Eyre inspired: Discover the heart and soul of the peninsula
Welcome to the second instalment of our much anticipated Eyre Magazine.
Uncovering our hidden gems and quirky characters makes for an amazing journey.
There are so many industries and individuals who make up the rich tapestry that is Eyre Peninsula.
That includes our wonderful farmers, who can be found throughout the region.
Wharminda’s Joel Horne is all about innovation.
A hands-on person and with an eye on the future, he reveals how and why he created his own delver for use on the farm.
Future-planning is also pivotal for James Kerr and Buckleboo Station.
James has been working hard to drought-proof the station, ensuring there is viability long into the future.
Speaking of farming, how about two champions who have gone from the farm to the bright lights of footy stardom.
Growing up neighbours at Charra, Kade Chandler and Jay Polkinghorne have traded the dusty backyards for some of Australian sport’s most iconic venues, with Chandler a Demon and Polkinghorne a new AFL recruit in the ranks of Geelong.
There are plenty of others making waves in Eyre Peninsula’s coastal towns.
Jamie Coote continues to raise awareness of Tumby Bay’s majestic seadragons, while further south at Taylor Island is a window into the region’s past.
The Tacoma’s annual wool pick-up is a tradition a small group continues to embrace.
This edition also delves into how the small seaside township of Venus Bay is showcasing its magnificent seafood at an annual event which continues to grow.
Somebody at the top of his fieldPort Lincoln sculptor Ken Martin - is profiled and so too are some of the wonderful sculptures found dotted
across Eyre Peninsula.
We hope you enjoy this second offering of the Eyre Magazine, something the team has thoroughly enjoyed putting together once more.
Your feedback and support over the past 12 months has been most appreciated.
Happy reading!
FRONT PAGE: JAMIE COOTE PHOTO: CHARLOTTE MARTIN Eyre Magazine Autumn 2025 Volume 2
PROJECT MANAGER: Stacey Lawrie
EDITOR: Luca Cetta
CONTRIBUTORS: Luca Cetta Bev Story
Charlotte Martin Mitchell Paterson Liam Wormald James Jacobi
PHOTOGRAPHY: Doddlife Photography
DESIGN: Illyse Mendoza Lisa Schulz
James Manuel Sanya Anand Aaron Walker
ADVERTISING: Stacey Lawrie Naomi Ryan
Inside the works of Port Lincoln’s famed sculptor
Laura Theodore Liam Utting
08 8682 1055
advertising@epadvocate.com.au
PUBLISHED
Tumby Bay’s lovely leafies
Stacey Lawrie Project manager
Joel delving deep
Taking Wild Flour on the road
Liam Utting
Heather Ettridge
Inside the mag
6-7
8-10
Familiar Faces - Sophie Blacker and Tina Traeger
The lovely leafies of Tumby Bay 12-13 Delving into Eyre Peninsula 14-15
Streaky sews wellbeing seed 17-18 Calm before the drought 19-21 Delicious taste of Venus Bay
22-23 Beachside bliss
24-25 Reeling in for rural men
26-28 The Charra boys
29-31 Fields of sweetness
32-36 Hot Drop
37 From the kitchen
38-39 Presten’s fervent desire
40-42 Stunning sculptures 43-45
Sculpting his legacy
46-47 Wudinna link remains strong for flying doctor
48-51 Journey into island’s past 52-53 At home on the stage
54-55 Dream evolves from dusty paddocks
56-58 History’s keepers
60-61 What’s on
Familiar Faces
Lower Eyre Council’s 2025 Citizen of the Year
Sophie Blacker moved from the Mid North to Cummins 15 years ago and has been giving her time to various groups and clubs ever since.
Sophie Blacker
Liam Wormald With
Eyre Peninsula’s Premium Aluminium Window, Door and Glass Supplier.
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What do you enjoy most about being part of the Cummins community?
I love that our community has loads of people willing to work together to make things happen, the culture and generosity is next level. I also love that we are an agricultural town with a fantastic proximity to so many amazing coastlines.
What jobs do you do in the community?
I am happy to help out wherever there is a need, but I am currently president of our Recreation Centre and working on various improvement projects there. I am also heavily involved in netball and gymnastics, and have just signed on to help produce our school musical and am very excited about that.
Which sporting clubs are you involved with?
Cummins Ramblers Netball Club, Cummins Gymnastics & Kindergym Club and Cummins Tennis Club. We are also Cummins Swimming Pool and Basketball members. Last year I enjoyed my first experience coaching a Great Flinders Netball Association team too.
What are some of your most memorable moments as part of the Cummins community?
Well aside from Rambler netball premierships I have loved every moment bringing up our four children in the Cummins community. There are some projects I am particularly proud to have been a part of, including a Mother’s Day Classic walk for breast cancer fundraising, helping establish a nature playground, dancing in a music hall that raised money for our hospital auxiliary and currently working with a group to improve the turf on our town oval. Being awarded this year’s Lower Eyre Council Citizen of the Year has also been humbling and special.
What is the best television show that you’ve seen in the last 12 months?
I do not watch much TV but I love Ted Lasso and I also like audiobooks as I can listen on the go with my favourites in the last 12 months: Lessons in Chemistry, The Lost Flowers of Alice
What is your favourite way to relax?
At our Dutton Bay shack with my husband Scott and the kids starting with coffee on the deck, a paddle board, swimming at Farm Beach and a little bonfire and wine in the evening.
If you are going out for dinner, what is your go to order?
Something Italian and a wine, preferably shared with friends.
Favourite/band singer?
My kids have hijacked my Apple Music but I like lots of different genres, anything you can get up and dance to.
What is the best piece of advice you have ever received?
Just to keep perspective and try not to sweat the small stuff and enjoy the present and be grateful every day.
