Port Augusta Flinders and Outback day cruise 30/6/2011

This morning we went on a Flinders and Outback cruise up the Spencer gulf. We had to meet at the boat ramp at 10:30am but we got there about fifteen minutes early and I am so glad we did. The dolphins (in what we were told was an EXTREMELY rare occourance) decided to come and play under the pontoon style jetty we were standing on. They were chasing a school of large king fish and were ducking and diving everywhere somtimes less than a foot from us and right beneath us. It was absolutely beautiful to watch and Zac was so intrigued and so close to them too.

Once we hopped on the boat the driver played some games with the dolphins, doing "doughnuts" in the water with the boat to create waves for them to play and dive over. He also put a microphone into the water that lead to a speaker which played us the sounds of their squeels of delight as the swam and dove around the boat. They are such beautiful, cheerful creatures.

We then continued up the Spencer Gulf (constantly being followed by the dolphins (I have hundreds of photos of them but I wont barrage you with them all). We got to the part of the Gulf that is known for its beautiful red dirt cliffs. This is the part of Port Augusta I had wanted to see the most and it was absolutely beautiful. Once again my camera could not truly capture ther red of the dirt but I gave it a good try. The Cliffs are such ana mazing site on the edges of the channle but it was quiet sad to see that a few metres of them had already dissapeared into dunes. The edges of the cliffs wear down over the years and slowly the cliffs reshape into simple dunes rather than having those extreme straight edges of cliffs. They turn into slopes and although its still spectacular to see red sloping dunes the cliffs are just brilliant. In front of the cliffs is one of Australias only "red beaches" a beach entirely made of red sand/dirt. Which is also quiet a brilliant sight to see!

We learnt alot about the tides and history of the Spencer Gulf, we learnt that that big shipwreck I posted about on here yesterday (the one I put the photo on here of) was brought in especially to build the bridge, however they parked it (it was a barge) West (inland) of the site where the bridge was being built and used it for the process but once the bridge was finished they realised the barge was too big/tall to bring back past the bridge so they stripped it of any materials worth any money (metals etc) and left the remnants to rot away on the edge of the water.

We also learnt that the moon and the sun (As we all know which are resonsible for the tides) can sometimes become so "in sync" with one another than there can actually be no indentifiable tide for weeks at certain times. This is extremely rare and the Spencer Gulf is one of just two places on the planet that experience this - the other place being Mexico. I think this would be quiet welcome however though because on the low tide hundreds of metres of the gulf dissapear as the entire inalnd end of it empties out and the mangroves and marine life are exposed to the elements which obviously isnt somthing that helps them to thrive.

We learnt alot of local history too about certain buildings on the waters edge and where they came from etc. I find all of this Australian history we are learning about extremely interesting. It's such a contrast from the way I felt about it during highschool when I absolutely hated modern and Australian history and adored ancient history.

Zaccy once again blew us away with his keen interest in the actual content of the tour. He was all for the dolphins and once we were on the boat he was spotting them and pointing them out and encouraging everyone else to look for them. He was asking us questions about the things he saw and what all the creatures would eat/drink/do etc. He gasped when he seen the big red cliffs and the sand banks under the boat. He has been such a good kid the last few days, he is always wonderful but like any other child has his "terrible twos" moments of horror, but the last few days/week he has just been so passionate and interested and inquisitive about everything he is seeing and the originality and thoughtfulness of his questions are just astounding us. I feel as though even though he may be too young to conciously remember this trip around Australia he will gain valuable knowledge, skills and interests from it which will develop beyond what he conciously remembers. Brent and I are lucky to have such a brilliant little boy.

I am still quiet unwell with this chest infection and unfortunately Brent has also come down with it and once again after our morning out we had to come come and put the poor thing to bed for a snooze after some pain killers. I hope he feels better soon, I hope we both do so that we can some energy back to explore more! Luckily we bought Zachery a bubble blowing set and he and I have spent the afternoon outside blowing bubbles and playing with the dirt (quiet a messy mixture). At one point Zac put a handfull of dirt (In one very fast motion, I guess because he assumed we would try and stop him haha) straight into his mouth. His facial expressions were really funny but he must have enjoyed it because he refused a glass of water afterwards haha.

Also - Janet (Brents mum) gave us a pair of binoculars for Christmas and this morning with the dolphins (before they came in close) we were able to use the binoculars to look at them which was absolutely fantastic! We also used them along the boat trip to get a better look at the mountain ranges and cliffs, it was great to be able to see everything so close! Zachery loved having a turn of them too!

Now for some photos, enjoy!



