Wednesday
Wandering!
Cultana:: This is one of the Australian Army Play Pens. It is approximately 2100 square klms. I have shown these three photographs on the way to the lighthouse to illustrate that apart from the road and the front of my car, everything you see is part of the Army Play Pen. Driving to the Port ( 80 klms) it is difficult to realise that for the entire journey everything you see on either side of the road belongs to the army. There were two large cattle stations – one on either side, but the army wanted the land so the Government slapped a compulsory purchase order on the property owners. Did the same with two other stations that the army wanted.
Oh, I have realised I am being unkind- they allowed us to keep the small tourist park and picnic ground at Wild Dog Hill. Wasn’t that sweet???
One of the disadvantages is that most of the tourist parks, motels, adventure parks and caravan parks do not allow animals (Pets of any kind) and that being so, it limits what I can do and where I can go. Still the Lighthopuse is a nice drive of 20+ miles or 37 miles to Fitzgerald Bay. As Annabell says, Benji doesn’t care where you go – he is in the car, he’s with you and that’s all that matters to him. The temperature is still in the high 30s although there is a strong North Wind with it which is causing concern since the ground is tinder dry and if a fire were to start now, the wind and the heat conditions would be a deadly combination. Also the wind is blowing up dust everywhere which is a bit irritating.
By 4pm the wind had died down and there is no reports of any major fires, so that’s a blessing. There are two branches on one of my trees that are a tad unstable and I worry about them when the wind blows harder than usual. I really should have them trimmed but I never got round to it, however, I must before winter comes and we do get storms. They are fairly large branches and
although I believe they would come down on my side of the fence, I have concerns. Friday 13th. At the moment it is blowing pretty hard and the sun is obscured by a dust storm. This is why some of the houses at the top of the town – Fairclough Crest. where I take Benji walking – are up for sale. There has been no rain in this area, just high wind and dust. Of course
that’s not to say that the wind will cease and we will have rain, but nothing in sight. However, above us and to the west of us there had been a lot of rain as well as in Adelaide, and the weather forecast
suggests that the rain will by-pass us this time round and by Monday, things will start
to warm up again. You know, I don’t know how other people manage it but I always have problems with text and photographs.
I took Benji down to the Wetlands today (15th) and the water levels are still dropping. Well two reasons – it’s run-off water and there has been no rain for quite a few months and secondly this is the water that is used to water the grass and the trees, so although it is not being replenished, it is being used as required. The workmen were working on the Cafe building area. Nothing much seems to have progressed since last time I looked. Still when finished – in the fullness of time – it will be well used. In the last few days, for example, there have been a number of caravans and trailers in the Wetlands Car Park, so a cafe will be well appreciated by locals and visitors alike. Sometime this week, if the weather stays reasonable, I might take Benji back to Fitzgerald bay, only this time we will go there directly so we can spend a bit more time at the bay. I’ll pack the cooler again and we can have lunch and treats there. However, I have to say that the massive spike in fuel cost in these last few days, are causing a bit of a concern.
Wednesday
Benji and me – out and about
Friday and after church I took Benji down to the wetlands again. I was surprised to see workmen working on the cafe construction area. I mean it was Good Friday and a Public Holiday. Odd – very! Anyway, Benji was ok and we did well until the gravel section and I carried him over that and set him down on the bitumen. He walked the rest of the way with no bother. This morning (Saturday) we got up and hit the road at 6am. He was quite lively this morning and we went out on a slow walk – slow because it’s been four days and a lot of P-mail can build up in
four days!! On Tuesday I’ll make an appointment with the vet to have a look at him and decide what to do about that claw. One of those weeks when I make a bunch of plans and everything goes off kilter. I had intended to get away for the day today, but didn’t: I don’t know if I will get away tomorrow and Friday is out. Still, if nothing else we will get a run out to the Lighthouse. Well we did go out to the lighthouse and it wasn’t cold but it was very windy, difficult at times to hold the camera steady. There is gravel there but it’s smooth and Benji was able to walk on it without too much bother. These last few days he has been reluctant to go out early in the morning. I think I mentioned that last post and it hasn’t
changed much and I have no intentions of forcing him to go out. But we still go down to the wetlands and stay on the bitumen path, so there’s no problem there.
