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Nicole and Rene's Aussie adventures, Balranald (2026)

23/06/2026

Good evening everyone. Last post for Point Turton. Grab a bevvie.

Day 103.
Woke to yet another stunning sunrise overlooking Port Turton Jetty. Rene had the photos under control this time and he did a great job. We decided it was a day to just hang around Point Turton and go for a wonderful walk. We walked up to Magazine Bay where there are some small caves along the cliffs, which we admired from above. We were told the Tavern dished up some pretty amazing meals, so we just had to find this out for ourselves. We really must stop having a meal each and start sharing again 🤦🏻‍♀️. These meals are just huge! So we again, took half of it home. I will say though, that the meals we had were really delicious 😋. We spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing. Oh and giving Rene a much needed and overdue haircut.
Day 104.
Up early this morning to capture the stunning sunrise. Even the pelicans were up to welcome in the day. I was very surprised to witness half a dozen ladies enjoying a sunrise swim in the marina though! Apparently they do this each morning. What a fabulous way to start a day 🥶.
We ventured out for a few hours up the coast checking out some of the small towns and a few of the points of interest along the way. We also had a lovely walk along the Port Rickaby jetty and read a bit about the history of the town. These coastal towns all have so much history which is always fascinating. Before we headed back home, we stopped in Minlaton. There was a very interesting memorial about Captain Harry Butler who enlisted in the World War I Royal Flying Corps. He was born near Minlaton in 1889. You can read all about his achievements in an attached photo. We had a lovely wander around Minlaton before having a cuppa and a bite to eat at the Ye Olde Cafe. Then it was back home with a quick stop along the way to take a photo of the ‘shoe tree’. It was nice to relax for the rest of the evening and start organising our next few days. We decided to extend our stay as we just loved the area and there was still more to explore. And not to mention, we have one of the best camping spots. Who wouldn’t want to stay with the views we have. We get to watch the pelicans come and go each day as well as all the fishing boats coming in and out of the marina. Lots of people out and about on the jetty and along the break walls trying their hand at catching a fish or two (most with not much luck). It is a bit hard to go fishing with all the restrictions still on after the algae outbreak along the SA coastline.
Today was our last day here in Port Turton. We decided to walk up to the bakery/general store for a cuppa. This is a one stop shop that includes a post office, general store, bakery/takeaway and petrol. Then it was back home to relax for the afternoon. We had a nice afternoon chatting with our neighbors before we enjoyed a walk along the jetty and the marina rock wall. Late in the afternoon, the park lit up the communal fire so we joined other campers for a chat and a few drinks before retiring for the night. Tomorrow is pack up day where we head up to Port Victoria for a few nights.
Thank you to one of the most fabulous caravan parks we’ve stayed at. The staff here are so friendly, welcoming and helpful. Highly recommend Point Turton Caravan Park.
Until next time, enjoy all the photos🤦🏻‍♀️.

20/06/2026

And the final video for today. Having a bit of fun

20/06/2026

Here is the video I took up at Daly Heads. Just a stunning part of the Yorke Peninsula

20/06/2026

Day 102. Point Turton.
Today we woke up to a beautiful sunny day. The winds were bitterly cold though, but we were just grateful for no rain. So we headed off down the scenic drive along Berry Bay. We stopped off at the Corny Point Lighthouse first and were blown away by the stunning views of the beach, watching the huge swells and the waves crashing onto the rocks. The lighthouse shared its history with informative boards which were interesting to read. The lighthouse was built in 1882 which protected the trading ships sailing through the Spencer Gulf.
We continued the drive along the Bay stopping off at a few of the viewing areas. Our last stop before heading back was at Daly Head National Surfing Reserve. Again, this part of the coastline was just breathtaking. I took a video at Daly Heads which will be posted separately.
We then headed back checking out one of the campgrounds we were planning on staying at. Definitely next as it was a great spot.
Also on our way back we had to go through just a few more puddles on the road. Well, they were unavoidable and we had no choice as the water covered the road. One of them we decided to get a video of me driving through it. I mean, a girl has gotta have a bit of fun sometimes, surely! And yes, it meant the car was going to get even more dirty (sorry Rene). So Rene got out of the car and walked/stumbled up the embankment over to the other side of the flooded road ready for me to make a bit of a splash. Nothing too big though. But I did enjoy doing it 🤣. Will post that video separately too.
So after that little bit of fun, we stopped off in the small coastal town of Corny Point to have a bit of a wander and take a few more photos (as one does).
We could see the grey clouds starting to roll back in so we headed back home. Lucky we did as it started to rain again.
So we had another fabulous day exploring more of the Yorke Peninsula coastline, this time on the West side.
Until next time, enjoy the photos.
“Life Is Good”@

