Dwarves ,Aussie Sammos and Contrived Poverty

We had been to the yorke peninsula fleetingly back in 2017 but we were keen to spend a little more time there. But we had the van fridge which had poo’d itself , the car fridge  {Beer and bait ) charger replacement had arrived needed sorting, we were waiting on the van suspension being replaced  . It was Wednesday on the week before easter and everyone told us it would be mayhem down in yorke over the easter weekend and we wouldn’t get in, I fitted the the charger , Dave bensons did a cracking job on the shock absorbers and our caravan fridge guy fitted second hand main board for our fridge . We set off for the peninsula early Thursday morning . 

Sunrise on the road cheered us up no end . We headed to burners beach first unfortunately it was full , bugger, and we left feeling like we were going to struggle finding a spot anywhere. 

We then headed to Gleesons landing . Lo and behold we nabbed a great site just below the first dunes with no neighbours . Over the easter weekend all the sites filled up and there was the usual easter celebrations everywhere. 

Come Monday we moved to a site with a sea view . We got some new neighbours that were friendly , older man , older woman , three young men one young lady and a teenager.  During the night they  let off fireworks during a fire ban !  Also left about 20 bits of toilet paper and wipes everywhere from women having pees. Maybe nice people but awful campers . They left early and we tidied up .

The sunsets over the sea in easter week  were frankly out of this world . Each night was a heady pallet of turquoise , purple, yellow , orange red and even green. 

Fishing was fun with mullet caught near us used for bait . I caught a salmon on nearby Daly Head beach . Chillie , ginger , garlic and spring onion one day and fried crispy skin with linguine the next .  

I went fishing a few times to Daly Head hoping for Mulloway and expecting salmon  . On one occasion when I got there there were three men up to their necks in the surf casting . In front of them was a salmon school which was about 50 metres by 20 metres thick . Their lures were landing just short . By the time got to the bottom of the 300 or so steps the school had moved south along the beach . I joined one other angler who was up for the chase .He gave up and headed back but i persevered . In the end the shoal was pushed in towards the beach by pod of dolphins that rode the waves like fighter pilots . There was salmon everywhere in the air in the water in the surf . I managed to get two on the hook but both escaped . So no rewards but i felt privileged  to have taken part .

On later fishing exploits I again managed to connect with a schools of salmon. On one occasion I hooked up 19 the other 20 .These fish were around the 3-3.5kg mark and fight to the end including aerial displays like barramundi. Kate was salmon spotting off the dunes and directing my casts .Catch and release was the order of the day but we kept a couple for some tucker. Thai red salmon curry and fishcakes the highlight. You will meet more people who tell you salmon is not worth eating that haven’t caught or eaten one . They are not the best eating fish in the ocean but eaten fresh , well prepared and of course well cooked they rarely disappoint.

Gleesons Landing is an interesting mix of granite rocks and fine sandy beaches . On our first day when clearing the campsite of rocks etc i found what i through was a clay pipe , I soon told myself that it couldnt be one and that it was probably just a  bit of old bone and i threw it into a bush . Then we read the sign about Gleesons landing . I searched the bush and it will now join the artefacts pile found on our travels.

We also made a selection of dampers , breakfast with sausage and bacon in , to sweet with cinnamon and sultanas to complement the old favourite ring stinger of chillies with added chillies.

After Easter the sites emptied out again and we enjoyed the glorious weather on our own . The weather then took a turn with a little wind but big swells coming up from the southern ocean caused by a low system . From virtually no swell we went up to 8 and 10 metre swells. This brought intrepid surfers in search of “that wave” . We sat for hours watching them attempt and catch some amazing waves off the rocks at Daly Head which is a surfers reserve. 

Day visits out to Warooka  were required to restock the fridge and larder. I would have loved to have been in the council meeting when they decided the towns strap-line !

The campsite has no water officially but we did find an old farm borehole water pump . With a few containers everyday which we used for cooking and cleaning we didn’t have to hitch up the van once to go and refill with water. Kates problem solving skills came to the fore !

Kates water conundrum ! https://youtu.be/NjV8ScGHl-8

For drinking water we used a local speciality . They do a water substitute in cans here and you can buy it in bulk packs. Its only 95% water but I found it very hydrating and refreshing .

I got talking to a fellow fisherman . He was about as square shouldered and bodied as a human being can be and about 5 foot 6 in his socks . With a bushy beard and cropped hair to the bone he had the look of a Lord of the Rings Dwarf about him . He told me that his mother in law who was a pom refused to holiday with them in the caravan because camping was just “contrived poverty “ – a great line .We chatted for about an hour and then as you do you introduce yourself as you part company. His name was Bryan Gimli ……. I kid you not . 

Here is some drone footage of a beach trip with some photos of the place dropped in https://youtu.be/wyTiXhQ4OzQ

Keeva ran herself into the ground almost every day on the beach  then spent the rest of the day dosing . (it is also accurate to replace Keeva with Kate or Gary in that sentence)

All in all we were at Gleesons for just short of 3 weeks and we experienced blissful weather to 70km/hr winds . What a great spot and all for 150 dollars a month !