Our travels around the Eyre Peninsula had so far revolved mainly around fishing and the theme was to continue as we left Cowell and headed north towards Whyalla. We had had a bit of luck with the King George Whiting and were hoping to catch ourselves some Snapper once we were set up and the season opened at midday on the 30th November. We stopped in Arno Bay for our lunch and were lucky to find a pretty new park on the waterfront that had room for the three of our vans. The sun was shining and the girls all enjoyed a run in the new playground. Continuing on we made our way through Whyalla and found a place just big enough for us all to set up in at Point Lowly, about 30km north of Whyalla.

This spot is also a free camp area with a very clean and well serviced toilet block as well as water point. It is free to stay there, however there is a two week limit on your stay. Being a very small area it probably helps to turn the travellers over, so everyone gets a turn. Situated smack bang on the water across from a boat ramp and around a sheltered marina, it is a nice enough looking place, if a bit rough. Only a few hours after we had set up the hot dry northerly that had been blowing 30 plus degree temps at us, whipped up a huge dust storm and blanketed the waters of the Spencer Gulf. Then as quick as it came we felt the cool southerly breeze start blowing and blowing! We ended up with nearly three days of 20kn plus of winds from the south!

Now with a few days of wind making launching the tinnie a non event we had some time to kill. We saw the bigger boats lined up and waiting for the midday kick off of the Snapper season and we also saw the horrendous state of the seas that the pro's and a few committed amateurs braved for the first couple of days. Some good fish were caught by the pro's but everyone else worked pretty hard for the few we saw landed! We spent these windy days poking around the local lighthouse and beaches as well as fishing for squid from the rock wall of the marina. A fellow traveller Barry was cleaning up the squid so Kev was also there giving it his best. Kev managed to land a couple for us and after being cleaned and cooked they were the first fresh calamari the rest of us had eaten. Unfortunately for Kev he had not prepared them in rings and the girls sure reminded him that what he was serving was definitely not Calamari as they knew it!

The local dolphins made a tour of the marina area on occasion and sent the girls all running to see them. Also six huge Yellow Tail Kingfish swam slowly down the rocky beach and into the little marina one afternoon. This sent Luke and I running for rods and bait and after a half hour of watching them cruise around and throwing baits and lures at them they just headed slowly out the way they came. Apparently they are relatively common here due to them being bred in huge numbers in the same way as they breed Tuna, and some inevitably get away.

We also made a day trip into Whyalla with a stop at the Westland Sports Club for lunch. After that we all split up to get a few chores done around town. Carol and Kev headed off while Luke and I teamed up and Megan and Kylz headed towards the shops for a bit of Christmas shopping. We took a couple of kids each and headed off! Luke and I managed to make three trips from one end of Whyalla to the other before we had gotten everything we were after. You tend to have that problem when you have no idea where you are going.

With the weather not getting a hell of a lot better and a schedule to keep the day arrived when Carol and Kev had to say goodbye. We had spent the night before having a few extra cold ones in the howling wind and even enjoyed another smorgasbord feast the likes we had all started to get used to! Having all met while travelling the roads of Australia and still a few more miles to go before we were home and it was time for "Carol-K" to hit the road for home. Luke and I said our goodbyes early that morning as the wind had dropped slightly and we were keen to try our luck on the water. Kev was looking pretty sad about that as we headed out! He needn't have worried though as the wind returned and we had had enough of being churned like we were in a washing machine after only a couple of hours! Carol and Kev made their way back to Mackay and dodged the floods in NSW by the skin of their teeth.

After another couple of goes out in the notorious Point Lowly "Rip" Luke and I packed up the tinnie and admitted defeat against the Snapper of Point Lowly. With the wind, time and a week of dodge tides against us we made the decision to move. Having made contact with Andrew and Janine, who we had met in Kakadu, we decided to head across to the Yorke Peninsula and try some more fishing over there. With Andrew back from his work as an Abalone fisherman for the Christmas break, Kylz and I were looking forward to catching up with them.

