12/11 We have had a great time here at Southend. We have been here almost one week; only a day to go. Then it is back home almost 500 km away.
Travelling with dogs: We were happy to have our two Spoodles with us. They enjoy travelling and can be considered seasoned travellers. They do not present any problems and are easy to look after on a trip. They are Coffee set dogs used to going for a coffee and settling down under the table. They always order the same thing, a ‘doggy-chino’ no no, only joking, but this may be a business opportunity, a bit like a ‘baby chino’. (:-)) The only burden has been getting the sand out of them after we spent a few hours on the beach.
Coffee dogs
Coffee Dogs.. me included
Views from Cowie Beach
Fisherman returning
We had discovered a beautiful and secluded cove when we did our escarpment walk and spent some more time there in the last few days.The locals call it Cowie Beach. It is located just inside the start of Rivoli bay. See pics above.
The cliff face above Cowie beach looked like an underground cave with one wall collapsed or ripped off. When you look at the pictures below and zoom in you can clearly see stalectites and in some instances the corresponding stalegmites.
Stalectites at the cliff above Cowie beach
Stalectites at the cliff above Cowie beach
In Robe we came across a new delicious Marlborough Sav Blanc called Babich. Dawn came across some more of this wine when we were in Millicent and we consumed this on the beach at sunset, truly magic.
Babich Sav Blanc
Our second visit to Beachport revealed an attractive town. It comes across as modern, clean and organised. There is adequate signage everywhere. Large trees make for an eye-pleasing skyline. There are two good looking caravan parks with grassy sites. There also are some well-maintained stone buildings, one being the local hotel. We traveled along the Bowman scenic drive that took us out of Beachport past some spectacular seascapes. See pics
Work on Beachport boat launching facility
The Hotel
I wanted to compare the infrastructure work being done at Beachport to what was not happening at Southend. Some brochures call these two towns ‘sister towns’ as they are connected by 15 km of beach. They are at opposite ends of Rivoli Bay. However the two towns look as if they are being treated very unequally. At Beachport there is so much evidence of investment in infrastructure, just like we had seen in so many coastal towns in South Australia. Sea walls have been built and the slipway is being beefed up to make it withstand the spring tides. At Southend the sea has been allowed to wash away dunes and beach to the point where houses and cabins are now unsafe and are partially dangling in the air or perching on a precipice just shy of subsiding onto the beach. There is no evidence of any recent work being done here. Even the groynes that had been built only a few years ago are being destroyed by the sea. The neglect of conservation for this town is visible to all.
Southend beach erosion
Sorry sight at Southend
Southend: sea is about to claim a cabin
I am left wondering why this neglect is happening. In 5 weeks of touring South Australia this is the only town we have come across where no infrastructure work has been done recently. On my return home I am going to make a few phone calls to try and understand why this is so.
On the 13th of November we travelled home, a mere 485km. Along the way we passed through Hamilton, just south of the Grampians. They always look spectacular from a distance. That got us thinking… A long weekend visiting the Grampians? Exploring plenty of 4wdrive tracks? That may be on the cards for the next trip (J)
Grampians in the distance
We are at the end of the trip and have done some 4500 km. The Southwest of this state, from Port Augusta east and south, this state is beautiful, vibrant and progressing. The South Australians are some of the friendliest people I have met in this great country of ours.
Come to think of It, we have just scratched the surface of a small patch of this massive and sensational Australia. It has many varied and diverse landscapes and seascapes across its face. We are geographically and topographically so diverse it will take a lifetime to see it all. What a challenge!