Day seven. Cleve to Ceduna 8.7.26

Leaving camp, we headed up the street to check out the horse sculpture, Bonney, by daylight and also the eagle and then ventured out to a property on the outskirts where the original horse, Clyde, was located.

He was pulling a 99 year-old scoop that had been patented by the sculptors grandfather in 1927.

The skill of the artist/sculptor is quite impressive, similar to the Spannerman in Boort. Not only do they have the ability to weld but to maintain perspective and create such a realistic depiction of the animals. The variety of tools and other metal objects used kept is interested for quite some time. Everything from shearing combs, chains, golf club heads, and many tools, vehicle and implement parts.

From Cleve it was onward through to Lock where we stopped to have a look at the silo art that didn’t exist but turned was a mural on a wall of Sgt. Albert Ernest Lock.

Into Elliston, a beautiful seaside town for lunch with a pie from the bakery enjoyed in the sunshine on the foreshore overlooking a beautiful bay protected from breakers and waves by some sort of reef or rocks or shallows. A lovely outlook.

The clifftop drive tour that we took after lunch provided great views over the bay and across the shallow entrance, it seems a pretty treacherous place to bring a boat in. There were also some interesting sculptures along the drive particularly a couple of carved stone type.

Coincidentally the name of the road as part of scenic Drive was an Anxious Bay Road which was apt as I was feeling a little anxious as my fuel was getting low and I certainly wasn’t going to make it to Ceduna. Streaky Bay was the aim for fuel which made the drive between Elliston and Streaky Bay just a little tense.
Firstly the little bowser starts thing to flash, then the readout stops showing how many kms to go runs out with 50 k’s to go, then the last of the measure disappears below the ‘E for Empty’ and finally a large orange Bowser dominates the screen.

I was confident of making Streaky Bay but it’s still a little stressful. I made it with 10 L thereabouts to spare.

Feeling much better for the last leg into Ceduna on a full tank.
Streaky Bay was flat as a pancake with barely a ripple across the water. It gave off peaceful fishing village type vibes.

We booked four powered sites for the next two nights at Shelly Beach Caravan Park in Ceduna thanks to Meg. A chance to go our washing, phaff and prepare for our trip out on Goog’s track.
This part of the Peninsula is deserving of more time spent so added to the list for a return visit.
Out for tea tonight at Ceduna Foreshore Hotel Motel. A very nice steak and veg for me.

After watching the end of State of Origin we left the pub only to find it quite mild outside. It was a good temp for a walk along the Ceduna Jetty. There was not a breath of wind.

At first we thought the tide was a way out and we were walking above the rippled sandy sea bed. However we were totally surprised when we realised the water was so clear and still that you could see the bottom as if there was no water at all.

Further along there were little fish skating among the seagrass and a larger school of small whiting.

As we meandered further out there were reeds and seaweed floating in little forests. We saw a crab, a squid and were fascinated by the kelps etc standing tall in the water.