Marion Bay, Yorke Peninsula
Penguin Point, Marion Bay, Yorke Peninsula, South Australia
On the second day of our recent short holiday on Yorke Peninsula here in South Australia we drove from Edithburgh where we were staying to the town of Yorketown. Here we refueled and also visited a local nursery. My wife has a small nursery of her own and is always on the lookout for native Australian plant nurseries to visit, just like I’m always on the prowl for bookshops.
We then drove to Marion Bay near the heel of the peninsula. Many years ago we had several very enjoyable beach holidays in this small town. It had been quite a few years since our last visit, so we were interested in seeing what changes had occurred in recent years. The original beach shack area in the old part of this beach village had changed little, but there has also been considerable building going on to the south with many new – and expensive looking – houses. Many of them were obviously holiday homes and not permanent dwellings.
We stopped in the car park at Penguin Point. We had to sit in the car to eat lunch as the wind had intensified during the morning and was by then almost gale force. Not at all pleasant to be sitting outside. In fact, I tried to take a few photos of two Ospreys soaring on the wind above the bay and had terrible trouble keeping on my feet to take the shots.
Marion Bay, Yorke Peninsula, South Australia
Marion Bay, Yorke Peninsula, South Australia
Wool Bay, Yorke Peninsula
Port Giles grain silos, Yorke Peninsula, South Australia
On our short holiday on Yorke Peninsula last week we diverted from the main route to Edithburgh, travelling though the small coastal settlement of Wool Bay. This small town has a few homes and holiday units. It also boasts a good jetty (see photos below) which is great for fishing. Just south of Wool Bay is Port Giles with its huge grain silos and jetty reaching out into deeper water.
Port Giles is just a grain port with no town or houses. This part of the peninsula is an excellent grain growing area and this port is one of the main shipping ports for grain – mostly wheat. As we drove along the coast road we could see four ships anchored in the bay. When we left four days later there were six ships riding at anchor. When I arrived home I checked the schedule of arrivals and departures and, as I write this, one was loading and the others would load in the coming two weeks. It’s a busy port.
Wool Bay jetty (foreground) and Port Giles jetty (background)
Wool Bay and Port Giles, Yorke Peninsula, South Australia
A short holiday on Yorke Peninsula, South Australia
1 Comment »25th May, 2011; Category: Beaches, Birds, Holidays, Plants, South Australia, Yorke Peninsula
Penguin Point, Marion Bay, South Australia
Last weekend my wife and I had the opportunity to have a short holiday on Yorke Peninsula here in South Australia. We stayed in a holiday unit in Edithburgh, a popular seaside town near the southern end of the peninsula. It had been quite a few years since our last visit so we eagerly anticipated seeing the rugged coastal scenery. I was looking forward to doing some birding and my wife was keen to reacquaint herself with the native flora of the region.
Sadly the weather conspired against us with bitterly cold wild gale force winds, scudding showers and overcast skies making birding and photography a challenge. Undeterred we soldiered on, having made the booking of the unit. Despite the restrictions caused by the weather we still had a great time, I saw a few good birds and my wife got all excited about the plants and flowers she was seeing. Over the coming few days I will share some of our sightings and the photos I took.
By the way, the caption on the photograph above was taken at Penguin Point at Marion Bay. I didn’t see any penguins, though Little Penguins have been recorded in the area.