I had intended for him and I to go off for the day somewhere, but Annabell has been unwell and I am reluctant to go away for any length of time and leave her on her own, so the lighthouse and the wetlands are about as far as we go at the moment. If the conference had been this weekend I would have had no hesitation in an
apology. Don’t panic, she is not desperately ill or sick, she is just unwell and a residue of ilness past (MRS)
This year the Royal Flying Doctor Service is 90 years old and Central Operations are holding functions in each of the major regional areas. We are one such area with over 547 landings here in the last year. I have been in touch with Adelaide and have been working to help organise our morning. The C.E.O. the Volunteer co-ordinator, the Anniversary coordinator, a doctor and a nurse will all be flying up to give presentations. We were asked to organise chairs, a lectern, loudspeaker and
mike, and catering for about 80+ people which will include community leaders, Elected Members, Mayor and guests that we want to be invited – I had to supply a list of names and addresses of people who had helped us over the last year plus all our group. For the catering – I made a presentation to the ladies of our church and asked them if they would be willing to do the catering for the function. They agreed. However, they thought they would ask a few friends, who asked a few friends, who asked a few friends, who ——— well you get the picture. The response, to say the least, was overwhelming with almost every church in the city – different denominations – have volunteered to contribute. The Anniversary coordinator was contacted and told that the catering was all organised and who was doing it. He asked if there was an idea of the cost, and was told that there would be no cost. I don’t think he quite understood and I was told the information had to be repeated :o) I had given him a contact number for catering arrangements. All this will happen on the 3rd May, but we will get together on 23rd April to discuss the final arrangements.
The man and I went away for the day and we had a great day. Now you’re thinking that I said I wouldn’t go far because Annabell was unwell. Well, let
me tell you that we had a fantastic day out and at no time was I ever more than 20-25 minutes away from the house. We started off at the Wetlands, then we drove to Wild Dog Hill, then from there out on the lighthouse road to the white sands beach. Our next stop was Fitzgerald Bay and finally, the lighthouse. A lot of driving back and forth but we enjoyed the day out, and if I was needed, I could be home in 25 minutes at the longest.
Fitzgerald Bay
Wednesday
Passover
Walking the Wetlands
Have been down to the wetlands the last few days and found the water level has really dropped. So much so that the bottom of the main pond is visible in one area. Still, walking around is not any different. Well it is a bit in that the Benji has a sore paw and walking on gravel hurts him, so I have to carry him over the gravel parts. Well, ok – I guess that’s part of the job description. The work on the Cafe/Kiosk seems to have come to a halt for the moment and I am not really expecting much movement until next summer. See, I am optimistic! The Whyalla jetty was damaged in a storm last year and closed down for safety reasons. It was popular with fishing people and people who just wanted a walk along its length. However, it has taken council until now to decided to replace it. The new jetty will be twice the size of the old jetty and will have a circle in the middle. They say that this is the design that was voted on by public consultation but I don’t remember being asked. I suspect that it is one of these things you never hear about unless you follow the daily “doings”of council.
The reason for us being down the wetlands these last few days has to do with Benji. I normally set the alarm for 5:45 and by 6am we are on the road. The last few days he has been very reluctant to go out in the morning and the other morning when we did go out, we had only gone about 100 yards when he came right to my side and sat down and his demeanor made it clear that he really didn’t want to go. So, I turned round and took him home. Later on in the morning he was a bit more lively so I got him into the car and we drove to the wetlands. He was quite
walking and checking the p-mail – except with the gravel area. Age — well I was told he was about 5 when I adopted him and he has been with me for over two years so he’s about 7(ish) – not really old at all.
