Saturday 25th February 2012 Ceduna

Was a bad night for sleeping last night but we managed to get a few hours sleep... woke early because it was starting to get hot again.. and we had breakfast and were on our way by 9am.. heading to Ceduna today.

We stopped off in the town of Wudenna which is situated in the middle of the Eyre Peninsula, its a rural community and is best known as "Granite Country" and cereal cropping and it's home to the recently built Granite Sculpture "The Australian Farmer" Standing at 8 mtrs (26ft) in height, the work was hand carved from 70 tonnes of local granite.

The sculpture is a representation of a farmer. The figure is a basic human form, the top represents the sun, and the body is carved grain crops. Sheep are placed at the foot of the statue,to represent the sheep farmers in the district as well as creating feet for the figure.It took 17 years to produce from initial proposal to the final unveiling in 2009, and two years for the artist, Marijan Bekic ( with the assistance of his son, David) to carve.

Give you some idea of how BIG it is !

 Amazing all that history for a tiny little town like Wudenna.

We have 200 kms to travel today ... and it's all in one straight line...no corners to turn... nothing... these roads to Perth just go straight across... The scenery  doesn't change much...it just stretches for kms as far as the eye can see...

We were watching the temperature gauge go up and up in the truck and by lunch time it was 40 degrees and hot winds... by 3pm it had reached 42 degrees...the a/c was struggling to cool the trailer down...as any would in this heat... we decided to go for a drive as the a/c in the truck is magic and nice and cold..

We are staying in a caravan park, near the airport at Ceduna just 1 km out of the town centre which our friends from Port Augusta advised us they would have no trouble fitting in big rigs...which they didn't... the place leaves much to be desired though...not a blade of grass to be seen any where again.. just dust !!!

Anyway we drove into the town centre and was amazed at what we saw... the place just looks so new..everything is so clean and tidy...new building everywhere... and low and behold WATER !!!..

We had no idea we were so close to the coast... the water looked beautiful...we stopped in at the local hotel opposite the beach and John had a nice cold beer... then we went for a drive around the area...

Heading tp Pinky Point...It is believed that Thevenard's Pinky Point, on the Ceduna side of the Thevenard Jetty, may have been named after a small marsupial called a "pinky", the Australian Bilby, seen in large numbers before the area was developed.

A large look out platform has been constructed on the Point providing a great view over the wharf and to the islands beyond.

Also at Pinky Point is the Lighthouse Memorial to those lost at sea, a ceremony is held each year at the Memorial to remember those lost at sea.

The Port of Thevenard is the major port on the west coast of Eyre Peninsula, SA. Major cargoes handled through the port include gypsum, grain and salt exports. A lot of cargo is handled through this port.

After our little site seeing tour we headed back to the house to try and get cool... 


On the way we passed an interesting garden with a display of weather vanes..

 Later we went out to dinner at the local Restaurant over looking Murat Bay, had the most amazing dinner Seafood Marinara and we finished off with Sticky Date Pudding it's was huge and soooo yummy...

We then went to walk it off on the Thevenard Jetty which is 375 metres long !! but I wasn't too sure...only got a little way and had to come back :( wish I could handle this stuff... but it was all wooden boards.. and that puts me off big time !!!

I was going to stay and take the sun set but the battery run out on my camera Dam !!