End of October; what better way to spend it than touring the Fleurieu. We left our scenic caravan park and headed off to the town of Victor Harbor. Along the way we drove through Willunga, a charming old style town with lots of cafes and a market. We did return the next day to sample some of the local fare, but more of that later.
Church converted to cafe in Willunga
A scenic drive through rolling hills got us to Victor Harbor. This is a charming town on the Fleurieu tourist route. It also is one of the ways to Cape Jarvis from where the ferry departs for Kangaroo island. By the time we reached Victor Harbor it was definitely time for a coffee which we then followed with some sight-seeing.
How is this for chance; I was born in Munich, Bavaria
Victor Harbour is a natural harbour with 3 islands surrounding a natural bay. This offers protection for small craft from the elements. It also offers deep water harbouring from Granite island as the bay is a shallow water bay. Granite island is joined to the mainland by a very long jetty that is sturdy enough for vehicle traffic and a horse drawn cart for the tourists. One can also walk across and look up the displays regarding the history and geology of the area.
The horse and cart transports only tourists these days
The long Jetty to Granite island
There are some special buildings in this town and the foreshore garden has a big tale to be told. In fact it is a whale of a tail (J) see pic. The connection is the Southern Right whales that visit every year and frolick in the bay.
A true Whale of a Tail fountain
Across Encounter bay
We drove along the beachfront to Encounter bay and then went on to Normanville. The road took us through a number of lovely small places including the rich and fertile Inman valley. The landscape is green and in places sports green forests around the Myponga reservoir.
Great scenery around the reservoir
We drove through the town of Yankalilla to Normanville. After all we had been told about it we were a mite disappointed and so we went on north up to Sellicks Beach where I found, to my great delight, than I could take the Nissan Navara onto the beach. This was the first time in almost 2 years that I have driven on the beach and the moment was almost like having a religious experience. (:-))
Driving on the beach, almost better than ice-cream.
Navara on the beach
We ran around the beach with the dogs for a while before returning to our caravan in the McLaren Vale. The area is so beautiful and we were having such a blast that we decided to extend our stay by a few days.