Bransby & Friends’ Oz Trip 2025

 First stop this morning on our way to Port Lincoln was the Mindrow Creek School ruins. From what we read, we think this is the ruin depicted in the Cowell Silo Art. It was only a short drive today (167 kilometres) and we arrived at our camp for the next four nights, Great Ocean Views Port Lincoln. The name didn’t disappoint. Not only is there a magnificent view, but there are horses, geese, chickens and dogs. And even a koala with a baby! The view from our van window is incredible. After relaxing for a bit we headed into Port Lincoln to do a bit of shopping and have a look around. Outside the Visitor’s Centre is a memorial to Matthew Flinders who named the area in the early 1800s. The Town Jetty was beautiful and perfect for squidding so Ian got the rod out to try his luck. I went for a wander up the foreshore. The town is famous for seafood, in particular tuna and oysters. It is also the home of Tony and Christine  Santic, the owners of Makybe Diva, the only horse to win thr...

We are getting used to and really enjoying these sleep ins. Had a lazy morning before setting off for Lucky Bay.  We stopped on the way to have a look at the silo art. This one tells the story of Lionel Deer, a farmer and shearer from the area who in his early 30s developed a fascination for camels. He reared camels of his own and formed an unforgettable bond with them. They were paraded down the Main Street in the Christmas parade and were used for camel rides to raise money for the hospital. The Ring-Neck Parrot represents the journey the community is on together rising above the challenges they share. Pretty spectacular. We continued on and had high expectations because of our gorgeous Lucky Bay in WA but there was no comparison. It didn’t help that it was pretty windy and overcast for most of the morning. We left Ian to do a bit of fishing and I went back into town with Rach and Shaun. We had a coffee at Sassy’s Cafe, built in the early 1900s and then went across the road to ge...

Despite our late night we set the alarm early as there was still lots we wanted to see.it wasn’t a bad view to wake up to. We headed out to Hampton, a private township laid out by Thomas Powell in 1857 and named after Edward Hampton, assayer at the smelting works. It was set out in the style of an English village and had 30 miner’s cottages and a chapel. It was abandoned in the 1960s but the remains are still there. It was pretty cool. On to Redruth Gail, erected in 1856 at a cost of 3200 pounds. The gaol provided accommodation for the gaol keeper, turnkey and 30 prisoners, male and female. The gaol was closed in 1894 and was reopened as Girls’ Reformatory in 1897 before closing for good in 1922. Its most recent claim to fame is the location of the filming of Breaker Morant in 1979.  We then headed to the Police Lockup and stables erected at the rear of the first police station in 1847. The courthouse building looked beautiful but it wasn’t open for us to have a look. Miss Mabel’s ...