A weekend away

Last weekend we travelled to Port Hughes, which was on the north eastern coast of the York Peninsula.  An area I had never visited before, which was a pity, because it was such a beautiful area, very dry, but with the most beautiful  beaches.

We took the road out of Adelaide,  a dual lane affair, called Port Wakefield Road. A straight road, with accompanying flat countryside.  Who would want to live there. But people do, surprisingly.   At first there were light industry areas,  market gardens and olive groves but after that, nothing really. We did see a few cattle grazing on dried bushes. I forgot to mention the huge rubbish dump, which was politely described as a landfill area. And the sewage works. Delightful. However I am sure money could be made from training racehorses on this very flat land.

We passed through the only settlement, named Dublin, which bore no resemblance to Dublin in Ireland. A joke, I think.  Blink and you will miss this little settlement. Not even a village. It does boast a pub called the new Dublin Hotel and a few shops and houses.  Dublin will soon be the home of the Big Cockroach,  currently on display in Rundle Mall.  A giant metal sculpture. Perfect.

Finally we arrived at Port Wakefield, no port in sight but it must be there, somewhere. There were roadhouses though, modernised, but still full of greasy food. Roadhouses are refreshment stops for coaches, trucks and motorists, and are typical food places along the main roads in country Australia. Not in the same league as motorway stops in the UK and Europe, but the food is just as expensive and awful.

Finally the aerial masts of Moonta and Port Hughes come into view. We wondered if Moonta was full of radio hams.  But no, these masts were for the television sets in the houses. Once a tall aerial was a sign that there was a keen long distance radio enthusiast below.  The type that spent hours talking to other radio enthusiasts around the world. In the days before the Internet. This part of the York Peninsula was full of tall masts, in a desperate bid to get some television reception.

The beaches go on for ever and ever, white sand, shallow water and blue sky. Perfection.

A fenced in swimming area beside the Moonta jetty. To keep boats away from swimmers?  To contain the swimmers? It certainly will not keep the sharks out, a very flimsy net with holes which will be replaced soon, according to the signs.

The Port Hughes jetty. Home to all the keen fishermen.

But these keen fishermen were keeping cool.  The area is known for its plentiful fish so of course the place was full of very keen fishermen and women too.

There appeared to be no rules regarding  boats and swimmers.  I was amazed at the number of boats that came in close to the shore, and fast too.

A lone sunbather on a huge beach.

Uncrowded and peaceful. An early morning photograph.

But the area was also full of expensive houses, huge holiday homes and houses for retirees.  There has to be some money in this part of the world.

More to follow.