Yorke Peninsula

Our aim for the Yorke Peninsula was to enjoy Marion Bay and Innes NP. Unfortunately we had not got in soon enough to book a van site at Marion Bay, and settled for Coobowie. Our day at Innes NP was the highlight – stunning beaches, headlands and cliffs being pounded by booming seas. Well worth the effort to get there.

We went to the Yorke Peninsula between 16th to the 19th April 2019.

Kerry’s snippets in fuchsia

Getting There

Wilpena > Quorn > Port Pirie > Port Broughton (o/n ~ 300km) > Kadina > Coobowie ~ 178kms. Total ~ 478 kms

History

The leg-shaped peninsula, 205km long and an average of 40km wide, is relatively flat apart from the lower Hummocks Range in the northeast and Innes NP. The First Nations people of Yorke Peninsula are the Adjahdura people whose land reached from Port Broughton in the north to the Hummock Ranges in the east. The Kaurna people of the Adelaide Hills and the Nukunu people in the north shared their borders, and often met with the Adjahdura people for trade and ceremony.

The Adjahdura People lived in settlements around the coast, with the young and old staying there while others went off for a day or two, returning with food. These settlements were at places with fresh water and food, including Moonta Bay, Tiddy Widdy Beach, Point Pearce, Point Yorke and many more.

To read more on the culture of the Adjahdura People click here.

In the early days of British settlement, it was estimated that the population of the Adjahdura people was 500. In the first 30 years of settlement, 80 per cent of the Adjahdura people were wiped out through introduced diseases and by the bullet – massacres were a common practice. By 1880 there were less than 100 survivors.

With the aim of protecting and converting the remaining few Indigenous people, in 1867 a Protestant mission was established at Point Pearce, where a small Aboriginal community remains.

Yorke Peninsula was named by Matthew Flinders after Charles Philip Yorke, narrowly beating French navigator Captain Nicolas Baudin (who preferred the name ‘Cambaceres Peninsula’).

In 1840 Thomas Burr and John Hill came across good pastoral lands on the northern Yorke Peninsula, leading to the establishment of winter pastoral leases and division into sheep runs by the early 1840s. But lack of water supplies, often only soaks behind sand hills which had been sufficient for the Adjahdura people, very much limited British development.

Wheat and barley were the main crops in the nineteenth century and the first half of the twentieth century. The stump jump plough transformed the grain industry of Australia as it enabled land to be brought into cultivation despite the presence of stumps and rocks. This invention in 1876 was followed by the manufacture of the ploughs in large numbers at Ardrossan. In 1907 the extensive Ardrossan factory was regarded as the most modern in the southern hemisphere.

Today the peninsula is renowned for its malting barley, the best quality grain for brewing beer. Malting barley is widely grown in the south of the peninsula – Minlaton is known as ‘The Barley Capital of the World’.

The first major copper discovery was in 1859 on the Wallaroo sheep station. Four Cornish miners were recruited and sunk pits and dug shafts in the area now known as Wallaroo Mines. Fifteen months later a second large copper find was made at Moonta Mines. At the peak of mining, the Copper Coast area (Kadina, Moonta and Wallaroo) was the most populous in provincial South Australia.

Sporadic copper mining and reclamation has continued since then with recent discoveries of copper and gold at Willamulka and near Ardrossan. Gypsum was mined at Inneston and Stenhouse Bay. One Steel’s dolomite mine at Ardrossan, and limestone quarries at Wardang Island and Klein’s Point were also significant.

Day 1 – Tue 16 Apr – To Port Broughton

The drive south to Quorn was a repeat of the drive north a few days earlier. At the start we said goodbye to the wonderful ranges fo the Flinders, and remains of ruined farm homesteads. Nice drive, although the wind was getting up.

Ploughing on south, it is a really interesting drive as there are many rugged hills and cliffs. Then we began to see the coast, the sea in the distance.

We had a mountain range nearby to the east and the coastline on the right – a few industrial plants on the way – not sure what they were. We also passed a few lakes – probably salt lakes.

The wind had strengthened through the morning and we began to see some dust clouds, quite thick in parts. Not good for the lost farmland. This is similar to what we’d seen around Adelaide – so much top soil must have been lost in the last month or so. So glad (not) we washed the caravan.

We stopped at a rest area – actually a floodway, with a railway bridge to one side. We changed drivers and carried on to Port Broughton, at the top of the Yorke Peninsula.