19/06/2026

Day 101. Point Turton.
We had another windy morning from 4am where it felt like at times the caravan was going to blow over! Lucky we have a 3.5 tonne van.
When we woke up (or should I say, when became daylight), we looked out of the window, again the weather couldn’t make up its mind on whether it wanted to rain or have blue skies. Anyway, we packed up after 7 nights at Marion Bay and headed across to the West side of the Yorke Peninsula.
Next stop, Point Turton. Again, we needed to stay at a caravan park. Everywhere is just too wet to go off grid yet which we are very disappointed in. We decided to change to a waterfront site despite the wind/weather. We are expecting the conditions to improve soon. Fingers crossed🤞!
The caravan park let us arrive early to beat the weather which we were very grateful for. After we set up, the rain decided to make a presence, so we thought a coffee was in order. After if stopped we then drove into Yorketown to get a few groceries and top up with fuel. Oh and a visit to the local grog shop to top up on those essential supplies, as one does. Then back to the caravan park with a quick photo stop along the way. One of the farmhouses had a couple of statues in their front yard. One was a camel 🐪!!!! Just had to get a photo 🤦🏻‍♀️🤣🤦🏻‍♀️.

18/06/2026

Today marks 100 days back on the road after a 4 month stop at home to catch up with family and friends. We are having an amazing time and just loving life. Sometimes we still can’t believe we left home in Canberra 1,501 days ago (or 4 years, 1 month and 9 days)!!! And just think, we were only going on a 12 month lap of Australia!
So today we woke to a mixed bag with the weather. Blue skies one direction and grey, nasty clouds threatening us from behind. So we had a coffee and discussed our plan for the day. Then we looked out of the window again once we finished our coffee and….. where did the grey clouds go? All gone! WHOOHOO we can go and explore a bit more. So we got our act together knowing we possibly only had a couple of hours and headed up to the Stenhouse Bay Lookout Loop Walk that we missed doing the other day. This walk loops you up along the ridge of the Stenhouse Bay Jetty and takes you along the cliffs edge spoiling you with some breathtaking views. Naturally I took a few photos of all the historical sites, cliff faces and anything of interest. The photos don’t do justice to the actual beauty of this landscape. Along the way there were lots of fabulous viewing vantage points, some with information boards with the relevant history explained. There was even an old diesel locomotive rusting away with the original carraiges that carted the Gypsum down to the jetty. The track was dismantled in the 1940’s. There is an information board that tells you about the history of it.
Now, we were expecting winds of up to around 40km/h in Marion Bay today. But once we got up on the edge of this part of the coastline, we were hit with anything up to 60/70km/h winds and thats not exaggerating! One part of the walk took us right next to quite a steep cliff and Rene was not going to join me for a selfie! He was worried I was going to get blown off the edge so he stepped back. All good, I wasn’t worried so I took a selfie anyway (as you do 🤦🏻‍♀️). Overall we had an amazing 2km walk in exceptionally windy conditions and admiring some of the most incredible coastline.
We then thought we would head up to another lookout with breathtaking views before finishing off at the Chinaman’s Hat Island lookout. We seen this fascinating island earlier but this vantage point had better views. So yes, I took a couple more photos to share.
After we nearly getting blown away, yet again, we had enough of the cyclonic winds and headed back to camp. Apparently Rene worked out that the wind over the last week is the cause of all his flatulence lately (thats a nice way of wording it)!!! Yeah right that’s his excuse and I beg to differ 🤣🤦🏻‍♀️🤣
It was not long after we arrived back to the caravan and the weather, once again, turned nasty! And oh boy, those winds were fierce and rain relentless. I think we have had enough now. Oh well, tomorrow we head off after 7 nights here in Marion Bay.