Hart and Lola in the Mirror.
Sophie Blacker was presented the Lower Eyre Council 2025 Citizen of the Year award by mayor Jo-Anne Quigley.
Tina Traeger
Tina Traeger has a busy schedule operating Cleve Massage and Wellness Collective, but would not have it any other way. When not at work she is soaking up what the region has to offer.
Familiar Faces
What is the best thing about working at Cleve Massage and Wellness Collective?
Being able to improve people’s lives through the power of massage and connection. Treating the clients who do not get to experience touch in their day to day lives and helping those who had tried just about everything to help their bodies feel better. I enjoy making a difference to people’s lives.
What is the best thing about living and working on Eyre Peninsula?
The community and connection. Most people are happy to help wherever they can no matter the circumstance. I like how friendly people are and how welcoming communities are.
What three things would you take if you and the family were deserted on an island?
Something comfortable to sleep on, food and water, and we would be set!
Do you prefer summer or winter and why?
In between, when it is warm during the day but cool in the morning and evening. It’s the best of both.
What is the most unique/ interesting problem that has been presented to you at work?
Oh so many. Every client that comes in is so different to the last and I just don’t know what is going to come through the door, it keeps me guessing. I do love the injuries and conditions where I get to learn more about the condition and try to work out what the cause of an injury is.
What time does your alarm go off and how does your typical morning unfold?
I don’t normally need an alarm with the kids. But if I do it is normally 6am. Typically, we get out of bed and make coffee/chai, while I unpack the dishwasher and pack the kids and
my lunchboxes, then shower and get dressed for the day, before dropping the kids off to where they are going for the day, before heading into the clinic to start my work day.
Who would play you in a movie about your life?
Honestly I have never thought about it.
What is your idea of a perfect weekend on Eyre Peninsula?
Camping at a beach, probably Lincoln National Park with friends. Spending the days at the beach or exploring with walks and four-wheel-driving.
Favourite place to eat on Eyre Peninsula?
At the beach, eating freshly-caught seafood.
Last movie or show you streamed or saw and was it any good?
I think probably Friends, haha it’s a bit of a comfort show, that is my go to, so I don’t have to make a decision on a new show or movie.
Favourite musician?
I’m a bit of an everything, and don’t have one set favourite. Anything from the 2000s.
If you could do someone else’s job on Eyre Peninsula or Cl eve for one day, what would you be doing?
I wouldn’t change to be honest. I love what I do and every day is different so I never get bored.
Bev Story With
The lovely leafies of
Words: Charlotte Martin
Photos: Jamie Coote and Charlotte Martin
Eyre Peninsula man Jamie ‘Yook’ Coote has been raising awareness of ‘leafies’ since he first spotted one, nearly two decades ago.
That first sighting ignited a passion within him.
Originally from Ceduna, Yook has travelled around, doing stints in Hong Kong and Port Lincoln, and now settled in Tumby Bay for the second time, he has been diving for more than 25 years.
“I’d just always wanted to do it, I’ve always been a water baby,” he said.
“I started out diving recreationally, just rocky outcrops, different beaches, I’d go exploring different spots mainly around Ceduna; it’s just fun.”
Diving has developed far beyond a hobby for Yook.
He now works at the Dive Shop in Port Lincoln and on the Calypso Star Charters as a decky, doing shark cage-diving and swimming with sea lions tours.
Along with his wife Lyn, after all the travelling, Yook eventually moved to Tumby Bay in 2006, which is when he began to hear whispers of the Tumby Bay leafy seadragon (Phycodurus eques).
The Tumby Bay leafy seadragon is one of three species of seadragon found only in Australian waters, and nowhere else in the world.
“I thought, ‘Oh yeah, cool, I’ll go down and have a look at some’, but I reckon I did 10 or 12 dives before I found my first one because they’re so bloody hard to find,” he laughed.
“After that it became a bit of a passion to go and find them, to document them, and to take other people to find them and show them what we’ve got on our doorstep.”
Underwater photography was a natural progression from Yook’s admiration of the leafies and drive to share this wonder of nature with the rest of the world.
“I use a little old point and shoot, a Nikon in a housing with an external strobe,” he explained.
Yook remembered a time when a local was in disbelief that he was really photographing leafies from the Tumby Bay jetty, but a couple of years later that same man apologised to him, and became a fellow advocate for protecting the unique species - for
Yook, that is what it was all about.
“Knowing where individuals have their own hangouts is helpful, I could go for a dive and try and find new ones, but if I hadn’t found any I’d go to a spot I knew where a big male would always be,” he said.
A memorable moment in Yook’s leafie adventures was when Women Divers Hall of Fame inductee Jayne Jenkins came to Tumby to do a dive with him, on a search for the elusive leafie.
“We found one that day, but then I had to pick up my son from daycare, and when I came back she said she wanted to name the big dominant male, she said, ‘I’m going to name him Archie after your son’... that was pretty cool,” he recalled.
Until about five years ago, Yook said the population of leafies he had observed numbered about 12, but due to an unfortunate incident involving human intervention, the population dropped to about a handful, and Archie had since disappeared.
Leafy seadragons are a protected
species and heavy fines apply for any intentional interference or removal of a seadragon from the marine environment.
Major threats include pollution and loss of seagrass, seaweed and general habitat.
Leafies are a unique species in that the male fertilises and incubates the eggs.
“I’d probably watched him for about four years and every year he would be laden with eggs,” Yook described.
“Leafy seadragons have lines on their face like a fingerprint, so I could know which one was which.
“One of the cool things is I had actually documented some of his offspring over the years that I knew were from him - due to the facial markings.”
Going slow and looking hard was Yook’s advice to find a leafie, he said to make sure you do not crowd them, give them space and let them do their thing.
