Rain
drizzle through the night. Overcast still and 17 degrees in the van. The farm
is awake and working at 8am. Wind is picking up.
Kerryn
called in to take us around the farm and explain the workings of being a seed
potato supplier. Didn’t realise there were so many different varieties of
potato. It is quite an involved business growing the potatoes and making sure
they give the best quality ones to the commercial growers on the mainland. They
are loaded into bags or wooden crates to go on the semi-trailers on the ferry
so freight is a big expense. A local chap is now sawmilling the eucalyptus plantations to make the boxes and fencing. There are 4 other seed potato
growers on the island.
Kerryn
gave us some potatoes they just harvested today. Very generous couple.
Sent
Sandra a text to wish her a happy birthday. After lunch we headed off north
then turned west to Cape Borda. Spotted an echidna beside the road so Leanne
& I jumped out for some photos.
Chatted
with the chap at the Lighthouse centre who lives on site and does the weather
and maintains the lighthouse and houses which people can stay in.
Followed
the track for the Clifftop Walk – I thought it was along the clifftop but it
was down the hill to the clifftop. Spotted a wallaby in the distance.
The
rocky path was made by the acidity from the trees when it rained passing
through the limestone.
Great
views and it was straight down from the lookout.
Just
make out the lighthouse behind us.
Zoomed
in on Wedge Island where we fished with Gary.
Paid
our $3 each to check out the museum and walk around the lighthouse precinct.
Lots of information and photos etc.
The
zebra rock is from the hills back along the road where the lighthouse keepers
used to unload their goods at Harveys Return (a beach cove) and then haul it up
the hillside.
Terrible
bushfires of 2007 which wiped out a lot of the Flinders Chase National Park.
Will
check out the cemetery which is further back along the road.
Walked
up to the lighthouse which is a square shape because it didn’t need to be as
high as others because it sits on top of high cliffs and didn’t need the round
shape either. It is now the highest lighthouse in South Australia – a
technicality as the other high ones are now just beacons rather than a
lighthouse!! We missed the cannon being fired at 12.30pm – originally fired at
1pm so the ship captains could recalibrate their clocks in the old days.
The
weather station on left and the first lighthouse keeper, Captain Woodward’s
cottage on the right.
Another
ship wrecked nearby.
All
cleared around the cottages so protect again fires.
The
lilies look so out of place.
Found
some more info in the Reading Room.
Back
to the car and down the road to Scott Cove looking across at the North Coast
cliffs of Cape Torrens and Cape Forbin. At 263 metres these are the highest
coastal cliffs in South Australia.
Next
stop was the cemetery.
A
bit further on is Harveys Return, now a camp area. There is a walk from Cape
Borda Lighthouse to here following the original route used by the lightkeepers
who hauled their stores up from Harveys Return (a cove at the bottom of a steep
hill) using a horse and capstan (horsedrawn winch) and small rail cars.
A
plaque remembering two crew that died in 1925.
Walked
down the path downhill to where the capstan was.
A
much steeper path goes down to the cove where the goods were unloaded off their
ships.
Back
to our vans – the wind is getting stronger and the clouds are moving past
quickly and the sun is peeking out now and then.
Had
drinks and got out the games in the camp kitchen. Everyone else was still
working on the farm. About 7pm they started to come in – all needing showers as
it is quite dusty work, especially those on the harvester.
9pm,
17 degrees and windy though I can see stars and the moon so all is good.
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