Southend

6/11  As we started packing up in Robe we saw one of our neighbors move their caravan from one site to another. Instead of packing the annex of the caravan they just undid the pegs, picked up the tent and towed it to the new sites. How novel! I have heard of walking the dog, but this takes the cake. We had a last look around Robe and then ambled the 65km to Southend. As we had time to spare we visited Beachport on the way. Again, as elsewhere in South Australia, we were impressed by the amount of investment in this State in infrastructure, retaining walls for high seas and small-boat slipways or launching facilities. The coffee was good and hot as well.

Walking the Caravan

We booked in at the Southend Caravan Park where we had been for a week 18 months before. Everything is very dry at this time of the year. There were only a handful of travellers when we booked in, so we got to pick the best spot in the park. We positioned ourselves behind a dune on the other side of the beach. The spot is protected by a few trees and the wind just bounces over the top. At night the waves sing you to sleep. It is very relaxing.

The ‘Engel’ car fridge/freezer

Our Camp

The next day we went to Millicent to get some supplies. This is a lovely town in the east of South Australia. The people are friendly and there are some shady and grassy places in the parks. We had some coffee at the ‘Java Café’ and noticed this great idea printed on a poster on the front of the shop. In a gesture of cheer and goodwill the Uniting church has started the concept of a ‘Kind coffee’. Patrons of the Café or members of the community or parishioners are able to donate money for providing members of the community, who were doing it hard, with a hot coffee for free. These are people who could not afford the spare $5. See pics.

The next morning we decided to go to Beachport for a coffee. So instead of travelling the normal route, I deflated the tyres to 20 pounds/sq.inch and we drove the 20 kilometers along the beach. There were a few patches of porridge (soft wet sand), but the rest was easy. After the coffee we returned by the same way to Southend.

In the afternoon we walked along the cliff tops and got to a secluded beach where we had to clamber down rocks. We spent a good hour playing on the beach before we returned. On the path back I saw evidence of shell deposits in the bank along the path. Only problem was that we were walking on a path six meters above the sea. The sea level must have been much higher a few thousand years ago.

Seashells 6 meters above sea level?

Commercial fishermen returning their catch

Secluded cove

When we were walking on the beach at Southport it suddenly hit me that the one thing missing here were signs of investment in infrastructure. This is the first place we have come across that has not had any work done to improve or preserve infrastructure. In fact since our last visit the seaward face of the dunes had been eroded and swept away by rough spring tides. Like at Byron Bay and Norah Heads we have here evidence of rising sea levels and coastal erosion. Unless local or State government do something about this a number of properties will disappear over the next few years. Here at the caravan park the owner had to sell a number of buildings before they disappeared into the sea, see pics.