The little jetty behind Benji – in the photograph – is used for launching boats. No, not boats for people, since that’s not allowed, but radio controlled boats. While we were down there one of the boats that had been sailing suddenly stopped and refused to move. The radio controller having no effect. Since it was too far out to reach he had to telephone the council and explain and they reluctantly allowed him to put a real boat into the pond to retrieve the radio controlled boat, which had now floated over to one of the islands. He was allowed to get the motorboat but to remove the real boat as soon as that had been done. The water is ‘run-off water” not suitable for animals nor humans and, of course, the lack of rain has meant no run-off water, or very little.
Recently I was reading a post about “How we met” which I found interesting. How we met… I had decided that I was not going to a retreat, since I had already been at several, and stay home. One of our Collegiate Ministers, decided I must have made a mistake and picked me up in the morning. It was there at the Church of Scotland Conference Center, Carberry Towers, that I met Annabell. The following August we were married with both ministers conducting the service – Alex Keith and James Currie. That was a wee while ago !! Can’t remember the piper’s name though. Actually if we want to be correct her name is not Annabell, it’s Annabella, named after Queen Annabella, Wife of Robert III, King of Scots.
Wednesday
The Port and the Arid Lands Gardens.
Talk about “Back to the Future” as once again I made the journey out to the Port for the same reasons as last week. I was supposed to head out on
Tuesday but late Monday afternoon I received a telephone call from the Doctor Surgery reminding me I had an appointment on Tuesday afternoon. I probably could have still gone to the Port and been back in time, but I decided to leave it until Wednesday. So, Wednesday morning I headed off to Port Augusta and the Bank. My business at the bank was completed a lot quicker that I had anticipated so I was able to spent some time at Big W, then The Office Shop before heading to the Arid Lands Botanic Garden. I bought three new native plants before heading off for a wander at the Lookout area. There are some really nice walking paths and they would be great to take Benji, but as I said, dogs are not allowed. Yes, I agree they could make a ruling that dogs have to be kept on a leash at all times but there will always be the drongo(s) that believe that rules don’t apply to them and put the native wildlife in danger. I have to say that the weather was lovely, but too warm to leave Benji in the car for any length of time. The Joy Baluch Bridge is the main crossing point of the Upper Spencer Gulf but there is another crossing a bit further up. This is Yorkeys Crossing and is supposed to be the route for heavy vehicles, which are reluctant to use it and instead use the main bridge. There was a pedestrian bridge but due to structural damage
this was closed, so pedestrians are forced to use a narrow pathway on the main bridge. The Federal MP has highlighted this and shown how close the trucks come to people using the narrow walkway, but nothing was ever done. The reason drivers are reluctant to use Yorkeys Crossing is that it is a long detour and the road between the crossing and the main highway, is an unsealed, dirt road on either side, so for big vehicles it can present problems. It also puts added pressure on the main bridge, which, because it is now used by pedestrians, the speed limit is 40KPH over the bridge. The Port Augusta Council have been asking for the State Government to seal the road, and repair the pedestrian crossing, but the previous state government was more concerned with extending a motorway in Adelaide to get people home by cutting four minutes off the traveling time. We really hope the new government can do something about the problems around the state outside of Adelaide.
I spent much of the morning walking the trail towards Yorkeys Crossing and up to the top of the escarpment. I find the view quite pleasant with
the Flinders Ranges in the distance. Looking back towards the Gardens and the Shop area is quite interesting. Way beyond the hills in the distance is part of the way home. and between where I am standing and where I am going there is nothing – no houses nor people – mind you, there’s no water either. Coming back down from the escarpment to the carpark I had a chat with some visitors from Germany. Driving back to the main road I stopped and pulled off road as best as I could so that I could get out and photograph a family of emu. In the early paragraph of this post I mentioned the problems with allowing dogs in the area – even on leash – because some people would believe the rules don’t apply to them – this was brought home to me as I was photographing the Emu. For obvious reasons, the speed limit in and around the area is 40KPH with restrictions that the wildlife has right of way. As I was parked a white sedan came from the opposite direction and passed me at about 60+, despite the fact that there were Emu in the area – rules didn’t apply to him.
Anyway, I have decided that I need a new camera. My Nikon is getting old and is really overdue for replacement. Think I might have to talk nicely to “She who must be Obeyed”.
Wednesday
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