Passing through Port Augusta headed to Port Hughes we took the time to do some shopping. This also marked the completion of the travelling Bostock's circuit of OZ. Having travelled through Port Augusta in late May headed north we now crossed our path this time headed east. It was a small moment but one that left us feeling a little bit sad also. While it marked a milestone for us it also bought home to us how close we really were to being at the end of our journey. After fuelling up we continued on our path down the Yorke Peninsula. Arriving in Port Hughes with the sun shining and our caravan park situated right on the beach headland we were glad to be out of the wind for a while.

Port Hughes is located only a few kays from Moonta, about an hour and a half from Adelaide, and is a very small little seaside town. It has a small store and tavern located right at the beach alongside the boat ramp. We also found Andrew and Janine's house only a stone's throw from our park and directly above the hill from the boat ramp and tavern. Janine works at the tavern so she enjoys a very short walk to work from home! After setting up we all enjoyed a few drinks and a BBQ at Andrew and Janine's house. The girls were rapt to find that they had a pool and offered them all a swim in it! Andrew even managed to talk Luke and I into a day of fishing with him aboard his 24ft Kevlacat!

Kylz and Megan were not left out of the party mood either when Janine invited them to attend her work Christmas party. Leaving Luke and I, responsible fathers that we are, they set off for a night out at the Port Hughes Tavern. I'm sure they will fill you in on all the gory details but Kylz reckons it was a very good night and Megan was pretty green the next day. Nights out have been rare for either of us this year but we have enjoyed a couple of real good ones.

With the weather really behaving itself Luke and I were keen to go on the day Andrew was ready. We spent a whole day fishing the areas around Port Hughes and north towards Wallaroo. Andrew tried plenty of tricks in his book but the elusive SA Snapper managed to give us the slip again that day. We did however catch ourselves a bagful of Squid and Luke and I both agree they are a lot of fun to catch! We managed to squirt ink everywhere the first few times and Andrew gave Luke a full blast into the face! They definitely provide plenty of laughs. We also managed a few more Whiting and we also got to see a Great White out in the wild. He was cruising around a spot we were fishing and it also managed to score a free fish from another unlucky fisherman in a boat beside us!

While we cleaned the boat and the catch, Andrew also prepared us some Abalone. This expensive shell fish has been Andrew's bread and butter for a lot of years and after talking to him about it and seeing the gear they use to gather them it was a real treat to try some for ourselves. While considered a real delicacy in many Asian nations, we found it quite tasty but left most of us wondering what all the fuss is about!? We met a few of Andrew and Janine's friends and even their daughter Nicole. We caught up with their friends Chris and Lisa again, who we met in Darwin when they were also on a trip from SA and through the west to home. The kids also had a ball with a whole house to play in and Luke and I realised how bad we had "shed withdrawal" after Andrew took us on a tour of his shed! It was a real treat for us all to have such hospitality shown to us and we were extremely grateful to Andrew and Janine for allowing us into their home for a few days.

Taking a day trip through the Moonta area we toured a lot of the old copper mine ruins in the area. These were recommended to us and with plenty of signage on display it was an informative look into the early days of mining in SA. We also managed a taste test of Moonta's most famous tasty treat, the No.1 Cornish Pastie in Australia! Now being from Queensland we are not real big pastie people. However after the first taste test and Luke's reaction of looking around for another one, they were given a big tick of approval from our test team! In fact the whole bakery was chock full of awesome looking pastries and rolls. We were also able to enjoy a couple of beautiful sunny days and trips to the swimming beach only 100m from our van park.

We had enjoyed our travels immensely with Luke and Megan up to this point, and the weather must have known it was coming to an end. The day had come for us to leave Port Hughes and go our separate ways, and the rain was coming down! In buckets!! The girls had all had each other's company for a few weeks now and we were sure it would be a sad day for them to lose their travelling companions. Likewise for us we had enjoyed many fun and exciting days travelling with Luke and Megan since we had first met them in Carnarvon WA. So with the rain pouring we said our good-byes not only to Andrew and Janine but Luke and Megan and Kristy and Laura as well. With us headed for Broken Hill and the others bound for Adelaide, it was the end of our travels together.

The realisation that we were now on our homeward leg had just started to sink in for Kylz and I. So with a few miles still between us and home, and plenty of country that we had yet to cover, we were determined to see as much of it as our time would permit.