DiNo's Travels Around Australia - 2014/2015/16/17: Day 191

Phew! Yesterday's wind was gone and, though it was a bit fresh, it did not thwart our serious intention to tour around Cowell.

North for a short way took us to Lucky Bay which is the terminal for the cross Spencer Gulf vehicular and passenger ferry. It was no Circular Quay by a long shot and, unsurprisingly, there was no ferry present.

141014 Lucky Bay terminal for the cross Spencer Gulf ferry.
This boat is a dredge, not the ferry

We saw Australia at its untidiest with a dead tree adorned with much paraphernalia, mostly shoes of all sorts, plus other "stuff". Still, it gave us a chuckle or two.

141014 A shoe (et al) tree at Lucky Bay. Can you find he "knickers"?

Given we were circumnavigating Eyre Peninsula, we thought it might be appropriate to head inland, into the heart of this prodigious cereal cropping area. May Gibbs, author of "Gumnut Babies" children's books, had her first home about 5km out of Cowell and a plaque and tree were there to designate the place.

141014 Mary Gibbs' Tree. Site of her first home, between Cowell and Cleve.

As we neared the higher ground we passed by Australia's biggest wind farm at Mount Millar, where 35 turbines were moving to the beat of the wind.

We were so glad we went inland because we came across a well presented township called Cleve, which showed the signs of a successful farming community and offered plenty of photo opportunities. Animals made from corrugated iron caught our eye and the view from Ticklebelly Hill over the surrounding wheat fields was brilliant. We could see down to the sea.

141014 The main street of Cleve

141014 Roses were prolific in Cleve

141014 A 7m "Big Cross" dedicated to the Christian forefathers
of the region on Ticklebelly Hill

141014 The view south from Ticklebelly Hill with the sea in the background

141014 Corrugated Dogs were a feature of Cleve too

141014 Corrugated sheep featured as well

There is one thing we have noticed since we left the Esperence area and that is the absence of rivers. Eyre Peninsula is no exception. Today there was a minor change. We saw some creeks, all with funny names and all as dry as the proverbial...

141014 Just outside of Cleve township. Don't know how to pronounce it

The call of the coast rang again and we headed down to Port Gibbon and stopped for lunch at Elbow Hill. It was quite an experience, excellent food and it lived up to its name, "Conversations". The hostess, waitress, meal preparer, all one person, was a delight to meet. We can highly recommend it.

Port Gibbon was originally a site prepared for duty at the end of WW2 but it never saw action of course. Some remnant buildings were visible, but the fact it had some wee cliffs, unlike the rest of this flat, sandy coast, would be its current claim to fame. Its jetty was either short of the water mark or in an advanced state of disrepair.

141014 The "Igloos" (2 of 4) - air shelters and barracks from WW 2 at
Port Gibbon. Peace was declared before they were ever used

141014 Low cliffs at Port Gibbon. Can you see the jetty?

141014 More of the cliffs at Port Gibbon about 20m high

On our return to Cowell we followed the gravel coast road and saw The Knob, which was just a bunch of rocks on the beach and Flat Rocks, which were just that.