Smoky Bay, Wind and Squid

Friday 25th March 2022

We left Shelley Beach today and headed further southeast to Smoky Bay. Only a short 44km drive, which was a nice change.

We arrived at Baldwin’s Caravan Park and set up the caravan.

Babcia and Dziadzio Blimka arrived just before lunch. Madeline was so excited to see them. Among many things they brought with them our new washing machine door.

After a quick bite to eat we went to the foreshore. It was a windy day with 30-35km/hr winds from the southeast. Gusts up to 50km/hr. The temperature was very chilly on the foreshore.

We bought ice-creams and sat on the foreshore for a bit.

We returned to the caravan and prepared for an early dinner. Jason and Chris (Dziadzio Blimka) we going to do a spot of squidding after tea. They managed to hook two squid.

Madeline decided she wanted to sleep with Babcia and Dziadzio tonight. So we were down to one child for the evening.

Smoky Bay

Smoky Bay was first mapped by the British navigator, Matthew Flinders, in 1802. It was named “Smoky Bay” after the amount of smoke from fires lit by the area’s Aboriginal people.

Whalers were the first Europeans to inhabit the coastline near the current site of the town, just north of Pt. Collinson.

In the early 1860s pastoralists arrived in the district. Former Adelaide civil servant Charles Francis Heath established a sheep grazing property which he named Wallanippie Station after the Aboriginal name of a waterhole near his homestead at the back of Point Brown promontory.

The growing of oysters was established in the bay in 1988, providing a new economic facet for the town, and adding to the town’s promise as a tourist destination.

Smoky Bay Jetty

Early settlers arrived in Smoky Bay in 1895. Smoky Bay was a port for grain farmers in the surrounding areas. The grain was waded put to boats using horses and carts. This was also the case for genera supplies that were delivered once a month.

A jetty was constructed and completed on 1912. It was 381m long and a depth of 3.3m at low tide.

The jetty was commercially used until the 1940’s when it was superseded by road transportation.

In 1969 88m was removed due to upkeep and maintenance.