The South Australian town of Ceduna is famed to grey nomads, of course, as either the beginning or the end of a Nullarbor Crossing adventure.
It’s a place to get your vehicle serviced, stock up on necessities, and plan the next stage of your Big Lap … but it’s also a great place to have some fun!
Despite its remoteness – Norseman is 1200km to the west, and Port Augusta is 480km to the east – Ceduna has plenty to keep grey nomads busy. Anglers will be itching to have a crack at the fabled King George Whiting, the scenic shores of Murat Bay are mesmerising, and there are numerous lookouts and scenic trails to explore.
Further afield are legendary surf beaches, great bush camping opportunities, sandy coves and rugged coastline. If you’re here in late September, just don’t forget to head back to town for the iconic Oysterfest festival.
Glorious Ceduna Jetty. PIC: South Australian Tourism Commission
Ceduna is a corruption of the local Aboriginal word ‘Chedoona’, meaning a place to sit and rest. Despite its potential for action-packed entertainment, the name is still exceptionally fitting … particularly for the travel-weary grey nomad.
Ceduna has a population of just a few thousand, but its character may change with the recent discovery of valuable mineral sands nearby and an increase in mining activity.
As a strategically located town, Ceduna has a full range of shopping, banking and medical services … and a number of excellent van parks. The foreshore offers great swimming at Alexander’s Beach and Ceduna Sailing club. The sailing club is also the starting point of the 3.6-kilometre Encounter Walking Trail that heads to Pinky Point Lookout offering views over Thevenard’s port area, Murat Bay and Saint Peter’s Island.
History buffs will love the exhibits at Old Schoolhouse Museum, particularly the radioactively inert objects left after the British Government’s atomic tests of the 1940s and ’50s in areas north of Yalata.
Laura Bay Conservation Park and its rugged limestone coastline is approximately 20km south east of Ceduna via a good unsealed road, and – for serious 4WDers – Yumbarra Conservation Park, 30 kilometres north of Ceduna, boasts Goog’s Lake, great rockholes, massive sandhills and the imperious Mount Finke.
Ceduna … just a place for a quick rest and to fill up with fuel before moving on to adventures new? You have got to be joking!