RIGHT: Yook under the iconic Tumby Bay jetty in search of leafy seadragons.
INSET: Jellyfish are often spotted along the Great Southern Reef.
A special visit from a striped pyjama squid.
Trained assessors in a long-term Dragon Search South Australia citizen science program have been identifying individual leafy seadragons through thousands of seadragon photos since 2013, taken by more than 100 divers.
Project coordinator Janine Baker said matching images accurately over time told scientists a lot about the seadragons in those nearshore populations, their habitat associations and threatening processes.
“Long-term observations are crucial for understanding the life history of seadragons and threats to populations,” she explained.
“Equally important in that process is a reliable, verifiable method of identifying seadragons from photographs taken over years.
“There is no substitute for combining the first-hand knowledge of divers, with a long-term repository of accurately identified images.”
Ms Baker said divers invested a lot of time, effort and personal resources to find, interact with and photograph seadragons in a respectful, nonharmful way - following the code of conduct developed in SA and now used nationally.
“Without the diving community in South Australia, far less would be known about this unique and threatened southern Australian fish species, and how best to protect populations,” she said.
“The Dragon Search South Australia program has revealed much information about leafy seadragons, including breeding patterns and changes over time, exact gestation period in males, long-term partnerships between seadragons, movement between habitats, damage to individuals - and even which types of injuries are temporary compared with permanent.”
For divers who had spotted a leafie and taken a photo, they could add the sighting to iNaturalist - inaturalist. org/projects/dragon-search-southaustralia - so an invitation could be sent to join the Dragon Search SA project page.
“We are particularly interested in gathering more images from Eyre Peninsula, a region where comparatively few records have been provided over the years,” Janine said.
“Small, periodic community grants enable gratuity payments to divers for their imagery. Information on the identity of the individual seadragons is sent back to contributing divers, and also posted on local scuba diving group pages on social media, to further mutual education in the community.
“As well as contributing to long-term research, divers who look out for the named seadragons in their local ‘dive patch’ can help ensure the welfare of
Leafy seadragons have unique facial markers.
these vulnerable animals over time.”
Yook said he believed the population at Tumby Bay could rebuild.
“It’s just going to take time for that to happen, to get the big dominant males that want to stay there and live there,” he said.
“Once they mature they sort of pick a spot and that’s where they’ll stay, we think they live for about 10 to 12 years.
“They’re very very good at hiding, so I recommend diving gear, with free-diving you’ll probably miss them.”
Leafy seadragons mimic the sargassum seaweed that grows along the Tumby Bay foreshore and can grow up to 45 centimetres.
Yook had plenty of recommendations for dive spots around Eyre Peninsula including Brennen’s jetty in Port Lincoln, the national parks, off the rocks at Louth Bay, Davenport Creek, Decres Bay and Laura Bay.
“My wife Lyn has always said, ‘you’re grumpy, you need to go for a dive’,” he laughed.
“She says when I come home I’m like a giddy schoolkid telling them all about everything I’ve seen from the day.
“I haven’t done a dive yet in Tumby Bay where I haven’t found something new; whether it’s a nudibranch, a little fish I haven’t seen before, blue spotted rays, striped pyjama squids and big jellyfish with fish living in them, it’s just enjoyable.”
A fanworm Yook snapped near Tumby Bay.
Yook has taken divers down in search of the elusive leafy.
D elv ing into Eyre Delving into Eyre
Peninsul a Peninsula
Joel Horne loves what he does on the farm and is most proud of the delver he designed and created.
Down a white sandy track out Wharminda way, fourth-generation farmer Joel Horne has gotten behind the wheel in the family business, while his parents happily settle into retirement.
He is expecting his first child with partner Juliette, and both are looking forward to the possibilities for this next generation, who will get to have the life kids on farms have, full of adventure, space to roam and if they’re anything like their dadfreedom to follow inspiration when it hits.
Farming wheat and lentils on a five-and-a-half thousand acre block, Joel grew up surrounded by all sorts of machines and vehicles necessary to
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Joel Horne took three years to completely design an d build his own delver, and is pretty happy with it.
Words and Photos: Charlotte Martin
keep the crops reaping.
He recalled a childhood of liberty, and enjoyed the responsibilities that came with farm life from a young age.
“Things like operating machinery and doing all the things you’re probably not supposed to do, but that everyone does as farm kids,” he laughed.
While still at school, Joel started a metal fabrication apprenticeship, soaking up everything he could about the trade for two years before heading back to the farm.
At just 19, in September 2018, he started building a delver.
Delvers are dragged behind a tractor through the crop area, the big metal tines dig about a metre into the ground and bring up the nutrient-rich clay from beneath to the surface.
This delver, Joel’s Delver, took three years to make, and is a massive yellow multi-tined machine.
“The main thing that motivated me to build one was a dry year for us back
in 2017,” he said.
“I was reaping crops which mum and dad had contracted to be delved nearly 20 years ago and you could see the line where it had been done all that time ago, it had doubled our crop. I wondered why we hadn’t done more of it with all our sandy soil.
“For starters I thought about retrofitting or modifying a machine to do it - that had been done a few times locally - and I sort of started that but then after a while decided I wanted to build something I could use for a long time, something that was going to last.”
So he designed and built his own from scratch.
As Joel describes the process, you get the feeling he took pride in his work - he doesn’t mind explaining the operation, or the science behind the soil, and is genuinely interested in the work he does on the farm.
“I always enjoyed designing things, it’s not really that similar to any other
The main thing that motivated me to build one was a dry year for us back in 2017.
7
delvers, I looked at a lot of the machines out there and decided to fix all the things I didn’t like about them,” he said matter-of-factly.
