It was a cooler morning for this time in Summer. No blazing sun to bake you in a 40 degree C oven or searing bitumen in the carpark. I scanned along the line of cars to find the rest of todays’ crew. Easy to spot the Old Bulls, amongst the gaggle of young board riders, as they readied for a little ocean playboat fun.
The youngster parked next to me peers out to sea and sighs. No great waves for him today but not so for us. He downs a can of Red Bull sports drink, grabs his board and jogs down the cliff path, hoping the Red Bull will kick into the waves as well. I look at the Red Bull can still sitting on the bonnet of his car, thinking “maybe it does give you wings”. It’s a bit of a climb down the cliff path carrying your kayak and wings would be handy.
The closest I can see of an energy drink is Steve sipping a lukewarm breakfast coffee. I don’t know how he manages to consume it that way. We are here for the fun of surfing a few small waves, no energy drink, no sponsors stickers, no Go Pro. Just a small group of Old Bulls having FUN.
We aren’t sponsored by anyone. Actually, that’s wrong; some of us are sponsored by our Superannuation Funds and others by various side line acts and supported by our wives and partners although maybe they are just happy to see us out from under their feet. I think we actually sponsor the nearby Becks Bakery as we often seem to end up there.
We are definitely Old Bulls not Red Bulls, but we are out there running like Bulls, or should I say Paddling. The surf is “below average” today but the fun levels will be sky high, especially in retelling of exploits at the bakery. Funny how the waves are always bigger and maneuvers more spectacular when accompanied by a coffee and bun.
Here’s a few photos of FUN.
I just realise that I didn’t fit my nose plug
Seaweed Steve always seems to be nearby.
Seaweed Steve on the charge
Just cleaning out my sinus cavity
Berny looking serious but still having fun
You’re still with us !! Well here’s a short video to waste another 90 seconds. I have to go now as I need to check my letterbox for the expected bundle of Valentines Day cards.
The Barbie movie is about to hit the screen and we took our own “Barbie kayak” out for a splash around.
Well actually it’s a Jackson Rockstar V but with all the pink colour it’s certainly worthy of the Barbie name.
I’m not sure Barbie approved of the weather with a cold 8 degrees C and light rain but what the heck, we were out there celebrating the cold.
Another amazing fact. Barbie and I have the same birthday. When I was younger some people compared me to Ken, but now I think I’m more “Ken Oath” than Ken. (work out the Aussie slang you foreigners. Yes, it’s rude).
Winter is with us again. Those sunny days of Autumn are gone. No more lazing around in shorts and T shirts, it’s back to fleece jackets and beanies.
We have been travelling for a couple of months, paddling sea kayaks, bush walking and riding mountain bikes as well as some photography sessions. If you missed the sea kayak article it’s here and bike riding in the northern Flinders Ranges is here.
Our latest attempts in photography try to capture the landscape in a more abstract way . What do you think ?
Back home for a while I drag out the playboat and head out for a short session.
The beach is deserted except for a couple of dogs chasing a ball. No one else in the water today, probably because it’s chilly and only us retirees get “Fridays free time”. The swell has also deserted the beach but I still manage a few rides and get my head wet.
I find Steve (King of England) had the same idea and was already on the waves.
Robyn managed to get some video of the small wave session. We enjoyed our first winter session and hope to fit in many more between sea kayaking, mountain biking and coffee and croissants.
The sky had been clear blue all day and the forecast was for that to continue. We camped at the town of Beltana, a heritage town, in the northern Flinders Ranges of South Australia and settled back to watch the sunset light up the sky as a few clouds streaked across.
Our plan was to ride two roads that join Beltana to the Outback Highway, both of which are recommended for 4WD vehicles only. This would be out and back style rides unless we decided on using the highway and sealed road into Beltana to turn it into a loop ride.
Beltana is a Heritage town with a small permanent population which increases slightly in the cooler winter months. New houses can be built in the town but they must comply with heritage style. The local hall displays an amazing art collection of Flinders Ranges landscapes with around 100 on display. It welcomes self sufficient campers such as us and it is well worth a walk or ride around the town.
One of the newer cottage style residencesAn original residence but what a view from the front verandah
Our first ride was on the Old Beltana Road which is a rocky, red dirt road that heads north for 20km, emerging through the Puttapa Gap, before joining the highway. Recently, Cyclone Ilsa pushed a rain band south from the tropics giving the area a good drink. We saw only a small amount of surface water in the creeks and the red clay roads were dry and hard.