17/06/2026

Good evening everyone. Here goes another big post. Sorry, but I just can’t help myself 🤷‍♀️. So grab a cuppa/wine/ beer or whatever drink helps you through it all 🤣 (depends on when you read it).

Days 96 to 99.
Sunday we had another lovely day out making the most of no rain. It was a little overcast and windy, but no rain, so no complaints there. So we headed off up the coast this time and stopped off at various viewing points to take in the views etc. First stop was at the Kangaroo Island lookout. Great views and you got a great view of the Island in the background. Then off to Foul Bay and Sturt Bay before heading back. We had one last stop which was at the Meehan Hill Lookout which overlooked Penguins Point Bay and Marion Bay. We decided to finish our day with lunch at the Marion Bay Hotel (saves me cooking dinner!). We had a glass of wine and a beer with a delicious seafood pizza which we shared but only ended up eating half of it and took the rest home for dinner. To finish off the day, we took a beer up to the communal fire pit. They only light it weather permitting and tonight was go.
Monday.
While the rain held off, we ventured down to Stenhouse Bay. In its days, Stenhouse Bay was a very busy port and the centre of the salt and gypsum industries in the early 1920’s until the 1970’s. The Gypsum was mined primarily for plaster and cement.
First we thought we’d check out the campground that we planned to stay at (but opted out due to the weather) and it looked great. Maybe next time.
We then drove up to Little Emu Beach Cove where we enjoyed another spectacular view of the cliffs and coastline. We found the remains of ruins which we were unsure of what they would have been of. The ruins were of a couple of stoned supports, maybe part of small jetty?? Tried to google for answers without success. There was also an old cement water tank and a few remains of some sort of equipment which possibly would have been to do with the Salt and Gypsum mining industry.
Then it was up to the Stenhouse Bay Jetty and loading plant with the ruins of the Gypsum storage bins that sat perched high up on the cliffs. The Jetty was built in 1913. We were blown away with the ruins and the remains of the stone wall on the foreshore. With the pounding of the waves over time, parts of the wall had collapsed, but there remained quite a bit of it still. The historical ruins are where the gypsum was processed ready for loading onto the ships which then got shipped to Adelaide and other interstate ports. There was also the remains of a base of a cement water tank that literally was perched on the original timber frame. Fascinating stuff thats for sure.
We were then going to do the short 2km cliff top loop walk but the weather looked like it was just about to turn. So we opted out and thought we would try again another day. This weather was definitely not in our favor this week. And just as we got back into the car the heavens opened up. We headed home to relax for the rest of the day and stayed out of the rain and wind.
Tuesday was a day we didn’t go out as it just rained and was not pleasant. Great day for ducks as they say.
Today…… well……. It was worse than yesterday as far as the rain goes! It just didn’t let up all day. But we did decide that we couldn’t stay in the caravan all day again. I mean, we do get on really well, but when you are confined in a 20” caravan, sometimes you just have to get out so you don’t kill each other 🤣. It wasn’t planned, but Rene said, “why don’t we go to the tavern for lunch again”? I mean, what could I say? “Of course we can do that” I said. So off we went and yep, we were the only ones there, to start with. This time we decided we would each have a schnitzel, one chicken and one beef and share them. We had a beer and a glass of red wine while we waited and out the meals came. We were not expecting the size of the meals. Holy Moly they were HUGE!!!! We basically cut each piece in half and then in half again! Yep, dinner tomorrow night sorted too.
We have one more day in Marion Bay and have no plans as we don’t know what the weather is going to do. We are meant to get more storms.
So until next time, enjoy all the photos.

14/06/2026

I just had to do a video from West Cape lighthouse to share what we admired. This part of the Yorke Peninsula is just magical.