“All of our sands are hydrophobic or water repellant, the moisture doesn’t soak into them, it holds back our yields majorly all over Australia, but it’s a big problem on Eyre Peninsula for sure.
“With delving you’re able to grow more in the same amount of land by a long way, up to double or some years more than double.”
Delving did not come without its challenges, leaving white sand vulnerable to wind erosion.
“Your first major challenge is getting it covered with plants to give the soil stability again so it won’t move,” he explained.
“You’re next challenge is - because you’re ripping it very deep it makes it quite hard to get on with machinery because it’s so soft, you need the right gear to get it in cropping rotation again, it takes at least a couple of
years to be back to how it was previously, to drive tractors over it easily.”
Delving was done between harvest and seeding, and a crop was sown straight back in to be reaped that same year, nearly 100 hectares could be transformed in about a week with Joel’s Delver.
Juliette said she was incredibly proud of Joel.
“The delver was a project he’d been passionate about building since we were 18,” she beamed.
“His skills and dedication into the design and build of the delver, along with every project he takes on never cease to amaze me.”
Sometime in the future, Joel hopes to be able to go off farm with the delver a bit more, possibly contracting out to others in the area, delving further into farming on Eyre Peninsula.
Juliette Tsesmelis is proud of the dedication and skill her partner Joel applies to his projects.
Dr Mark Hopkins, Dr Fleur Puglisi, Dr Claudia Lim, Dr E Vermeulen. Hygienists Alison Hoopmann, Marni Laver, Olivia Flaws.
Words:
In a time of social unrest and concern, the Streaky Bay Wellbeing Project provides a chance to strengthen community connection and inclusivity.
Streaky
Late in 2022, when Streaky Bay District Council staffers Jess Davis and Penny Williams met with Preventative Health SA at an Adelaide meeting called A Seat at the Table, the pair knew they had arrived at the right place.
For some time, feedback across the Streaky Bay district had been suggesting more action could be taken in the realms of the community’s overall health, so the meeting’s topic - wellbeing hubs for regional communities - was speaking to the heart of the matter.
Fast forward a couple of years and the fruits of that meeting has become the Steaky Bay Wellbeing Project, a partnership between the council and Preventative Health SA that works to foster mental and emotional health for the town’s populace.
At the council headquarters in Streaky Bay, community development officer Jess Davis and colleague Cydney Alfred - who have overseen the project since its infancy - went through its goals.
“It’s all about working together as a community to strengthen our connection and inclusivity,”said Jess, explaining the philosophy behind the project.
“All while supporting the mental, physical and social wellbeing for all members and ages of Streaky Bay.
“Initially, Penny and I went to that Adelaide meeting more so to listen and see what was up for discussion and advocate for the regional space. But it just became a really positive conversation with the right people at the right time.”
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James Jacobi
Photos: Streaky Bay Wellbeing Project
The project has a partnership with Thrive Streaky Bay to provide outlets for physical wellbeing.
Cydney Alfred and Jess Davis are the brains trust behind the Streaky Bay Wellbeing Project.
sews wellbeing seed
Now, the Streaky Wellbeing Project - which these days is largely operated by Cydney - facilitates all manner of community activities and events focused on providing opportunities for people to strengthen connections to improve their overall wellbeing.
Just some of the initiatives under development by the Wellbeing Project include community garden endeavours, native seed sowing days, technology/digital inclusion programs, monthly men’s table events, exercise groups, fun run collaborations as well as free mental health first aid certificate trainings in partnership with Thrive.
As the project was finding its feet, community feedback highlighted several key demographics within the local community for which there were limited wellbeing outlets: for families with children under the age of four, for rurally isolated residents, and for those nearing or beyond retirement age.
Jess said perhaps the most significant and well-received program enacted by the project has been its monthly ‘Kiddie Gym’.
“That program has really taken off, it’s a free kiddie gym for young families to come to and socialise and play with all the different equipment and also importantly, for all the mums to get out and about and catch up,” she claimed.
“That was something that we were consistently having come through to us, that there wasn’t quite enough in place supporting our really little kids and their families.”
Held on the third Wednesday of each month at the town’s Institute with coffee and tea provided, the Kiddie Gym appeared set to be a mainstay on the Streaky social calendar.
“It has just been really appreciated by families, that they can come and socialise while their kids are getting physical activity at the same time,” Jess said.
“We just tried to come up with a really simple way, obviously with the cost of living at the moment it can be really hard for a lot of families, so it’s really beneficial that we can do it.”
At the other end of the demographic spectrum, the Wellbeing Project was also targeting the wellbeing of its older population through the development of the council’s Ageing Well Strategy.
Since 2006, the Streaky region’s over-55 demographic has increased by 116 per cent, to now be the council’s largest age group.
Created out of consultation with its community, the Wellbeing Project works alongside resilience agency
Healthy Environs in an effort to target two key priorities for the town’s over55s: healthcare and transport improvements.
Talking about the Wellbeing Project, Jess said it had been a successful beginning.
“We’ve had really fantastic feedback from the community groups that we’re working with and also Preventative Health SA, they were obviously there with us from day dot, and continue to provide a great amount of mentoring and support to the officers involved,” she said.
“Through the development of our Community Health and Wellbeing Strategy, we look forward to seeing a steady growth in this area over the next five years.
“It really is something that council staff and elected members are certainly proud of.”
While a digital hub is currently being utilised to communicate all project updates and offerings, the council hoped one day a suitable physical hub would be built in town to further improve the accessibility of wellbeing resources for Streaky Bay.
“Some of the feedback we received when we started doing our community consultation around wellbeing and ageing well, was that no one knew of a central place to go and find what happens in the district in relation to visiting specialists, programs and activities,” Jess said.
“It has been great to show that we can still deliver projects and programs even though we don’t have a physical space.
