Sunday 30th November - Port Hughes to Innes National Park

We had a smooth run down through York Peninsula even if the day was warm to start with. We made a few minor stops, but really only the stop at Minalton was of any duration - there we saw the Red Devil, a plane flown in the first war by a local hero. The plane is in its own museum which was constructed in 1958 from memory. Guess it is good to have a local hero, where as the one teenaged girl at the town skate park behind the museum is certainly a local attraction for the young men who were giving her their undivided attention and a crippled magpie gave my ginger nut biscuit his undivided attention after I soaked it in water for him/her.

As we rode further South the cloud clouded over and by the time we stopped for fuel in Marion Bay it had dropped from 36c back to 22c. We arrived in the campground just as a young couple were packing up and heading off. After set up we had plenty of time to do a bit of a run around the Park - well of the parts with good road - when we hit the real rough stuff we turned back.

There is much to see and the quick look around allowed us to plan our next few days.

Back in camp we walked down to the beach where Sue was able to photograph two types of Plover and Mal photographed the Waves and the rocks - so predictable. The wind died away and while there was no stars we had a good nights sleep.

Monday 1st December - Innes National Park

The cloud had partially lifted by sun up and then continued to drift away so that my mid afternoon, blue skies dominated a watery web of white clouds.

In the morning we walked down to the beach where we found tracks from Echidna, snakes, kangaroo and emu present. While there are many birds here the foliage is so dense it is hard to catch more than a fleeting glimpse of most birds except the birds on the beach.

We walked up to Inneston, a small village, well what is left of it - the village was established back in the early part of last centuary to support the extraction of gypsum. The mine closed around the time of the second war and while some house have been restored for short term accommodation, other houses have fallen into disrepair.

What an interesting place, we spent a lot of the day there and we found the history and the small nesting pardaloe's very engaging.

Sue went back in the early evening for another session however the birds were elusive and almost impossible to photograph entering and leaving the nest - they fly out at 100mph - well it seems that fast - and you can't see them coming.

Mal went out to Pendalowie Lighthouse to do a couple of landscape sketches.

Tuesday 2nd December

Off to the ritual slow start - we were going to the wreck of the Ethel, well actually we rode all the way to the lookout - and Mal goes and forgets his camera - so we retrace our steps to get his camera. We are just about to leave for the second time and having decided to go to the village again because the beach was cold and (yes windy) - and along flies two mini buses full of tourists - well we think they are going to the village, so might change our plans again but decide to confirm that they are at the village. They have gone somewhere else -

Sue tries again for her bird photos and Mal is into a few photos and a planned drawing - however the birds are difficult and by now the sun is hot so Mal avoids sitting in the direct sun and waits for Sue on a small stone step where he undertakes a running battle with a couple of horseflies.

Lunch over we take some time out before Sue tries for some bird photos around the camp and Mal heads off to the beach to examine some rock formations that are draped with seaweed.

In the evening we photographed the lightning strikes of an approaching storm - until it finally drove us inside with close strikes and thunder enough to deafen us.