Doplphins swimming at our feet.



Brent and Zachery watching the dolphins (see the fin just out in front of them)

The red cliffs

the red cliffs again

Brent and I on the boat

red cliffs again

Zachery relaxing with a lollipop

Our little family

Dolphins under the water, amazing!

The sky looked really pretty

Little munchkin with his bubble wand

Zac and I playing with bubbles

Chasing the bubbles

More from Port Augusta

Today we woke up, get ready pretty quickly then went down to the foreshore again. We parked on the other side of the bridge though and walked accross the old bridge (which is now just used as a walk bridge). The sun was shining and the water looked as smooth and shiny as glass. We didnt see any dolphins but we seen some people bathing their horse (which interested Zach to no end) we also seen lots of ducks and seagulls.

We walked all the way accross the bridge and the beach then upto the park, Zach played at the park and I did a bit of a "workout" on the exercise equipment while Brent played with Zach. Then we walked into the city centre and sat at a cafe and had a nice cold drink (the boys had choccy milkshakes). Then we walked all the way back to the car after playing on the sand for a little while.

We saw a beautiful old shipwreck by the edge of the water (see photo) Im not sure what boat it was and when it ended up there but it looked great!

When we got back to the caravan Brent begun to feel really unwell so he had a sleep while Zac and I played in the dirt outside for a couple of hours. When he woke up we all relaxed around the van/outside in the sun for a few hours then Brent decided he wanted to go up to the local attraction "water tower" to watch the sunset. It's a beautiful old water tank tower that has been turned into a viewing platform/room that looks out over the entire Port Augusta township. It is also the best place to see the sunset from, which is what Brent really wanted to see. I must say I am so glad we went up there because the sunset was just spectacular! The oranges, yellows and reds were just beautiful. The sun set over the most beautiful mountain range and reflected on the water in front of it. It was absolutely amazing.

Tomorrow at 10:30 am we are going on a cruise up the Spencer Gulf, which im sure will be brilliant, after that we are contemplating going to "Wadlata" the outback centre and taking a look through their expo.

a road train going over the bridge. The water was so glassy and perfect!

Zaccy

shipwreck

under the wharf at Port Augusta foreshore.

The old water tower which is now a lookout

The sunset over the mountain fom the watertower

and again

Just as the last bit slipped behind the mountain, its amazing how fast it goes down you can see it moving!

Looking over the township of Port Augusta, aren't the mountain ranges (the Flinders) in the background beautiful?

Looking South down the gulf

The colours were so pretty

Red dirt!

Port Augusta

We left Broken Hill this morning at around 6am. We hit snooze on the alarm clock quiet a few times before then so I guess neither of us were ready to be awake at 5am as planned. The first 100 kilometres seems to fly every morning and before we know it we have 100 K's on the clock and the sun has risen. Brent and I had the most wonderful conversation this morning while the sun was rising. We talked about how much this trip has exceeded our emotional expectations so far and how it has gone beyond any of the healing hopes we had for it, after the awful year we have had. It's good that we both know that we are thinking, feeling and experiencing the same processes along this journey and its brilliant to know that this journey is helping Brent to heal from the loss he experienced. He deserves to be happy and I am just so grateful that this journey is helping him to find himself. I am so grateful that the sunrises we watch inspire him to get out of bed and enjoy the day. I am grateful that the prospect of a new adventure everyday is enough to keep that smile on his face. But mostly I am grateful for the beautiful conversations we have along the way, where Brent tells me the most heartwarming stories of his childhood with his parents and siblings. I really love the physical and emotional process of this journey around Australia, so far. I can honestly say that theres no way you can do this trip without experiencing some sort of spiritual transformation. There is just so much more beauty in this country than you could ever have accounted for.

On the way to Port Augusta we saw alot of emus, two of them crossed the road so slwoly that we actually had to stop on the highway for them. They are funny looking creatures and seem so much smaller now than they did when I was a child. We saw (yet again) some astounding landscapes/horizons/views, some of which were just completely breathtaking. The sunset this morning was completely different to those of the last few days. The sky turned to a colour I have never seen it before (other than in paintings) an almost "vanilla" tone (Brent said it reminded him of that movie "Vanilla Sky". The sky being that colour just made all of the landscapes transform into pastell masterpieces providing a completely surreal view. It was brilliant because ultimately it was the same old simple, hilly landscapes weve been seeing everyday however this shift in "tone" or colour had just changed it compltely. We also seen the most enormous, regal looking eagle sitting on a short post next to the road. He had his chest puffed out in the proudest of manners and looked absolutely unreal, he was certainly the biggest eagle I have ever seen.