“But as it all continues to get more and more support, hopefully one day, we will have a physical space that the community is happy with.”
“It’ It The project’s
It’s all about working together as a community to strengthen our connection and inclusivity.
y.“
A native seed sowing day.
Ageing Well Strategy consultations.
Kiddie Gym has been hugely popular.
Calm before the drought
Future-planning, droughtproofing and innovation are all in vogue at Buckleboo Station.
James Kerr knows the effects of drought can be devastating on a farming enterprise.
That is why he has a long-term outlook in place at Buckleboo Station.
The Buckleboo Station manager is dedicated to ensuring his sheep have plenty of water and feed when it will be needed most, through regenerative sheep grazing.
In February 2024 the station decided to sell all its four, five and
six-year-old ewes due to the forecast of a dry year ahead.
This decision was made to protect the Buckleboo Station land, James said.
“The major reason for doing regenerative sheep grazing is to build drought resistance,” he said.
“If you can manage a landscape so you’re getting the property pastures to an optimum before the next major drought, it allows you to manage through that drought.
“The next major drought will be approximately 2031 to 2032 and my objective is to get Buckleboo Station pastures to their optimum before that period and to give it the best chance of succeeding.”
In 2020, after a three-year drought had heavily impacted the productivity at Buckleboo Station, it was decided to commission the design of a detailed five-year Ecologically Sustainable Rangelands Management Environment plan.
In conjunction with Contour Consulting, Buckleboo Station prepared the plan which would work alongside its existing business plan.
“This is a new way of planning as far as the pastoral industry is concerned,” James said.
“Contour Consulting has used satellite imagery and GPS mapping to locate and develop strategies to solve these key issues across the station.
To underline the focus on sustainable agriculture at Buckleboo Station in 2024 it was presented with the State Landcare Award for Sustainable Agriculture.
In February 2024 Buckleboo Station sold its four, five and six-year-old ewes due to the forecast of a dry year ahead.
“Additionally, as part of the initial commencement of the ESRM Environment Plan, we used an innovative mapping process to locate deep underground water using electromagnetic data sets.”
Buckleboo Station fast-tracked this plan and was able to produce more lambs in a short time frame, which championed innovative and industry leading regenerative grazing processes.
Since the plan has been fasttracked Buckleboo Station has also gone from set stocking to long rest grazing, with the dorper ewes running in one mob and the station subdivided into six grazing areas of about 40,000 acres, with each area grazed for three months before a 15-month rest.
In 2021 the Emissions Reduction Fund approved a large carbon project which was managed by Australian Integrated Carbon, with more than a million tonnes of carbon sequestered for Buckleboo Station.
“More fencing will be constructed in the future to control the grazing of livestock,” James said.
“Our key action is managing the carbon project with long rest grazing and not destocking the carbon project areas.”
James said one of the most important tools that all pastoral properties should have is to know what their 100-year average rainfall is.
“If people are having an average rainfall year and their property is bare, that’s not rainfall, it’s management,” he said.
“People should know their 100-year average rainfall, weather pattern and plan accordingly.”
To underline the focus Buckleboo Station had on sustainable agriculture in 2024, it was presented with the State
Landcare Award for Sustainable Agriculture and will represent SA for the national award to be announced in September.
When he looked to the future, James hoped to split the six paddocks at Buckleboo Station in half once again.
Buckleboo Station is also in the process of being able to develop a detailed water management plan to ensure better water catchment management.
The major reason for doing regenerative sheep grazing is to build drought resistance.
Station is subdivided into six grazing areas of about 40,000 acres.
James Kerr said the next major drought is predicated to occur from 2031 to 2032.
Buckleboo
Delicious taste of
Words: James Jacobi
Photos: A Taste of the Bay
On a winter’s afternoon in 2023, out front of the Venus Bay General Store, savouring a coffee after a busy lunch service, kicked back on what is known as the ideas couch, owner Nicole Elliot had just that - a brilliant idea.
The inspiration - to host an event showcasing the bay’s very best and most well-prepared local seafoodwould ring true just months later on the October long weekend, now the date when A Taste of the Bay is annually held.
As things tend to when Nicole gets her hands on them, the initial vision grew from its first incarnation on the ideas couch, eventually swelling into a day-long celebration of Venus Baycaught seafood, fuelled by live music, bar facilities, large crowds and sold-out tables.
“We have the couch out the front of the shop, a lot of our locals know it as the ideas couch, but I actually call it the going broke couch,” laughed Nicole, in a chat between the general store’s lunch and dinner service, which in recent years has developed a reputation for quality seafood dining.
“Every time I sit on that couch and come up with an idea, I’m spending money to do something... we are always changing things up, wondering what else we can do to align with the dynamics of people that are travelling through the town.”
After moving to Venus in 2021 and taking ownership of the store, Nicole noted most October long weekend visitors tended to stay local, rather than head up the coast.
“Our reasoning was not everyone goes to Ceduna for Oysterfest that weekend, it’s a long way away, our caravan park was always full, the holiday homes I manage were always full,” she said.
“I had already started introducing live music here at the shop a couple of years beforehand.
“I thought, let’s introduce more live music on the October long weekend, and we’ll whack some recipes together, food that’s caught in this local bay, and focus on the seafood, that’s how it all started.”
Now entering its third year, Nicole explained why the small fishing and tourist town of Venus is an idyllic location for a celebration of seafood type event.
“Venus Bay is a destination not just a location, it’s a very safe swimming and fishing bay, it’s sheltered, the views of the actual water from Venus are just
LEFT: Venus Bay prawn fisher Terry Paul and Streaky Bay chef Brock Trezona manning the barbecue.
BELOW: A Taste of Venus Bay proved to be a successful day.
amazing,” she said.
