open. We may however have to re-plan our route; I have no desire to be up in the Gawler National Park with a dodgy battery.
So as you can see, the day was not as quiet and uneventful as we had thought over breakfast.
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