Bush 'n Beach Fishing Magazine Location reports & tips for fishing, boating, camping, kayaking, 4WDing in Queensland and Northern NSW
After our short escape to Kangaroo Island, we were back on the mainland and following the South Australian coastline north.
When travelling, there is one thing that dramatically impacts on your experiences – the weather.
And unfortunately, you have zero control over it.
Heading to places when it’s cold and windy can be a little disappointing, especially if you have high expectations after seeing countless picture-perfect images on the WikiCamps app or the web.
For those who are travelling indefinitely, for a year or even longer, this isn’t too much of a problem because you can generally afford to sit out the bad weather and wait for that beautiful postcard picture.
It did take a little while for us to adjust to some of the places not meeting up to our expectations, purely due to the weather.
When this happens though, you simply have to make the most of it.
As I say to my kids, ‘You get what you get, and you don’t get upset’.
Second Valley
Thankfully, the sun was shining when we visited a few places such as Second Valley, which was just what we needed.
Sitting on the beach looking over the crystal-clear blue water while the kids played made up for any previous inclement weather.
If you’re in the area, I would recommend checking out Rapid Bay too.
Both spots were awesome, with white sandy beaches and clear water.
If you’re an Adelaide local, you are only a 1.5-hour drive away, which makes these perfect weekend destinations.
Gap Bush Campground Yorke Peninsula
After falling a little behind our imaginary travel plan, we decided to do a few big days in the car, skipping Adelaide and the winery region.
Not that we didn’t want to go, we did, but the weather was ordinary and we thought that a trip back by plane without the kids might be the best way to experience this region.
So, our next destination was The Gap, located on the northwest side of the Yorke Peninsula.
Camping there was only $10 a night and the site is situated behind the sand dunes on a nice beach.
Not only did the sand dunes provide protection from the wind, they were great for my daughters to ride their bodyboards down, as well as for playing hide and seek with kids who were also camped there.
A few days off grid and by the water is our idea of perfect camping or caravanning.
Whyalla to Port Lincoln Eyre Peninsula
Time was once again our enemy, so we decided to skip the rest of the Yorke Peninsula.
Fellow scribe Craig Tomkinson recently travelled there, so check out his articles online at bnbfishing.com.au/exploring-yorke-peninsula
The decision was then made to make a beeline for Whyalla, with the aim of trying to escape some of the cool and windy weather – as Queenslanders, we’re not conditioned for it!
Unfortunately, Whyalla was also a little rainy and overcast.
However, this didn’t totally dampen our spirits and we made the most of the visit by checking out the HMAS Whyalla and the Whyalla Maritime Museum.
Even though we have an exemption from formal schooling, our learning plan was to try to visit several interesting places where the kids – and us – could learn about different things, including our history.
The kids really enjoyed the tour and the activities in the museum – guess when you make learning fun, they enjoy it.
Another point of interest was the circular jetty – a unique feature in Whyalla.
When we visited, there were plenty of blue swimmer crabs being caught in drop nets, though some appeared on the small side but were being kept by a couple of anglers.
South Australia has a notch-to-notch measurement of 11cm, which is smaller than the Queensland regulation, but these looked less than the legal limit.
It is worth noting that the South Australian Government imposed a snapper ban through to June 30, 2026 for the west coast, Spencer Gulf and Gulf St Vincent fishing zones.
There was much debate about this, with charter operators saying it would destroy their businesses – and I can believe it because when I tried to book a charter, the operator explained there were no more charters and that their boat was for sale.
Our travels saw us continue to head south and explore the Eyre Peninsula – what a great place, with great weather.
