On the far west coast of South Australia, near the beginning of the Great Australian
Bight, a small town of Streaky Bay sits at the end of a secluded bay.
Named by Matthew Flinders in 1802, for the streaky nature of the surface of the bay,
it was once a loading point for wheat from the area before the road system was completed.
On the far west coast of South Australia, near the end of a secluded bay,
It has become a holiday icon with people coming not only for the excellent
fishing but for the surrounding drives and sites. The road to Cape Lebat
Seal Colony takes us past many small bays and inlets dotted along this rugged
coast. The granites is particularly interesting with the weathered granite
looking like a giant cobblestone street.
Scale Bay is one of the many holiday fishing destinations with quite
substantial houses now springing up in the town. The Sea Lion Colony at Point Lebat
is the only permanent breeding colony on the mainland of Australia. All other
colonies occur on offshore islands. An aquatic reserve has been declared to
protect these animals that occur nowhere else in the world and are on the
endangered species list. It was interesting to watch a male being fended off a
young seal by a pair of females. The males are known to kill young pups if
they are not their own.
Murphy's Haystacks are a number of granite
insulbergs that were mistaken for haystacks by a coach traveller in the
late 1800s. Being on the Murphy family property and in typical Australian style
if the name is ridiculous the name stuck. They are on private property and a
small donation is requested to help keep with the upkeep of the picnic ground
and shelter.
Leaving Murphy's Haystacks finishes our visit to Streaky Bay.
