Dhilba Guuranda-Innes National Park
We woke about 6:30 am. The second doona had done its job and we were warm enough that Majella declined when I offered to crawl out and turn on the air conditioner though I did turn it on when we got up.
It was light outside and our campsite by the water allowed Majella to watch from bed as the sun rose. I got out and walked a little way along the shore for a better view. It had rained overnight but was clearing and the forecast was fine until mid-afternoon.
After breakfast and morning rituals I unplugged the van and Majella drove us out around 8:30 am. We were not yet low on diesel but it seemed prudent to fill up and the Simples app indicated the cheapest nearby was at Edithburgh and almost 10c/l less than most. We made that our first stop.
As we approached via Coobowie we could see a cluster of wind turbines just beyond Edithburgh. I filled up with diesel and we drove on. As we left town Majella spotted a painted water tower and had to stop for a photo.
It was about an hour to Marion Bay near the access to Dhilba Guuranda-Innes National Park. Majella drove through green farmland most of the way but we saw signs about the salt lake trail and surmised that the ponds we saw in less green areas were salt.
The Android navigation system in the van was working sometimes but not always. It would navigate to a location but then refuse to restart when we were leaving, claiming it could not connect. Next time we stopped and started it might be OK. When it was out we were using Maps on our iPhones.
As we approached Warooka my iPhone directed us onto a gravel road. It was straight and well maintained but we hoped it would not continue for the remaining 40 kilometres to our destination. A few kilometres on we met the sealed road again. Evidently I had accepted the default fastest or shortest route. We decided to follow the sealed road on our way back.
Soon after passing the village of Marion Bay we reached the park entrance. Majella paused there while I negotiated the process of buying our pass online. Once that was done we drove on to the visitor centre for a quick look and then to Stenhouse Bay where we parked. By then it was after 10 am so we boiled water for coffee and had that with fruit cake.
It took us a bit less than the suggested hour to walk the lookout loop there, stopping at the multiple vantage points to enjoy the views and reading what we could on the badly weathered information signs. Some described aspects of the natural environment and others recounted the history of the gypsum mining that had brought people to the area in the late 19th century. Mining and processing were a few kilometres inland and the bagged product was brought by cart, and later railroad, to be dropped down a slope for shipping from a jetty. When we returned we walked the short distance to the lookout above the jetty but did not walk down.
A little deeper into the park we paused at the recently developed Gulawulgawi Ngunda Ngagu – Cape Spencer lookout. As we walked the short trail we saw another example of the animal droppings that had puzzled us while walking the lookout loop where we had several times seen sizeable lumps. They were far larger than we would expect from kangaroos and were not recognisably from animals we knew. A sign mentioning emus had caused Majella to wonder if that might be the source. Google confirmed that with photos but we wondered how an emu could be hidden in the low scrub we had been walking through. We did see a couple of emus later in more open country.
Beyond the lookout the road ran close to the water for a while. We stopped for lunch at Cable Bay campground using the folding chairs and table from the van. The extra pieces of chicken Majella had cooked last night went well with lettuce, tomato, cheese, and bread.
After lunch we drove on to Inneston township, the site of the former gypsum mine. We walked the loop around the town past the salt lake from which the gypsum came, ruined buildings, defunct sports facilities, and a few old houses that have been maintained and rented to visitors. One of the last places we saw was the site where Bellco chalk, named for its maker Mr Bell and familiar to us as former teachers, was made.
From there we drove to the end of the sealed road at Pondalowie Beach where we walked up a trail and took the boardwalk over the dunes. We did not walk down to the beach but stopped a while to watch the waves crashing on the beach and the nearby islands.
On our way back out of the park we stopped at West Cape to walk up to the lookout and then on the loop out to and around the lighthouse. It is a relatively recent installation, unattended and built of stainless steel for protection from the salt air. There were great views in all directions from the cape.
Majella drove us out of the park and back to Stansbury. This time we ignored instructions to take the gravel road and stayed on the sealed road. As we approached Stansbury we stopped for a photo of the water tower with its murals featuring dolphins and crabs.
On the way to our campsite we drove slowly through town looking to see where we might find dinner. Majella was keen for something fishy, it was our regular Thursday fish and chips night and after seeing the water tower mural she was keen on trying some crab. The only serious option appeared to be the pub where we had a drink yesterday so we checked the menu online and Majella rang to make a booking for 6:15 pm. We relaxed in the van until it was time to go to dinner.
The rain had held off with just a few spots on the windscreen as we drove back from the park. Soon after we arrived back at the campsite there were a couple of minor showers but as the sun set the tempo of the rain stepped up and the van rocked a little in the wind and there was the occasional flash of lightning and rumble of thunder.
We had thought of walking the short distance along the esplanade to dinner but it was still raining gently and the radar suggested there was more to come. I unplugged the van and we drove to dinner. Majella had whiting with chips and salad. I had the wagyu burger. Both were good but larger than we needed. Glasses of Shiraz accompanied the meals.
Back at camp I plugged us in again. We watched the news on the television in the otherwise deserted camp kitchen before heading back to our van for the night.