“It’s peaceful, it’s family friendly, the kids are safe, everybody looks out for everybody here, it’s just a really cool, relaxed place to be.”
On the menu at last year’s Taste of the Bay, straight from the waters in view of the general store, was
Every time I sit on that couch and come up with an idea, I’m spending money to do something.
calamari, baby octopus, flake and sand crab, plus the town’s most famous seafood item, the prawn.
“It is all caught inside the bay by our local professional fisherman,” Nicole said.
“The only tasting we serve up that’s caught outside of the bay is our Venus Bay prawns, which obviously the town is famous for, so we simply had to have them on the menu.
“Terry Paul, our local prawn fisherman, he’s done up a couple of excellent prawn dishes the last couple of years.”
The plan is to increase the scope of seafood on offer when the 2025 October long weekend rolls around.
“This year we’re focusing on other seafood as well, but we don’t reveal any of our recipes until the day,” Nicole said.
“They’re all little entrée size tasting plates, it’s great, food is available from one o’clock until we sell out.
“We’ve managed to supply and do up enough recipes, sauces and bases and get enough seafood to last us for around seven hours each year.”
With live tunes abuzz for the day’s entirety, and a number of wineries expressing interest in getting on board this year, tables are already being booked out.
“It’s totally overwhelming how well it has been supported, especially by our return visitors,” Nicole said.
“We’ve done two Taste of the Bay’s now, and people just keep booking for the next year, they book their tables now because that’s how big it’s getting.
“People seem to hang around all day long, they have a couple of tastings early, a couple later in the afternoon, and a lot from the caravan park come up for the live music.”
Since taking over the general store back in 2021, Nicole and her team have worked to turn it, like Venus itself, into a destination, not just a location.
“The store is so much more than just a shop nowadays and we have our restaurant licence, so that allows people to have a drink with their tastings,” Nicole said.
“I bought the shop while in lockdown in NSW - I couldn’t cross the border, so my best mate ‘Seagull’, he kept the doors open here at the shop, while I managed his pub in NSW.
“When the borders opened, we crossed paths on the highway, exchanged credit cards, and away we went.
“It has been beautiful, I love it.”
People from throughout Eyre Peninsula enjoyed a day by the bay.
Fresh catch from SA Premium Octopus was a favourite.
Limnos Fishing was part of the event.
Experience the ultimate beachfront escape and find your little slice of paradise
Unwind in a beachfront, environment-friendly eco-pod in Eyre Peninsula’s Cowell.
Whether you’re relaxing on the deck, enjoying a bath for two or exploring the nearby beaches, experience the ultimate beachfront escape and slice of Eyre Peninsula paradise.
Fall asleep to the sound of crashing waves in the king bed or take advantage of the in-house Kitchenette, spacious bathroom, outdoor desk, sun loungers and barbecue.
Ocean Boulevard, Port Gibbon Book online: www.ecoeyre.com.au
Words: Bev Story
Photos: Bev Story and Franklin Harbour District Council
Relax in a bath a stone’s throw away from the beach at Port Gibbon.
INSET: Franklin Harbour District Council has two eco pods at Port Gibbon, complete with a deck and a barbecue.
The two environmentally friendly cabins at Port Gibbon offer immediate access to the beach and sea, in comfort.
Known as Eco Eyre, the cabins are named Stormbird and Spindrift, and sit next door to each other on Ocean Boulevard.
Each of the pods is completely self contained, with everything needed for a retreat or beach stay, except food and drinks.
Both Stormbird and Spindrift have a king bed and a sofa bed to comfortably sleep four adults - or eight if booking the two at the same time.
They offer affordable luxury for those who love the beach, sea, fishing or just relaxing family time, but do not want to camp in tents or tow a caravan.
The beach is relatively sheltered and safe for swimming.
Both eco pods offer accommodation with uninterrupted beach views at Port Gibbon, with parking for guests only, immediately behind each of the cabins for easy, convenient access.
Each has a full-size bath for two, a fully equipped kitchenette, refrigerator, television, heating and cooling, cutlery and crockery, bed linen and towels.
Those staying in them only need to take their clothes, food and drinks, and perhaps a book or two to wind down with.
Cook on the supplied barbecue on the patio looking out over a slice of paradise, with outdoor furniture also supplied.
When it comes to real estate it’s all about location and if it’s location one is after for beach stay accommodation, it would be hard to go past the Eco Eyre pods.
A car is essential to get to Stormbird or Spindrift, with Port Gibbon located 22 kilometres south of Cowell, travelling along Beach Road, which is bituminised.
That means staying beachside is an option for those with or without a four-wheel-drive vehicle.
The two pods are close enough to each other for convenience, if people wish to holiday with friends, while still offering two self-contained, private spaces, thanks to screens in between them.
Those travelling from further afield
will find Port Gibbon about 90 minutes north of Port Lincoln, or south of Whyalla.
Adelaide to Port Gibbon is only two-and-a-half hours’ driving from Adelaide, when using the ferry from Wallaroo to Lucky Bay.
Nearby Cowell has plenty to see and do, with a seven-day-a-week Foodland, access to fuel 24 hours a day, an award-winning water park, jetty fishing and fishing supplies. Stormbird and Spindrift are the brainchild of Franklin Harbour District Council, and bookings can be made at ecoeyre.com.au with a minimum two-night stay.
Enjoy the serenity while staying next to Port Gibbon’s pristine, white beaches.
Reeling in for rural men
Recreational fishing has been a favoured pastime for generations, and across Eyre Peninsula fishers are heading out and reeling in to raise funds and awareness for the positive mental health benefits fishing can bring.
Tumby Bay fisher Mick McCallum has been participating in the Bayer Big Fish Challenge for about five years, where a dollar is donated for every centimetre of the largest species of fish he catches.