*Edit*. OMG, I just watched/listened to the video. Sorry, it was soooo windy you can’t really hear what I’m saying. Oops 😬. I’ll have to improve on my video recording 🤦🏻‍♀️🤣🤦🏻‍♀️

14/06/2026

Saturday was again a day we were not expecting with the weather. After nearly 20ml’s of rain overnight and lots of water around the caravan park, the rain cleared so we were able to head off to explore a bit. The outdoor bbq area near our caravan had the most water, but the seagulls were loving it. It was meant to rain most of the day, so we were pleased it changed.
We headed off and stopped at Marion Bay Jetty and went for a stroll down it before going to the visitors centre where we picked up a National Parks pass. Our first stop along the coastline in the Dhilba Guuranda-Innes National Park was a lookout where you can not only admire the cliffs and beaches along Cape Spencer Cove, but you got a good view of Chinamans Hat Island. Then a short drive from there we headed up to the Cape Spencer Lighthouse. The views from up there were nothing but spectacular to say the least. This part of the rugged coastline and reefs tragically took so many ships and lives. The wrecks lie along the oceans floor and you can read about them on plaques along the way. There was two visual partial wrecks on the beach at Cape Spencer. In 1904, The Ethel hit one of the nearby reef’s. You can read the story of these ships demise in one of the photos. Well worth a read about the Ethel and the steamer, Ferret which came to grief in 1920.
We continued on the coastal road stopping at different vantage points to take photos and admire the magnificent cliffs, waves crashing in on to the rocks (can never get sick of just watching this). We also braved the wind and walked the West Cape Headlands which is also where you find the West Cape lighthouse. The walk takes you along the cliff edge and had the most spectacular views. I took a video which I will post separately. We spent so much time up there just admiring the sheer beauty.
Our last stop before heading back was at Pondalowie Bay where we again, went for a bit of walk to check out the breathtaking scenery. Definitely wasn’t disappointed.
Despite the wind that just didn’t let up all day, we had another fabulous day out exploring the Yorke Peninsula.
I took sooooo many photos I had trouble choosing which ones ‘not’ to share. So I’m sharing quite a few. Enjoy 😊.

13/06/2026

Day 93. Our last day in Edithburgh was another quiet one. We topped up on groceries at the local IGA, fuel and grabbed another case of beer. I mean, as always we do have to get our priorities right 🍺.
As it was bitterly cold, we stayed in the warmth of our caravan for the remainder of the day. Started to pack up ready for departing in the morning.
Day 94: Marion Bay
After 7 fabulous nights in Edithburgh, taking in all the local history, visiting all the surrounding towns, taking copious amounts of photos of all the murals and water tank/silo artworks, it was time to move on.
After packing up we headed off on a very windy morning and stopped off at Yorketown for a cuppa and an egg & bacon roll. Trying not to have too many of these now, so it was a treat and it was delicious 😋. We also wanted to go to the Cellar Doors as they had my usual bubbles 🍾 on special the other day, so thought we would grab a few more to last us. But the special finished 2 days prior. Typical! Oh well, we can do without.
We continued on our way and stopped quickly for a walk around Warooka which had a couple of murals and yep, another water tank mural which needed a photo taken of. I just can’t help myself.
Anyway, after a fairly slowish drive due to the strong winds, we arrived in Marion Bay. We were going to camp further down the coastline in a campground but due to the upcoming weeks dreadful weather predictions, we opted for another caravan park. They also had a ‘stay 7 days and pay for 5’ which actually worked out to be the same cost as staying at the campground that has no power or water. So it was a no brainer to book in for the next week. From here we plan to explore the bottom part of the York Peninsula. We set up and had a wander down to look at the beach where the caravan park was situated. Due to the windy conditions, it brought up a lot of seaweed along the beach. So much that you literally couldn’t walk along the beach. We were relieved that it didn’t smell! The rest of the day was spent relaxing in the caravan as the weather was not in our favor. Rene even had to cook the steak inside the van as the wind was relentless.

Nicole and Rene's Aussie adventures

23/06/2026

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20/06/2026

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