Day: 3 (14th January 2025) 18km+
Fog!
That was what greeted us on the morning of day three.
Given where the mercury sat, our hot beverage (a Milo Mocha) to kick start the day was very much appreciated.
There was some consultation of maps and discussion amongst the three parties camped, as it appeared we could simply leave via a gate at the back of the site, and follow the Tapanappa Ridge Road, rather than retrace our steps on the trail, a far more circuitous route.
We all opted for the short cut, with Sarah and I again being first underway, leaving camp at 06:45 am.
It was very flash, as unlike every other bit of road we’d walked since the Cape Jervis trailhead, this one was paved in bitumen!
The skies out to see looked menacing, with rain looking likely in our future.
Still, the extra bit of coolness made the walking far more pleasant.
We hung a left, and suddenly the tarmac gave way to gravel road, but whilst the footing felt rougher underfoot, the views to our left across the ocean, we were far more grand.
They did however, seem to confirm the suspicion that getting wet was only a matter of time!
Still, it looked quite beautiful with the Suns raising bursting through the threatening cloud.
For now at least, the rain was afar, and for the duration of our easterly walk along the dirt road, it remained that way.
Eventually, we veered left off the road, onto trail proper and joined with the Boat Harbor Circuit Hike as we meandered towards the beach.
The trail now followed the countours of the land, so we were snaking around the natural course of the various hills and gullies we traversed, not atop any ridgelines, but rather, walking the slopes.
At times it felt like we were miles from the coast, and the low cloud continued to linger.
Of course we weren’t really much further from the coast, but when the vast blue expanse was out of sight, it really was easy to forget.
The path was mostly gently undulating at first, but we were slowly gaining a bit of elevation, as its meandering had us again facing the sea, we could get a better appreciation of how high we actually were.
The views were actually pretty good, despite the gloomy nature of the day.
This was a really cool section of trail, and in my place as lead cobweb remover, I got quite the surprise a little further on.
One of the Grass Trees was rustling, when suddenly what I initially thought was a small mouse emerged.
I only had a moment to appreciate the cute little thing before it disappeared back into the brush, but doing a little digging later, suggested it was likely a Yellow-Footed Antechinus.
A super cool, little random encounter, and it was super cute too!
The plants began to thin, and by the time we hit a large bluff, it was largely grassland once more, and our views down the coast again improved.
Then we noticed the Kangaroos.
They were everywhere, just quietly grazing on some amazing real estate with gorgeous ocean views.
It was probably a mob of 30 to 40 Kangaroos, a mix of adults and joeys, all just contendedly keeping to themselves.
The odd head tilt or ear turn, reminder that they were very aware of our passage.
Given the lovely location, a reminder that we were yet to have breakfast of our own and the appearance of a bench seat, we thought this the perfect place to stop and have a feed of our own.
Refuelled, the way ahead was clearly visible.
We had to go down, then back up.
On an outcrop at the far end of the beach below, looked to be a collection of wooden crosses, like something you’d find to mark the scene of a maritime tragedy, bu their true significance, should they indeed even prove to be crosses, was unclear to us.
To get a closer look, we’d first need to descend, so descend we did, a series of short switchbacks down a rutted trail, getting us first to a rock shelf, before we hit the beach itself.
There was the suggestion of a water crossing as well, but once lower, we realised that it hadn’t the strength to actually push all the way to the sea, and provided no obsticle.
The trail itself left the beach, weaving its way through the coastal grasses and scrub, leading us ever closer to the climb ahead.
So focused on it, we completely forgot to investigate those strang cross like shapes we’d spotted from afar!
The trail was rocky, but completely manageable, whilst the incline was mitigated by another series of switchbacks.
Carefully, we continued the climb, distracted part way by the sight of dorsal fins poking through the waters below.
Our first Dolphin sighting!
Atop the rise, the rocky ground gave way to more rolling yellowed grass, and a welcoming committee in the form of another Kangaroo mob.
The trail here was really cruisy, gently undulating along the curve of the hills, the water to our left and the sky still an often dark shade of grey.
It felt like every 100 metres or so revealed a few more Kangaroos, meaning plenty of wary heads suddenly turning, and a few hopping away at our approach.
In the distance, it certainly looked like a lot of rain was falling on the ocean, but for now, we were still dry and enjoying the slightly cooler temperatures.
The rocky coves below were the perfect place for all sorts of flotsam to accumulate, and as we swung in and out around the rocky points, plenty of good looking, if a little sunbleached, timber was scattered all along the coast.
The random thoughts as you wander, leading my brain at least to think what sort of shack or shelter I might be able to create, if marooned along this stretch of coast!
At some points, the trail narrowed significantly, becoming much rockier and a bit sketchy as we clung to the side of the cliffs.
We managed well enough, and the trail began to descend as we approached Tunkalilla Beach.
The approach to the beach indicated the area was a Hooded Plover breeding and nesting habitat, so care needed to be taken to avoid the lower dunes, which meant a proper beach section lay ahead, which is nothing less than I’d expect on a proper coastal walk.
