I have been in South Australia for about two and a half months now, and have spent most of that time following the coast from Port MacDonnell in the east to Head of Bight in the west. Many nights have been spent on rocky headlands with craggy cliffs and expansive views of beautiful, deserted beaches and the mighty Southern Ocean, accompanied by the sound of huge waves crashing into said cliffs and powerful winds that threatened to blow my van and me from the face of the planet. Much of the time, I have been the only camper in quite isolated spots, although I have met some lovely people along the way. Overall, I must say that the whole coastal experience has been breathtaking – both literally and figuratively!
The main reason I am here is to see and photograph whales, dolphins and seals. I have not been disappointed. In the past few days, I have re-visited a couple of lovely spots to catch up with seals, sea lions and dolphins. Point Labatt is quite well known as the location of the largest mainland colony of Australian sea lions, and I have spent many hours looking down on these amazing creatures from the viewing platform. Point Drummond is less well known to the general population, but is known amongst the free camping community as a beautiful spot to spend a night, with a fantastic view out over a bay inhabited by a pod of dolphins. I have to include this spot as one of my favourites of my travels so far.
On the only full day of my latest visit to Point Drummond, I followed the dolphins for about four hours, but they weren't terribly active. I was in the shallow water, trying to get as close to the pod as I could. The water was quite cold and, every now and again, a rogue ripple would soak my lower body and get my attention. I think I broke my toe on my previous visit here, so walking around was a little uncomfortable, although the cold water numbed the pain somewhat. My persistence paid off, though, and for just a short while, the dolphins decided to have some fun. I forgot the sore toe and frozen nether region as I photographed the beautiful, playful creatures.
After the memorable experience of the previous day, I stayed until lunchtime yesterday in the hope that there would be a repeat. Alas, as I have experienced many times, wildlife has its own agenda. Recently, someone reminded me that's what the “wild” part of the word means. I prepared for departure, looking out at the bay every few minutes in the hope that the dolphins would make another appearance. A couple did, but they cruised past just one time. Obviously, the action was elsewhere yesterday. As I was about to leave, though, my spirit was lifted by the sight of a whale calf breaching a few hundred metres away. I thought I had seen a whale about a kilometre offshore when I first arrived a couple of days ago, but had seen no evidence of whales since then – that is, until this one jumped out of the water right in my field of view. That was great send-off from Point Drummond. I will most certainly be going back there.
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