Day 69 Streaky Bay

After 69 days, I face my first serious blogg dilemma. When considering the outstanding and nationally recognised holiday locations of South Australia, the bays of Fowlers and Streaky would feature at the very pointy end of any lists prepared by well travelled judges. I would however council all visitors to consider the words that make up a name.
Consider the name Fowlers Bay. Apart from the endearing link to my adorable wife’s respectable and much loved family, when we think of the name Fowler, we generally think of bathroom appliances, where a large portion of the country takes a load off, and has a small rest. It’s where we wash the grime from our hands after a day of toil, where we brush our teeth, or where we rinse away the unwanted stubble after making our best efforts at a respectable appearance.
Streaky Bay on the other hand immediately conjures up images of fit and healthy sports enthusiasts with little interest in overdressing and with a great joy derived from using their afore mentioned, fit and healthy bodies to enjoy the beautiful environment delivered to them through the blessing of Mother Nature. It incites the imagination to consider the recognised summer sports of cricket, sun baking, swimming, snorkelling and warm water frolicking and a good streak could refer to either a clothing free public run which contributes to the good humour of a nation, or to a run of luck for which Australia is renowned. As all parents would know, there is much to consider in a name.
Although we all slept quite late this morning, we left Fowlers Bay as quickly as we possibly could. We drove around both streets in this coastal village looking for fuel but with none available, we made a dash for the highway, lest we become marooned at Fowlers Bay. Unfortunately, our existing fuel only got us 50km away from Fowlers Bay, when the closest service station was 55km away. Luckily the gerri cans were still full making the distance an inconvenience, rather than a disaster. A quick fuel stop at Penong, and it was on to Ceduna to get a replacement bung for the kayak, a new battery for my watch, replacement fruit and vegetables that we handed in at the border checking station, (for Fruit-fly), and a top-up of the gas bottles. We then struck out on the final 100km to Streaky Bay where we were immediately struck by the beauty of the place. The bay itself is a shallow and protected cove that looks ideal for the boys to kayak on and as we drove through the town, we noticed all the facilities we’d need as well as a couple of pubs and restaurants. It also has an abundance of service stations.
After booking in for two nights and setting up the van, we all threw ourselves into the ocean to take the sting out the dry, 44 degree heatwave being experienced by most of SA, before settling in for a quiet night of pondering the real meaning to a name. As the pictures show, we fit right in here at Streaky Bay and we’ve even begun to eat our meals without the need to wear restrictive or confining shirts. Who knows where it will all lead?
Cheers,
Jorg