The same goes for all participants in the challenge across the country.
Each year winning teams also have an opportunity to take part in the Rural Angler of the Year challenge.
Mick has caught the largest catch fish for a few species in the challenge over the years and won Angler of the Year back in 2023.
“I won it against all other state leaders in the challenge,” he said.
“I actually started this when I went into Bawden’s Ag store in Tumby years ago, one of the staff gave me a flier for it, so one night I thought I might look into this - and I set up a team and that team was successful in taking out the top honours. We had Mark Wilkins, he joined my team, and then I had other mates from around Australia join my team.
“After winning that trip to Tasmania, I think other Eyre Peninsula rural people saw that and started joining up, so this year we’ve got five teams; EP Fishing, Horse Kings of the Sea, Wilko’s Anglers, Lincoln Rural Sharks, and my team, Tumby Bayers.”
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Mick McCallum fishing in the Rural Angler of the Year competition.
Words:
Charlotte Martin
Photos: Mick McCallum and Jacob Giles
Bayer Big Fish Challenge donates money raised to The Fly Program, a not-for-profit event seeking to raise awareness and combat the impacts of depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and suicide in the Australian adult male community.
Each year, together they hold the AgSpirit Retreats and participants in the challenge can nominate rural men and women they think could use some time away to take a break, rest and recuperate in the Blue Mountains.
“That’s an all-expenses-paid trip from your local airport, and this year there’s a few people from the Eyre Peninsula that have been picked for this retreat,” Mick explained.
“You spend two to three days doing
activities at the retreat with a little bit of fishing thrown in and that’s all out of The Fly Program and Bayer’s pocket.”
Lincoln Rural Sharks team member
Jacob Giles has won the biggest catch for a species on his team before as well, a 190-centimetre, 115-kilogram tuna.
He was also lucky enough to tag along with a mate he nominated for The Fly Program retreat.
“We got to spend a great couple of days with other blokes from around the country,” he said.
“The focus is the opportunity for the guys to have a break and step outside of what they do day in and day out.”
On the Bayer Big Fish Challenge, Jacob said fishing was a way to
improve your mental health.
“When you look at different ways to improve your own mental health, physical exercise is one, good social interactions too and that’s a part of fishing I would say, and time out, so time out and time with friends is the mentally beneficial part of fishing,” he said.
The Bayer Big Fish Challenge runs throughout the calendar year and was created as a friendly fishing challenge by Bayer Crop Science, to support rural mental wellbeing through a partnership with The Fly Program.
For support, contact Lifeline at 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue at 1300 224 636.
Jacob Giles with his 190-centimetre tuna catch, getting Bayer to pay up $190 to The Fly Program.
catch for Mick.
The Charra boys
From growing up in remote Charra to reaching the heights of AFL, mates Kade Chandler and Jay Polkinghorne have shared in remarkably similar journeys.
Roughly halfway between Ceduna and Penong, across the coastal back country of the farming district Charra, sprawl the Polkinghorne and Chandler family farms - where two sets of siblings grew up sharing fence lines, mateship and a brotherhood built around football.
Out the backyard of each family’s farmhouse, rising like relics from the past, stand the old sets of footy goalposts, once the focal point of the week’s most important battles.
That was with the exception of training nights and Saturdays, of course, when those skirmishes took place 40 kilometres up the road at Penong, where the four Chandler boys and three Polkinghorne lads joined forces at the Western United Tigers, the same club their fathers played for.
Today, we are inside the four walls of the Western United clubrooms, chatting with a couple of those now adult Charra boys, 18-year-old Jay Polkinghorne and 25-year-old Kade Chandler.
We’re yarning because just weeks
earlier young Jay was somewhat unexpectedly drafted by AFL club Geelong.
When the same good fortune befell Kade in 2018 - drafted to Melbourne, where he still plays - he became the pride of footy-centric Penong.
Now, he will be sharing that mantle with lifelong mate and next-door neighbour Jay, and he couldn’t be happier about it.
“My jaw just hit the floor when I heard... there must be something in the water or the dust,” Kade laughs, looking out over the local footy oval which, outside the winter cropping months, may well be the only patch of green grass for 50km in every direction.
Kade is answering a question around how it is that two mates from neighbouring farms, from one of Australia’s most far-flung footy clubs, both find themselves on AFL lists.
And about there being something in the water or dust out Charra way, Kade might not be speaking too far from the truth.
His three brothers - Broadie, Jesse and Harlee Chandler - plus Jay’s siblings Cruz and Mahdi Polkinghorne - already share in a hoard of State Country, Eyre Peninsula, Mail Medal, premiership and various other footy accolades.
“I don’t know if it’s coincidence, or just the way we were brought up,”
Kade continues.
“It’s probably a culmination of lots of different elements, probably a fair bit of it can be put down to things like genetics and us having early opportunities at Norwood and school footy in Adelaide and being able to bring that back to the club.
“That definitely fast tracked our development.”
But it’s talk of the local footy club
and the brotherhood within that Kade speaks of with most affection.
“You can put a fair bit of it down to the culture of Westies, I think as a footy club we have fantastic foundations and junior development,” he says.
Everyone is so close, we play footy together, we hang out together outside of footy, most of the boys are related or family friends of some sort.
Jay Polkinghorne in his new colours of blue and white.
Words: James Jacobi
Photos: Andrea Warmington, AFL Photos, Sports Association for Adelaide Schools
“ The boys up here pretty much live in each other’s back pockets, I think that contributes to the success we are seeing.”
Before the days of Westies’ flags and AFL draftings, the two sets of siblings took each other under their wings.
“Jay has been kind of like a little brother in a way, all those Polkinghorne boys have,” Kade says.
