Sunday 3 March 2013

21st Coorong National Park

We woke up the next morning, fine and dandy. Still alive! And the car starting – excellent all the ideas of horror movies the night before, we felt just plain stupid. After a quick breakfast we left for Coorong National Park.

Just when you thought you heard it all we did a u-turn to get a picture off a letterbox! It was probably the most unique ones we had seen – it was a lighthouse, complete with sailor and all!



Driving is an exhausting task at times especially during school zones in South Australia, in New South Wales its well sign posted and the speed limit is 40km/hr at least 4km before the school crossing giving the motorist enough time to slow down. School zone hours are from 9am – 10:30am and from 2 to 3:30pm. Closer to Adelaide however it went from 60km/hr to 25km/hr in less than 500m although there where flashing lights, ladies in bibs and a traffic officer with a radar gun. We clocked a whopping 40km/hr the traffic officer was not impressed and pulled us over we were awarded a lecture and a fine of $390. Unfortunately Shev did not slow down in time, we probably would have if she hit the brakes really hard! Please remind me to pay the fine...we swapped drivers and instead of Shev, who know felt terrible for speeding in a ''kiddy zone'' (that it seems everyone will now tease her about as its the first fine she got, mine was for overtaking on the left hand side of the highway in gridlock traffic to take an exit..the things we do!) I drove the rest of the way to the Coorong, thankfully with no issues.



The Coorong was really dry, clearly no rain here for ages. There seemed to be quite a few salt lakes in the area, some had nearly dried up leaving layers of salt on the edges.



 We tried a small bit of the salt and boy oh boy was it extremely salty! Yuck!! Our campsite was the best, right next to a lake, sun setting. Truly beautiful. The best part – yes obviously no showers (we're getting used to that) but now no toilets!!? Ok this is going to be interesting especially since there are hikers wandering around and not much bush to call a toilet either.


22nd Surfing at Middleton Point
We arrived in Adelaide and after stopping and first doing some wine tasting just short of Victor Bay we were tired and hungry. Must be the wine! Shev wasn't up for a surf so I took her new 8ft Softlite “foamie” long board out as it was a small reef break that was 3ft. After being out for 10min with a few of the locals I noticed a black Fin and then it was gone again, I jumped up on the board and as it was floating quite high due to its size. I could see further again but no fin. I have watched far too many Shark documentary’s and I remembered sharks dive before attacking their prey and here I am the furthest one out as I'm on a long board and like catching the waves further out for a longer ride looking for fin that has disappeared – GREAT.. just great! Heart is now racing and I looked for the next set of wave to get inland and to see how close other prey was to me or if I would definitely be it..next thing after keeping still as you can't out swim these creatures I saw the owner of the fin. Only now there were two and the seal was floating on his back with a big smile on his face with two fins waving about while getting a sun tan! I laughed at how I had worked myself up thinking about the shark and now I certainly was safe as the seal was further out than I was so I shouldn’t be first on the menu.
The reef break was perfect for a long board paddling just a little I was ripping it up from left to right and no doubt was now one of those older guys on a longboard that catches all the waves. At least that’s how I saw it when I was paddling like crazy for waves on 6ft4 shortboard. I caught at least a dozen good long waves that were almost becoming hollow over the reef. I also had to keep an eye out for a few trying to drop in on my wave, still it was a great day and we all got a few waves. Nothing like Long beach or Bondi where everyone is on everything that even resembles a swell.

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