The Big 4 Port Broughton Tourist Park was pretty good, with the beach directly behind us. The site was roomy but with a packed dirt base. The facilities were all pretty good, clean and modern. The cost was $37.80 with our discount. We got both Optus (our 4G modem plus my phone) and Telstra (Kerry’s phone).

The beach is very flat – it would take a long walk to get a swim.

We couldn’t stay hitched so drove into town. The jetty goes out to the deep water channel and there is a jetty at right angles along the channel. A few large fishing boats tied up there. There were also a few boats moored in the channel.

The pub and a few other buildings provide a charm to the town.

Back at the van park we enjoyed a splendid sunset, glorious colours.

Day 2 – Wed 17 Apr – To Coobowie

We were based at Coobowie as we could not get into the van park at Marion Bay – the gateway to Ennis NP. We had not factored in Easter or ANZAC Day and school holidays into the equation soon enough.

Coobowie is a small coastal town near the south-eastern tip of Yorke Peninsula. It was proclaimed in 1875, with the word Coobowie coming from a First Nations word meaning “wild fowl water”. The early explorers found Coobowie an attractive area. In fact early explorers presumed that there must be fresh water available, because the area around the bay was so beautiful. After travelling some distance inland and finding none, they named the beautiful spot Deception Bay. Now known as the ‘Pelican Port’, the Coobowie estuary is home to a great array of birdlife.

The landscape flattened out pretty quickly as we drove south from Port Broughton. There were some interesting building in the towns we drove through, but it was a fairly ordinary drive.

We stropped at Port Victoria and had a look around. This port had been used for grain export since the mid-1800s. The large jetty was opened in 1878 and it is amazing to think that large sailing ships moored against the jetty. It was not until 1949 that the last sailing ships left the jetty. The beach was quite rocky – not very attractive. But the town had some interesting old buildings, including the museum at the jetty – not open.

Coobowie proved a small town with the van park close in. The Coobowie CP was ok – a bit dated with fewer facilities, but they were always clean and looked after. It was a good sized site with a hard packed dirt base, and a single-rail timber fence at the rear. We were in an upper area looking over the rather packed lower area. We got both Optus (our 4G modem plus my phone) and Telstra (Kerry’s phone). The cost was $29.00 pn.

We had a quick look around town including some time in the bird hide. The grain handling facilities to the north dominate the landscape. The beach is quite rocky – its a town for fishers and bird watchers. There is not really a shopping centre just the large shop near the caravan park which does take-away meals, and the pub to the north.

Day 3 – Thu 18 Apr – Innes NP

It was a windy but clear day and we had woken in the very early morning to take the awning in. Again! Bet the neighbours were impressed.

We went to Innes NP. This is the main attraction for the area and is at the south western tip of the peninsula – the “toe of the foot”. It’s a fair way from Coobowie. We went directly across to Port Moorowie and then went around the coast road (good dirt road) after that. A nice little stone wall at one point. There were a few lakes on the way over – they looked like salt lakes but there was no access. Kerry was pleased to see a wind farm.

Port Moorowie once had a jetty and exported grain but little remains of this history. The beach is sandy to the east and rocky low cliffs to the west.

We drove out to Sturt Bay, to the campground. The beach is sandy but covered in sea-weed.

Foul Bay is much the same, but a little further around we got to a boat launching ramp which looked like it had not been used for a long time. The shore here was more of a rock platform.

Kangaroo Island Lookout (or is it Foul Hill lookout?) – either depending on which map you look at; began the rugged coastline of the NP. Good sized rocky outcrops and islands.

We had thought to go into Hillocks Drive but found that this was private access only. Not good to see the public denied access to a scenic viewpoint. Meehan Lookout provides a great view to Marion Bay to the west and to rugged cliffs to the east. Lovely spot.

Marion Bay is a lovely place with a small town and a long jetty over shallow water. It had gotten quite cold with an ever strengthening wind, so we did not walk out too far. Dating from 1889 it was used to ship out gypsum, and later grain and wool as well. The jetty was shortened in the 1930s and used just for grain and wool. The last shipment was in 1969.

The entrance to the NP is close and we went to the rangers office to pay our entry fees of $8 each. This can only be done on their computer. From there we went to nearby Stenhouse Bay and walked around the informative loop trail. A town was built there by the Waratah Gypsum Company in 1900 to ship out the mined gypsum. Although there was once about 500 people living there, there’s not much of the town left today.

The 2 km circuit track passes rusting machinery; interpretive signs explaining the bay’s historic significance; and 9 lookouts showcasing the spectacular views to the islands in Investigator Strait and the Rhino’s Head. It is a great walk – lots of photos. Great views to the Althorp Islands.

