The SSSS tour of celebrations.

[drron]

The fellow fishing here had a problem.A cormorant would engage in a tug of war every time he hooked a fish.He was just about to call it a day-

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Then something you don't normally see in a town-

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[drron]

What you learn here is that Coffin Bay oysters aren't all the same.There are oyster beds all over.some in bays with streams coming ,others not.Out in the channels or near the land.And probably oysters from nearby places are probably sold as Coffin Bay oysters.But we had ~ 10 dozen over a week and enjoyed every one.

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So they were harvesting our lunch time oysters.We had lunch at 1802.reccomended on TA.Not what I had envisaged but very enjoyable.

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Mrsdrron had Kilpatrick and Panko crumbed whilst I added Thai style.very good.Mrsdrron had the entrée of scallops.They were nice but very small.I once again tried the whiting.simple but better than the night before.

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[drron]

So time to leave.A lookout on the road in-

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Now a few pics on the way back to Port Lincoln-

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And from the road into Port Lincoln-

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[drron]

When we got back we took a stroll down to the swimming pool-in the foreground of the first pic.People were actually swimming even though max temp 18C but with a strong cold wind.They all wore wetsuits.A ship had come in whilst we were away.Fish farms can be seen in the distance-

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Very clear water-

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[Major]

Coffin Bay oysters...yum

Looks like a great trip, enjoy

 

[OATEK]

What you learn here is that Coffin Bay oysters aren't all the same.There are oyster beds all over.some in bays with streams coming ,others not.Out in the channels or near the land.And probably oysters from nearby places are probably sold as Coffin Bay oysters.But we had ~ 10 dozen over a week and enjoyed every one.

It's a tough life but I guess someone has to do it! Takes me back to going out with my grandfather to collect oysters from the breakwater at Port Macquarie and eat them on the jetty before heading home. Fresh oysters just cant be beat for that taste of the ocean they bring.

 

[drron]

Indeed.We both took one for the team ordering oysters at every meal!
But back to the stroll.You can tell it is cold from the first pic.Then a couple of shots from the jetty-

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Those are the night views from the balcony.
The next day we took a drive towards the National Park.This fish farm was at the bank across the road from several fish processing plants.I assume for repairs but the birds believed there was more to be had-

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[drron]

A bit further along a village in a nice spot-

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Geraniums on the Eyre peninsula do really well and often spectacular-

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We went back to town,looked at the recommended restaurant on TA-but Italian and most dishes spicy.so mrsdrron looked at gift shops and art whilst I looked at the highlight of Port Lincoln.

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Owned by the boss of the Cleanseas fish farming operation.So now we had to find a place for lunch so went to Boston Bay winery as one of the brochures said they did lunch-

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Spectacular and the wines aren't bad.i bought a bottle of their sticky.but lunch is only on sundays.So we then headed for the marina where I believe VPS was last weekend.That next.

 

[drron]

Port Lincoln marina-

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Then lunch at the tavern.not too bad.We both started with a dozen oysters then mrsdrron had the coconut prawns and I had the fisherman's basket-

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Next morning the sunrise though not that spectacular-

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[drron]

So time to return to Whyalla.but we went the long way via Cleve,Kimba and Iron Knob.Cleve was a surprise.a lovely little town with very friendly locals-mothers would tell their infants to say hello to you.very clean and lots of signs explaining the history.Someone also was into mosaics-

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And a lookout-

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[drron]

At the lookout is a mosaic table-

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So that was the council chambers until 1960/

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[drron]

Now on to Kimba-halfway across Australia-

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Of course the real reason we went to kimba was to see the Big Galah-

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[drron]

So on to Iron Knob.an important part of Australian history.Without the iron ore from here BHP would not be so big.It was the reason for Whyalla and where the Newcastle steelworks got there iron ore.They started mining here at the end of the 19th century.the mine is being rehabilitated so that mining will once again take place here.It is massive.This is the approach from the west-

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As interesting and important as the mine is there is one reason why you would stop in Iron Knob-

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Yes to go to the dunny.

 

[drron]

So on my last Monday off in Whyalla I did both the Steelworks tour as well as a guided tour of the Whyalla.They both start at the Visitor centre.I walked over so the steelworks from the bridge over the railway and the common flowering gum in Whyalla-

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They tell you to be there by 9am but that is to view an Arrium produced film.They only open at 9am so a little time to wander around.A non native plant and a stone to celebrate the return of the Whyalla.

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Recycling at work-the fencing on the pathway is the anchor cable from the Whyalla.
Then on the bus to the steelworks.you are not allowed out so no up close on the steel making process-

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The desalination plant here actually is in use.

 

[drron]

The ship is in.They bring coal in from NSW and take steel products back.

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And these were the slipways of the shipyard,the fit out wharf and buildings-

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The stockpiles of material for steelmaking-

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[drron]

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We have now arrived at the blast furnace-

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[drron]

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Blast furnace doesn't exist any more.It was commissioned in 1941 and closed in 1985.No 2 was first used in 1965.one thinks in the next few years no.3 blast furnace would have to be built if the steelworks is to continue as a going concern.Fortunately the steelworks do have generators so averted significant damage to the blast furnace in late September-they were able to produce 19MW per day though normally use 44MW a day.
The quenching tower to cool the coke produced and the coke ovens-

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That is the specialised rolling stock to collect the coke from the ovens,take it too be water cooled then dumping it to be conveyed to the blast furnace.

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[drron]

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The "cooled"coke being dumped-

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Now picking up the next load-

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To the far end of the site with the furnace using scrap metal and the rolling mill-

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[drron]

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[drron]

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The rolling mill wasn't working that day.this mill is the only supplier of rail lines in Australia.they do make a lot-

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We are now heading for the maintenance areas-

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That's the red hot coke having water poured onto it.

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