After a lovely week in Adelaide it was time to head south to the coast again. Abby had been able to get us two nights at Deep Creek National Park (despite the school holidays) and then a few extra nights at Victor Harbor.
Deep Creek
Deep Creek had been on our list for while, a section of rugged coastline near to the jumping off point for Kangaroo Island. It was supposed to be beautiful and had quite a list of walks and tracks to explore. We had to make do with two nights, but easily could have enjoyed a third.
We were lucky, our site was tucked away in the Stringybark Campground. It was right in the forest, with huge trees all around. As an added bonus there were hot showers and the Rangers had allowed small fires. After a long absence it was time for a fire.
The park had heaps to do and was another of our favourite stays. We went 4WDing, complete with low range to get to Blowhole Beach and catching a glimpse of Kangaroo Island. There were a few shorter walks around the campground too, they showed different sections of the forest and how it will regenerate after a prescribed burn.
Things were complicated a little with improvement works closing the road to Tapanappa Lookout. It meant that seeing that section of the park relied upon a long 11km hike. It had its advantages though as it took you past some of the most spectacular parts of the park. The loop wasn’t easy though, with some sections very steep and slippery, resembling more of a climb and scramble than a hike. Past experience told us we could manage though and a chat with the Ranger confirmed it.
We wound our way from Trig Campground, past Deep Creek Waterfall before travelling along the ridgelines to Tapanappa. Everything opened up here and the views in both directions along the coast were epic. Cliffs and beaches pounded by the swell of the Southern Ocean. It also gave us a decent look at where the rest of the trail would take us. It looked steep and rough, so after we recharged with morning tea and lollies we made our start. The track takes you back down to the beach, first down to a small and secluded cove before you climbed up and down over the ridges into Deep Creek Cove. The track just got harder and harder until the very challenging final descent into the cove. The adults were slow and steady while the girls got their monkey on and left us behind.
The reward was great, with the cove and a creek opening up in front of you. Once we climbed down the hill, we had one last obstacle to deal with. A shallow creek crossing. Nothing too hard, but it meant boots off to cross before we could sit down for lunch. It was an incredible spot to have lunch and we had one last hill to climb before we followed the ridgeline all the way back to trig.
At the time, that walk set a new distance record for us and despite that everyone enjoyed their day. Other than that we made the most of the brilliant campground, did a couple more short walks and enjoyed a campfire each night.
Victor Harbor
We had underestimated how much of an Adelaide holiday haunt Victor Harbor was. But Abby was able to find us a spot after we got away from the Easter weekend. It was still pretty busy though.
One of the defining memories from Victor Harbor was the weather. Probably the worst period of weather we had. Rain on more than one occasion and a cracking storm on the first night. We made an emergency awning drop at about 10.30pm and slept pretty soundly after that. The air conditioner drowned out the noise. In the morning it was obvious our neighbours had not fared so well. There were some seriously wet tents, destroyed gazebos, tie down ropes for Africa and tarps everywhere.
Natural Attractions
Victor Harbor has a few natural attractions and one in particular we had been hanging out to see for ages. The mouth of the Murray. Despite the poor weather we were very keen to see it. We had originally planned a half day boat trip, but between the less than ideal weather and dwindling funds we decided kept our feet on dry land. We could still find out way pretty close to the mouth, as well as getting right out to the final barrage. The mouth cut wide through the sand spit that forms the Coorong and Lake Alexandrina. We could clearly see the gap and the swell beyond it.
The barrage was interesting too, separating the fresh water of the Murray for the sea water of the sea. There has been quite some controversy when the Murray stopped flowing and lost connection to the sea and it and (finally) forced a few hands to ensure the environment wasn’t an afterthought. It was an interesting read during our stop, but it was obvious there was much more to be done. The barrage was also home to some large and lazy residents, with a seal colony making itself at home. They were some huge animals and had climbed on the structures to perch themselves in the strangest locations. It kept everyone entertained as they tried to gain and hold onto the prime positions.
The westerly section of coastline along here was more rugged as it headed back towards Deep Creek. Granite Island sat just off the coast and we walked the jetty to do a loop of the island. It was an option to take a horse drawn tram, but the walk was just as nice. Our trip around the island was enjoyable. It afforded some great views back towards town, as well as along the coast and over the Southern Ocean. The island was more granite with boulders and shapes worn by the weather. It looked like a decent place to snorkel under the jetty too, but the water was far too cold for that.
from Granite Island
We also made trips to the Bluff and Kings Beach. Both were nice places to see the rugged coastline but are certainly windswept and at this time of year rather cold. Kings Beach was another point on the Heysen Trail and notoriously dangerous. The number of lives lost there over the years was surprising. The pretty beach and seemingly calm waters hid some dangerous rips.
Steam Trains and Waterparks
The rest of our Victor Harbor fun was distinctly man made. The highlight for the kids was the waterpark. Victor Harbor was our second last “flash” caravan park where they would have things like waterslides, pools and jumping pillows for entertainment. They certainly got their value out of it, with the water slides, especially the Hurricane getting constant attention. We even bought them some inflatable tubes to make the rides even faster. It was cold though and any extended period in the water required the wetsuits. Christian decided to give these slides a go to. As expected he managed to hurt himself. It would seem that adults and waterslides in caravan parks are incompatible if you are trying to achieve maximum speed.
The other big thing we did was take the Cockle Train, an old steam train that is now a tourist attraction. It was an interesting piece of history and a great train ride. It hugs a section of the coast between Victor Harbor and Goolwa so there is plenty to see. We got off and had a wander around Goolwa too. It’s a pretty little town in its own right.
Deep Creek and Victor Harbor were two long anticipated stops. We had really wanted to see the National Park and mouth of the Murray and got our fill at both places. This stop marked a turning point on the trip too, we were now heading towards home, as we made our way back north towards the NT.