The railway line is on the mound in the foreground
This is not an area to be taken lightly. Carry plenty of water and safety gear as few vehicles pass this way. It’s rocky, corrugated, washed out, sandy, bone shaking and stunning. Admiring the rock formations and the distant views as well as keeping the bike upright would be a challenge for anything other than a suspension mountain bike.
Yes it’s rugged and a little harsh on the equipment
Following the Old Ghan Railway line and we came across ruins of the bridges and culverts as well as sidings that would have been flourishing 100 years ago.
Great views from the old sidingThese culverts were built to last
I’m not sure what the name of this siding was but now it’s just a ruin with only partial walls still standing.
Built from the local stoneLike a totem pole
At the 20km mark we joined the Outback Highway and headed north for around 6km towards the town of Leigh Creek. Looking to your left you can see a communication tower high on a bluff and that was our destination. Again, don’t try riding this area when there has been rain. You won’t get far in the red clay. The turnoff is near a cattle grid on an unmarked track. Stop here and strap on a new set of climbing legs, or in our case shift the Ebike power up a notch. This is a long, rocky, rutted climb but with spectacular views from the top.
Beware of the gates, especially on the way down. It seems someone had a sudden stop.
Sudden stop
It seems that mangled gates are a feature on this ascent.
2 sudden stops !
Sorry I didn’t get any photos until towards the top and they don’t do justice to the view. Still, I tried with these shots!
Now for the descent. Take it slow and easy going back down. You may be only a few kilometers out of Leigh Creek but few people pass this way and bike spares are impossible to find in this region. A blown tyre could mean a very long walk. Of course, I would disregard that advice and have a great time bombing down the track.
You can follow the red track in the photo to the lowest point in the valley, which is where you started the climb. The photo was taken about 1/3rd of the way down from the tower.
The Highway is far in the distance
Now it’s only a matter of retracing your route to return to Beltana.
There are other “wildlife obstacles” to avoid along the track. Charging around a corner we surprised a herd of feral goats who dived in all directions. Luckily, they high tailed it up a steep embankment.
A mob of ferals
Emus are also numerous in this area. It’s not unusual to have a gaggle of Emus spear out from the bush and cross the road just in front of you. Nothing like seeing 200kg of flightless bird with long clawed legs, a sharp beak and beady eyes charging through the bush towards you.
This guy ran for a while then turned and stared; daring me to pass
The other wildlife encounter I had was with a female kangaroo with Joey in the pouch. She has bounding flat out along the track near me, with the Joey hanging out of the pouch screaming “faster Mum faster, we can beat this sucker”. No time for photos of that one; full power as I hate being beaten by kids.
We had previously tried to follow the Highway to Trebilcock Creek where maps showed a short cut to Beltana, but when we reached the turnoff the track was actually following a creek bed and strangely enough it had water in it. This gave us a less than enjoyable 20km on the Outback Highway and then 12km of sealed road to Beltana.
Back at camp the clear blue skies disappeared, and clouds gathered above us; and then it rained. The second 34km (return) ride on the southern 4WD track would have to wait.
The rains are coming and we will be going
Beltana, a town with history. Robyn and I stood at the front of the hall, me knowing my father was here as he travelled north with the troop trains of WW2, and Robyn knowing her family lived and worked here on the overland telegraph over 100 years ago.
Beltana, a great place to visit in the cooler months and when it’s not raining!
The phrase “Time and Tide wait for no man”, or more correctly man or women, is a common phrase but what does it really mean. The common conception is that it’s a call to action, to do it now, with urgency.
That phrase came to mind prompting action stations as my kayak plunged into the short sharp wave in front at exactly the same time as another hit me beam on and the one behind broke on my rear deck. Oh what fun, buried up to my armpits in a low volume skeg kayak, in a following sea, in 3 metres of water driven by wind gusting over 20 knots.
But back to the beginning. I had been invited to join 2 distinguished gentleman paddlers on a 20+km sea kayak paddle in the northern reaches of Spencer Gulf where we would visit Cockle Spit. Aptly named because it’s a bar that is formed of cockle shells and is dry at lower tides. Steve and Greg are locals to this area.
