Rambling along the Onkaparinga

Saturday was a quintessential autumn day: a cool morning, a gentle warmth during the day, and a soft blue, near-cloudless sky overhead.  Perfect for a stroll along the Onkaparinga River in the Onkaparinga Recreation Park around 55 kms north of Encounter Bay.

The Onkaparinga River rises in the Mount Lofty area of Adelaide and winds through gullies and gorges before it flattens out into an estuary and finally, emerges into the Gulf St Vincent at Port Noarlunga. 

There are a number of walks on offer in the region and, after reading the South Australian walking website, we chose the flat Wetlands Walk near the estuary. Actually, the main track on this 90-minute walk borders the river for a couple of kilometres, with the wetland bit being a boardwalked loop off this main track. An interpretation sign at the beginning of the walk tells us that the river's name comes from the indigenous Kaurna word Ngangkiparinga, which means the 'Women's River'.

It was an easy and relaxed walk and we enjoyed the placid expanse of the river, the trees and the grasses...

...  and the birdlife.

We spot a fisherman...

... and a family having fun with a swing

We continued on, admiring the river gums.

I'm a sucker for bark so couldn't resist these shots.

 The area had once been farmland and there were still traces of farm fences and remains of (possibly) telegraph or electricity poles.

And then, some action. The Seaford-line train rumbles across the Onkaparinga Valley rail bridge.

Cyclists ride pass.

A Tiger Moth gets set to take off from an airstrip across the river.

Look closely and you'll see a couple of kangaroos on the left and right of the photo.

 We eventually came to the wetlands loop. The boardwalk took us on a winding path among the reeds and marshland. Photographs on the website show this area full of water, but now, in mid-autumn it is dry and parched - not a drop to be seen.

Eagle-eyed readers will have noticed that I am taking a photo with my phone. I had mis-read the battery bars on my camera before we left home and thought I had plenty of battery life for the day's outing. Sadly, it petered out halfway along the walk and I had to resort to the phone.

I took advantage of this seat to soak up the surroundings.

 We felt relaxed and happy as we retraced our steps back to the carpark.

Friends come to visit

Our good friends Lynda and Tony from Cairns popped in for a visit this week.
In the late afternoon we strolled down to Encounter Bay where we showed them the whale interpretation sign - one of 19 that Steve developed last year in conjunction with the Council and whale experts.

Here we are on the walk along our coastal path in lovely autumn sunshine.

Lynda spots some seabirds, and later on, some penguins soaking up the late-afternoon sunshine that is warming the rocks.

While chatting over champagne and nibbles in the courtyard later on, the sun set and Tony felt the need to put on a cardigan!!! Evidently for a Cairns resident, our 23 degrees was way too cool.


I am not sure that I would have woken up at 7.00 am the following day and walked up the Bluff if not for their urging. But what a delight it was, watching the sun come up. (Since retirement, a 9.00 o'clock get-out-of-bed is more my style.)

The whole shore is bathed in glorious amber light.

 The sun is fully above the horizon now with just a hint of sunlight reaching the shore. The Bluff beckons.

It was a steep climb up the Rosetta Track. (For history buffs: The Bluff was known as Kongkengguwar by the Ramindjeri, the whalers named it the Bluff, and it was officially named by the Governer of South Australia in 1839 as Rosetta Head, named for the wife of prominent businessman George Fife Angus who played a significant part in establishing the colony of South Australia. These days, it's the Bluff.)

 Tony cuts a solitary figure as Lynda and I take a break to breathe.

 But the views are lovely from the top and no matter how many times I climb here I always get a thrill looking at the coastline stretching away.

Back home I cooked up a celebratory breakfast. By now it was way past 9 o'clock and the sun was heating up.

 So time to relax before they had to head off back to Adelaide... and home to Cairns.
A happy (and active) visit.