Seeing the "ocean" as we came over the Flinders Range and down into Port Augusta was like a breath of fresh air. It was definately a novelty, which is funny considering we have only been out bush for a week now. Because the Spencer Gulf is... well, a gulf, it isnt like the normal ocean. It's more like an ocean coloured, river. You'd think this would take away from the beauty of it but infact it just enhances it. To come close to the water and see how clear it is (so clear that you can see the bottom) is just such a beautiful sight.

We parked our van at the Port Augusta Big 4 caravan park as we have joined their rewards program and get a discount for staying at their parks so we try to find them wherever we go now. We then had yummy ham and salad rolls for lunch and headed into the town centre of Port Augusta. Crossing over the bridge the water of the Spencer Gulf ust glistened in the afternoon sun, instantly we knew we had to go down to the waters edge. We parked the car at the "foreshore" which has (im assuming recently) been "done up" by the local council and is just pristine. They have those fancy electric toilet blocks that clean themselves and seem to play extremely loud renditions of (elevator style) Burk Baccherach songs. Zac had a big play on the park which was alot of fun for him. They have places exercise equipment around the perimeter of the childrens park so that parents can work out while keeping a close eye on their children playing on the park. Its a really great set up and we are going to try to take advantage of it while we are here.

We went for a walk down to the warf and while we were out there a pod of dolphins passed. They were so beautiful and serene just playing and gliding through the water. The sun had begun to set so the water was glistening and sparkly in that beautiful way it does at that time of the day. We felt really lucky to have come out at just the right time to see the beautiful dolphins.

We are booking in to do a cruise of the Spencer Gulf so that we can see the beautiful red walls and more dolphins and whatever else it has to offer. So hopefully I will have that to blog about in the next few days. Other than that we dont have alot of plans, we do however want to spend at least 3 nights here as we are feeling really exhausted from packing up and moving so much. Tomorrow we are going to go for a walk accross the bridge in town as when they built the new bridge for cars they left the old one there as a nice big walk bridge. Hopefully we see more dolphins.

 

This seemed "photo worthy". One lone tree.

The first part of the sunrise.

More sunrise

"Love heart" rock my sweet little son found and gave to me at a rest stop

My happy husband! :-)

and our happy little brat! :-)

Port Augusta South Australia

The sun setting over the water of the Spencer Gulf at Port Augusta

Brent and Zach walking along the foreshore at P.A

The Port Augusta bridge and the beautiful clear water that you dont realise is that clear until you look down into it and see to the bottom, not expecting to!

The little sandy beach at the foreshore

Zach and daddy playing on the park

The crazy "fandangled" electric toilets, they even clean themselves!

The little lone tree again.

I wonder what new adventures tomorrow will bring?

Broken Hill again and the Living Desert Sculptures.

Today we explored Broken Hill a little (the town) we replenished our groceries for the trip accross to Port Augusta - including some fresh rolls for lunch for tomorrow. We then went out and had a look at "The Living Desert". Were not actually sure entirely of why it is called that but we are assuming its because that particular part of land is alot greener than most of the other desert plains around here. It was a beautiful place and the sculptures are amazing. The artists were invited to each create a sculpture out of rock from the desert to put on the top of the look out in 1993. I wish I had have read more of the information but I'm still sick with a chest infection and I ended up sort of rushing through a little. Now for some photos:

The View over the Living Desert, you can definately see that its greener than my photos from yesterday at the Mundi Mundi Plains.

Little Lizard we found wandering around. Zachery wanted to catch it and keep it and "take it in the car". (its pretty much right in the centre of the photo, it sort of blends in with the photo a bit - incase you cant see it)

This one was a horses head, it looked really awesome!

The Living Desert again, beautiful view that my camera does no justice for!

I love this photo of Brent and Zac looking out of the Living Desert.

I loved this one, I think it was a mother and child.

Tomorrow we will be leaving between 5:30 and 6am to head to Port Augusta. Its about 405 kilometres from Broken Hill so we should arrive there around lunch time. From what I have found in brouchures and on the internet there is alot to do at Port Augusta. We are hoping to go on a boat tour of the Spencer Gulf, perhaps even at sunset. We are also contemplating going absaling as its somthing I have always wanted to try and although Brent has done it before he loved it and would love to try it again. We have to pass through (another) fruit fly exclusion zone on our way out of Broken hill (there was also one on the way in) we all scoffed down watermelon for dessert to try and save from having to waste it! Looking forward to the trip tomorrow, fingers crossed Zachery and I feel a bit better.