Westall Loop, Sea Lions and Haystacks

Wednesday 30th March 2022

We had a restful and uneventful sleep while Madeline had a sleepover with Babcia and Dziadzio.

Today we planned to go on another scenic drive. This was called the Westall Loop. It started around 9km south of Streaky Bay.

Point Westall was sighted and named by Captain Matthew Flinders on 5 February 1802. It was named after a landscape painter who was one of his crew onboard the Investigator.

We visited Tractor Beach first. Today was very windy with a strong south to South-Easterly wind. The beach was covered in seaweed due to the strong winds blowing onshore.

The Granites is a surf beach but also boasts a natural swimming lagoon. You must defend 110 stairs to get down on the beach from the cliff top parking lot.

Smooth pool is known for its snorkeling and rock pools.

Sceale Bay

We stopped in at the sleepy town of Sceale (pronounced scale) Bay where we had lunch and a break.

Sceale has 23 permanent residents. This number triples during the summer school holidays.

The town is primarily an isolated holiday destination, with nothing in the way of commerce or industry occurring in its bounds.

The bay was named Sceale Bay by Captain Bloomfield Douglas of the South Australian Marine Board in 1858.

The town was proclaimed with the name of Yanera on 25 October 1888. It was officially renamed Sceale Bay in 1940. A jetty was built to service the coastal traders in 1910, but despite a fierce fight to save it, was demolished in 1972.

Point LaBatt Conservation Park

On the way to Point LaBatt we passed the beautiful Baird Bay. The bay was named after James Baird, who settled on the shores of Anxious Bay in 1850 before being speared by local Aboriginals on 2 November 1850. The bay was known as Beard’s Bay until 5 December 1940 when it was renamed to Baird Bay.