A morning walk to the beach about 200 metres from the caravan park. Lovely rock formations once again with two small islands just off the coast. Streaky Bay Islands caravan park is on little islands Road and about 6 km north of Streaky Bay.
Today's Mother's Day so after breakfast, we had coffee at the coffee shop at the park before heading south on the Scaly Bay Road to explore the area.
We called into Streaky Bay, mainly to have a look at the Replica Great White Shark that we had read about. On 26 April 1990, local young fisherman Dion Gilmore caught a Great White Pointer shark by rod and reel. It was caught 22 kms out of Streaky Bay. The shark tired and was gaffed after a 5 hour and 15 minute struggle and was caught on a 24 kg line. It weighed in at 1520 kgs and was more than 5m long. It is believed to be the biggest in the world caught on a 24 kg line – a world record!
From Streaky Bay we drove the Westall Way loop Drive. Lots of clifftop lookouts, some surfers and lots of white sand dunes.
We then drove on to Point Labatt Conservation Park (established 1973) and the sea lion colony - actually both Australian sea lions and New Zealand fur seals. the Australian sea-lion is one of Australia's most endangered marine mammals and rarest of all seals. It is believed that the Point Labatt colony is the largest on the Australian mainland.
Point Labatt is the only place on the mainland where Australian seal pups can be seen learning to swim, play and rest on the beach. It is also one of the few places in and around Australia where they are protected from land predators.
We headed back to Streaky Bay via Murphy's Haystacks - wow. These were indeed spectacular. No wonder they are one of the most visited locations on the Eyre Peninsula. They are of a 'tumulus' form of weathered granite outcrop and are made of a pink, massive, coarsely equigranular rock consisting mostly of quartz and orthoclase. Their appearance may be due to a combination of erosion by underground rainwater and then by subsequent weathering after they were exposed. Most of the pillars emerge without a break from the underlying granite.
They obtained their name because a traveller in a coach saw the formation in the distance. He asked how a farmer could produce so much hay. As the farm was on a property owned by a man called Murphy, the rocks became known as Murphy's Haystacks.
The site is listed on the South Australian Heritage Register. The question remains? Why just here?