One of the memorable thing on this walk for us was the grave of a Vietnamese sailor buried in this lonely outpost. We lived and worked in Hanoi for 8 years. He died in an accident onboard a ship where he was crew and as a buddhist he could not be buried at sea, so was taken here, to the nearest land. The story goes that the ships captain was going to bury him at sea, but some of the crew knew this was against his religion and insisted on burying him on dry land.

The drive around to Chinamans Hat Island is beautiful. The lookout to the Island is above a lovely sandy bay. An information panel tells of the sinking of the good ship Marion in 1862 near Cape Spencer. The Captain managed to save all 50 passengers and crew. We walked a short length of the stunning beach.

Next we went to Cape Spencer Lighthouse. The short track from the car park to the lighthouse runs along a ridgetop with massive cliffs on one side and exposed slopes running down to the booming seas below on the other. It is such an impressive landscape.

Directly across the strait from the lighthouse are the Althorp Islands, site of several shipwrecks and another lighthouse – a stunning two-lighthouse view and a rugged coastline in all directions. So glad it was a cloudless day, and that the seas were pounding onto the coastline. We could watch the waves for hours. (if we could get out of the wretched wind)

The lighthouse/shipwreck links we encountered at Cape Spencer are even more obvious at Ethel Beach and West Cape. At Ethel beach – a stunning continuation of the fantastic rugged headlands and cliffs – we looked down on the rusty steel remains of the wreck of the good ship Ethel from 1904. You can get down to the beach and walk amongst the were, but we declined and looked from above.

From Cape Spencer to West Cape, an unbroken line of cliffs ranging in height between 37 metres and 79 metres with some sandy beaches at their feet, make up the south west coast of Yorke Peninsula. West Cape was a very windy bluff, with another lighthouse. To the south the views are of a truly lovely beach.

To the north are great views to Pondalowie Bay, stretching over 2 horseshoe shaped beaches. Between then, near the end of the land spit, are 3 or 4 rugged rock outcrops taking a pounding from the seas. Nestled in the second bay, behind the rock outcrops, are half a dozen or so fishing boats. We later saw that there is fishing village at the shore.

We next drove down to Pondalowie Surf Break carpark. Firstly we got to the beach with the rock outcrops and fishing boats. The massive and angry seas booming through the gap between the land and the first rock outcrop into the bay are brilliant to watch. Massive waves breaking through at the gap then fizzling out as they reach the bay where the boats are moored – could have watched it all day.

Just off the land is an area of near surface rocks with massive waves breaking in all directions.

Got some good video of all of that – click here.

We walked back through the carpark to see the southern views to Cape Spencer. Glorious. Saw a lovely cliff face with a large hole towards the bottom. Fun watching the waves breaking up that high. This whole area is incredible.

Next up was Dolphin Bay – another truly lovely beach. We enjoyed a quick walk there.

Heading north we passed Brown Lake on out right – a very large salt lake. There is a chain of lakes to the inland.

Our final place it the truly beautiful Shell Beach, with its funny little stone house at the start of the drive in.

We really liked this place and walked the length of the beach and then around the point to look to the beaches further north. All quite spectacular.

We then turned for home – Coobowie was about 110km from Shell Beach.

Day 4 – Fri 19 Apr – around Coobowie

We went touring the local area – Coobowie is not the most spectacular place, but are there more interesting places nearby? So we drove out north keeping to the coast. Not far out we stopped to check out the beach. But this was actually a rock platform without a trace of sand. There was a boat launch ramp there.

But to the north we could see that a line of cliffs is starting to emerge, and we see a major jetty running out into the sea.

We followed the coastal track and reached a massive complex of grain storage linked to the jetty.

Wool Bay is a short distance away and the first thing we see is the Wool Bay Lime Kiln, built 1900 – 1910. But the kiln was not a success with the cliff top location blamed. We drove down to the beach and saw what a massive structure the kiln is.

The beach is pretty nice and there are real cliffs in this area. There is another long jetty.

We drove on up to Stansbury. There are lovely red cliffs there on a sandy beach – pretty nice, although the beach is very flat – a long walk to deep water.

There is another jetty – built in 1905 for grain handling but was not much used after the 1960s. There are some interesting buildings in the town.

From there we went to Edithburgh, not far south of Coobowie. On the beachfront we found a really good ocean pool, one of the first we have seen on the journey. The seas were strong so the water is shooting over the wall into the pool. There is yet another jetty, this one very wide.