We arrived earlier so that we could ride the nearby mountain bike tracks at Willowie forest, with Steve as our guide. Riding in 36 degree heat (C not F) is certainly taxing but fun. Settled in the beachside park we watched the sunset and Robyn chased a few photo opportunities.
The Jetty is an old wooden affair that was around 1.5km in length
Sunset on the high tide
The fading sunset
There are old storage sheds and railway lines from earlier days that have been restored
Back to the present. The day had started calm, with the knowledge of increasing wind, as we left the Port Pirie harbour making our way past large ships docked in the channel.
We followed the channel markers as they weaved their way into open water, leaving the Mangrove trees behind.
The last mangrove tree in the channel
The wind gently rising with more to come
The wind increased, as predicted, making for a slightly bumpy, but not unpleasant, 16km paddle until we had Cockle Spit in sight. Actually, you can’t see the Spit until your almost on it but you can use line of sight from various markers to navigate. Steve led Greg and myself to the calm inside of the Spit for a well earned break.
The wind increased again, adding another layer of complexity to the paddle. Steve and Greg decided to push the boundaries of their Mirage kayaks by hoisting their kayak sails. That put my ego under serious pressure, so I engaged warp drive to keep up. Luckily, they soon decided that sailing was a little precarious in these conditions and reverted to paddle power alone.
We made reasonable headway considering the conditions and soon had the Port Germein jetty in sight. I noticed a change in water color at the end of the jetty which is 1.2 km long. Then I realised why Steve had insisted we all had a kayak trolley with us. The tide goes out over 1.5 km in the bay and that sand colored water was indeed sand. So when we ran out of water we simply hooked up the trolley and walked making it more of a biathlon than simple paddle. Steve insisted that we should have made it a triathlon by all going for a swim but Greg and I declined.
Back on dry land with a long drag ahead. You can see the choppy conditions in the distance.
The happy bunch
Cockle Spit had previously had a tide clock erected in the channel telling ship captains what the tide was at the time. Ships would enter the harbor and anchor whilst being loaded with wheat and other produce by smaller vessels called Lighters.
The Tide Clock has been salvaged and is now housed at the beginning of the jetty as a reminder of an era when navigation was a tricky affair.
The Jetty previously had a lighthouse at the end of the jetty and that has also been restored and placed on land.
Complete with sculptures the Jetty precinct is a nice place to wander, especially the nearby coffee shop.
An interesting paddle in an unusual location with a fair bit of wind and wave thrown in for good measure. We learned later that winds had been strong near our home in Adelaide resulting in downed trees and power lines.
Robyn and I are heading into the Southern Flinders Ranges for gravel road and mtb track riding and some serious Bakery visiting. Time and Tide wait for no man or women. Do it now !
I’m not always paddling a kayak, or surfing a kayak, or travelling somewhere to launch a kayak, or finding a new place to launch a kayak . Sometimes I do other things, like eating and sleeping; especially the sleeping.
Other than Paddling you will often find us riding a mountain bike track or exploring gravel backroads. Mountain biking has been with us since the 1990’s when we started on non suspension steel frame bikes and have now progressed, or regressed, to full suspension E-bikes.
But that’s not the only things I do. I carry the tripod for Robyn because she has one of those damn heavy (non carbon fibre) tripods for her camera. I was in camel mode recently with tripod, camera and heavy lens when a guy walks up to me and starts asking about focal lengths and full frame or cropped sensors. I told him I had no idea and was only carrying the thing around to look important and impress the ladies. He looked at me, said nothing and left.
We like finding beaches to explore. This beach is around 5 kilometres of sand between two rocky headlands and we enjoyed the sunset view from the top of the sand dune.
We thought we were the only people for miles around, until a couple and dog sauntered along the beach. Oh well, that made 4 of us on the 5 km of beach.
Sometimes our interest is finding a different view of the everyday things we see.
The boat that is anchored in the bay …
The abstracts of nature. A night walk in the forest.
As well as a different view of a prominent marker.
When we are home there are experiments with “still life”. Is this the beginning of Armageddon where the Daleks conquer Earth or Robyn playing silly buggers with my salt and pepper shakers encased in ice ?
Time to move on to the next adventure. Leaving the Limestone Coast of Southern Australia and heading north to paddle on Spencer Gulf followed by a visit to the Willowie Forest Mountain Bike Park.
PADDLING SOUTH 