Balgowan to Pondalowie Bay, Innes National Park, Yorke Peninsula SA

Sunday 9 December 2018
Today was to be a big day.

We started with a 23km bike ride before breakfast along the Walk the Yorke Trail. This started out nicely on a gravel track on the cliff leaving Balgowan on our way north to The Gap. It wasn’t long before we left the coast and were riding along past the wheat fields again. Instead of the muddy path of yesterday we had a very rutted, sandy trail. Both of these things I find a big challenge. Oh well only 23km of difficult riding for me, with lots of oops and arghh. I struggle when slipping not to cry out in some way. Well it wasn’t too interesting and I survived the challenge. David saw 2 foxes, 2 kangaroos, about 5 rabbits, and a shingleback. Unfortunately I was concentrating on the trail and only managed to see the shingleback and it was dead on the track.

After our bike ride we headed on an exploring drive from Balgowan to Pondalowie Bay in the Innes National Park via Maitland, Port Victoria, Minlaton, Hardwicke Bay. Point Turton, Point Soutter, Couch Beach, Corny Point, Berry Bay, Marion Bay, Stenhouse Bay, Inneston. It was a very scenic drive through wheat fields, along cliff edges, on sandy beaches, gravel roads, to 2 lighthouses, a few pretty bays, picturesque headlands and all in all a beautiful drive.

Once we arrived in the Innes National Park we went on a couple of walks. We did a 2km Stenhouse Bay Lookout loop, 600m Cape Spencer Lighthouse walk and 2km Inneston Historic Trail.

We then headed to our camp at Pondalowie Bay. We arrived at about 6.30pm so haven’t explored here as yet, but will do that tomorrow before we leave.

: Start of the Balgowan to The Gap ride along the “Walk the Yorke Trail”

: ..It started out along a nice track along the coast line..

: ..then headed in to the wheatfields again..

: A bit more along the cliff near a campground..

: The last of our 2hour cycle back to Balgowan.

: A little bit of mud left on our bikes from last night. No wonder we don’t want to buy new bikes as all we do is trash them o our trips.

: A couple of emus coming over to say hello at Minlaton.

: Harry Butler was a hero in this part of the world

: Henry John ‘Harry’ Butler AFC (9 November 1889 – 30 July 1924) was an early Australian aviator, an air force officer, and a World War I flying ace. When he flew an air mail run from Adelaideacross Gulf St Vincent to Minlaton on 6 August 1919, it was the first over-water flight in the Southern Hemisphere.

: Harry returned to Australia from the war with a Bristol monoplane and an Avro 504-K. The monoplane became known as “the Red Devil”, and it was in this plane he made the 67-mile (108 km) water crossing from Adelaide to Minlaton in 27 minutes.

: Dave with Harry.

: Teslar car charging station at Minlaton. They appear in the strangest places.

: Point Turton at low tide.

: Couch Beach..

: ..lunch stop at Couch Beach

: Couch Beach

: Lizard on the road. He didn’t move at all even though we drove past him 3 times.

: Corny Point

: Little seat at Corny Point for the “Walk the Yorke” hikers

: Corny Point

: Corny Point Lighthouse lookout

: Corny Point Lighthouse

: Some bugs at the lighthouse

: Berry Bay..

: ..our first sign of surf today.

: Marion Bay, the entranc eto Innes National PArk

: the entranc eto Innes National Park

: Stenhouse Bay Jetty..

: The jetty at Stenhouse Bay was 164 metres long and the gypsum was stockpiled at the top of the cliff. Ore trucks on rails and cables transported the gypsum down the steep cliff. Later a cutting was made through the cliff which allowed the ore to be transported directly to the jetty.

: Stenhouse Bay

: The trail meanders to the cliff top and the grave of Dao Thanh, a Vietnamese sailor who was killed on March 25, 1940, when he was struck by a bag of coal on board the SS Notue.