Another sign suggested it’d be 4.5km along this sandy stretch, and as a welcome gift, the clouds above began to break up as well, as the bad weather seemed to drift further out to sea.
We had the joy of spotting several plovers early on this long beach stretch, whilst the sand, at least closer to the water, was firm enough to make it a really enjoyable stretch, and nowhere near as taxing as it could have been
We were also gifted with tons of wildlife!
Those dorsal fins we’d spotted earlier, were her as well, a pod of somewhere between twelve and twenty Dolphins, at play in the small waves near the shore!
As we strolled the beach, we could see them jump out of the water, ride the waves and engage in all manner of play.
It was really cool and definitely one of the highlights of the whole hike!
A little surprisingly, we were treated to more than just avian and marine animals, as the beach and dunes looked like they must also serve as a forage area for the ever present Kangaroos as well.
We’d just assumed these sandy stretches would be a bit too salty, and any water (we did pass a small creek that didn’t have strong enough flow to actually reach the ocean) a bit too brackish.
Nevertheless, they were seemingly everywhere, without a doubt this day, despite it being not even halway through, having us encounter more Kangaroos than we’d ever seen, anywhere!
We passed a couple of homes on what must be large, rural properties, the postitions they commanded over the beach, surely offering million dollar views!
Both seemed quiet, perhaps only seasonal, or simply out at work on the land whilst we passed.
We’d been told we needed to follow the beach almost to its end, then the trail cut inland, the coast left behind until we’d get back on the trail tomorrow.
As such, when we finally reached that point, and with a steep climb ahead, we thought fuck it, let’s take a dip!
The water was fresh, but with the addition of a bit of sun, felt amazingly refreshing to our sweaty, dirty bodies.
The climb inland required us to hug a narrow trail which hugged the fenceline, which, once the climb proper began, was flanked on our left side by a series of metal poles and a link of chain to seemingly aid our climb.
What it effectively did, was force us to climb a narrow shute, where if we found ourselves edging too close to the fence on our right, either getting our clothing or packs caught, or our arms scratched by the barbed wire at its top.
It might not look much in the photos, but it was a bloody steep climb, and by the time we eventually reached the top, we allowed ourselves another rest, and chewed down a few lollies for a hit of energy.
The way ahead was hot.
Open, exposed, dry farmland, the crunch of dried or dead grasses and parched earth beneath our feet.
The trail hugged fencelines, occasionaly saw us cross them with the aid of stiles, taking us ever further inland.
It was sweaty going, but we kept plugging away.
When a small copse of trees provided the first (and last) patch of shade for a good while, so we took a breather whilst we checked our course, before continuing on.
A narrow gully of thick, tall grasses a little further on, looking like the perfect place for a snake to be almost invisible underfoot!
Another style got us free of the long grass without incident, before we found ourselves in a huge, flat, open field.
This presented us with a bit of a problem.
From where we stood, we could see three or four clear trails leading away, and not a trail marker in sight!
Why way should we go?
A quick check of our google maps, did little to resolve the issue, so we picked a trail, and started walking.
Around this time, AJ and Steph (two women we’d shared camp with the past two nights) appeared behind us.
They weren’t much wiser as to the correct path, but were headed for the road (where the trail was supposed to take us) to tap out from their walk.
Blisters were making the experience far too painful for one of them, so they’d arranged a pick-up for some time that afternoon.
They also advised that at the top of the climb up from the beach, at the very spot we’d taken a breather, they’d beaten a hasty retreat after a surprise snake encounter!
Together, we eventually spied a distant trail marker atop a hill, and made our way together to the road, which would indeed form our trail for the remainder of the day.
Aside from me mooing some cows (which got their attention), it was a rather unspectacular stretch of road, roughly 3.5km of gravel trail, some flat, but mostly uphill, before a short, gentle final descent into camp.
After the last couple of largely shadless hours, we were quite relieved to turn into Kurri Ngawanthi (Creek Campground).
After our standard lunch of wraps with salami, cheese and salad, the afternoon was one of rest, and utlising the hot sun to dry out our sweaty garments.
A ranger named Simon turned up at one point, so we had a bit of a chat. I was surprised to learn that the water tanks at the Wild South Coast Way campsites had never run out of water, and if they did ever get low, they all had road access via which they can be topped up by tanker.
Good to know, and I suppose it makes sense why this is the only section of the Heysen Trail open year round.
We pitched our tent on a raised platform tonight, at what was a surprisingly nice campground, given we were surrounded by farmland on all sides.
We chatted once again with Maddy and AJ (the other AJ) once they made camp, as it began to cloud over again as the evening rolled around, an evening where we enjoyed a little red wine I’d carried with us (in my Platypus wine bladder) over a pasta dinner.
Read about Day 2 of our Wild South Coast Way Adventure HERE
Continue to Day 4 of our Wild South Coast Way Adventure HERE
* Our campsite at Kurri Ngawanthi (Creek Campground) cost us $30.40, booked via Parks SA
* Our Personal Locator Beacon hire from Macpac, cost us $45 for 7 days (we didn’t require it for the full 7 days)