“They were always kicking around our place, we used to go motorbike riding and shooting together, and every Sunday during footy season we’d always have a BBQ at ours and they’d be there, out the back lawn kicking the footy.
“We spent a hell of a lot of time together, we were never far away from each other, which still seems to be the case today.”
When Jay’s name was called out with pick 44 in the AFL draftGeelong’s first selection - he was in his typically understated way, halfway through dinner at an Adelaide pub with a couple of mates from school.
Injury had kept the high marking forward out of the limelight for much of his draft year and it was unknown if the talent from Penong was going to have his AFL ambitions realised.
So when the news arrived at the pub - via a live stream of the draft playing on his mate’s phone at the table - pandemonium set in.
“We were all just sitting there, having a feed and my name got called out, I didn’t think it was going to happen, especially not that early,” Jay says.
“Then it did, and we all just jumped up and couldn’t believe it really, I couldn’t really talk, we were all pretty spun out, it was surreal, I can’t explain it.”
At the same time, 800km west on the Polkinghorne farm, similar scenes of ecstasy were unfolding.
A quiet evening on the couch for parents Ben and Andrea quickly became an all-night affair, as family, friends and the Chandlers converged on the Polkinghorne home to celebrate.
“You should have seen our pergola the next morning,” Ben laughs, speaking a few days after the draft.
“Holy moly, we had quite a few people roll up, neighbours, friends; it turned into quite the night.
Jay
Polkinghorne lines up for one of the 17 goals he kicked against Koonibba in 2023.
“We’re just really proud of him, we had quite a few tears on the drive over to Adelaide the next day.”
Andrea echoed the sentiments, highlighting Jay’s persistence as a source of motherly pride.
“It was all a bit emotional at the airport [when we dropped him off], but more so we’re just so excited and pumped for him and his next chapter,” she said.
“He’s a resilient kid, to get this far with the setbacks he had, it’s been a bit of a journey this year, with injury and missing state selection.
“He’s just done extremely well to get himself back from that and to where he is now.”
Back at Western United, Jay is recalling the wave of relief he felt after a breakout return from injury, where he kicked four goals and took a mark of the year contender in a Norwood under 18 game.
“That game, that’s probably the moment I thought, f--k, I’ve still got it,” Jay said.
“After my injury, I was a bit concerned about my footy, so when that game happened, I was pretty happy.
“That’s when I got told I had to get fit and stay fit for the draft, which luckily enough I did.”
Fast forward a couple of months and Jay was playing on the Adelaide Oval and dominating proceedings in the state’s top-tier school footy grand final, where he starred with four goals in a best on ground performance for Prince Alfred College.
Weeks later, he was repeating a similar feat, this time against adult bodies, kicking two majors and collecting eight marks and 17 disposals in Norwood’s reserves premiership.
Those grand final performances are thought to have confirmed Jay’s status as a legitimate draft smoky and saw him firmly on the radar of a couple of Victorian powerhouses.
“I thought it was more likely going to be Collingwood to be honest - I hadn’t spoken to Geelong for a few weeks,” Jay says.
But now, the lad from Charra couldn’t be happier to be headed down to the Cattery.
“I really like the idea of Geelong, on your days off you can go to the beach, there’s fishing spots close by, players have farms not far away, you can drive 20 minutes and be in the country.”
“I’m excited, it’s a lifestyle I think I’ll enjoy.”
Kade Chandler in action for Melbourn e against Port Adelaide.
Jay, pictured in August 2024, after leading Prince Alfred College to the premiership with a best on ground performance that is believed to have impressed AFL talent scouts.
When Jay was injured early in 2024 and subsequently missed selection in South Australia’s U18 team for the national championship, leaving him uncertain about a future in footy, it was Kade who urged him to stay the course.
“I obviously look up to Kade,” Jay says.
“We talk a fair bit, not only just footy, he’s got a good story, he got picked up in the rookie draft, wasn’t getting a game for the first few years and stuck at it and he’s worked incredibly hard, it’s pretty inspirational.
“He just kept telling me - it’s not all doom and gloom mate, you just have to keep going, you can still get drafted if you don’t play state - and it happened, he was right.”
Kade remains grateful that he was in a position to understand Jay’s calling to home, as well as the instabilities around his unsure football circumstances.
“Jay and I have a very good relationship, I would ring him every couple of weeks throughout the year and ask him how he’s going, how he’s playing,” Kade says.
“There were times where he probably had a fair bit of frustration with his knee, and balancing wanting to go home and help on the farm versus no, I should stay in Adelaide and do the rehab.
“I’d been through that kind of thing earlier in my career, I wouldn’t say I coached or told him what he should do, but I did remind him on a number of occasions, you don’t need to make the state team to get drafted, you just need to finish the year really strongly. I’m absolutely rapt for him that he was able to do that.”
Asked what kind of footballer Jay could grow into at the elite level, Kade described his potential as being a “blank canvas”.
“He’s got a hell of a lot of upside, he’s incredibly athletic, and to be honest, there’s no reason he can’t play at either end of the ground or chop it up as a second ruck or even a midfielder, he moves very well for his size.”
And yet, if the day does come where Kade lines up for the Dees against Jay for the Cats, there’ll be no punches pulled.
“As soon as the final siren goes, I’m sure there’ll be a big hug, that would make my day playing against him, that would be a really special moment,” Kade says.
“But for those two hours out on the ‘G or at GMBHA, there’ll be absolutely no love lost... she’ll be full on.”
Just like the good old days as boys in the backyards of Charra.
Kade Chandler with the next crop of Western United stars.
Melbourne Demons player Kade Chandler, left, and Jay Polkinghorne, right, at an Adelaide v Geelong game as kids. Looking into the future, Jay was wearing a Cats jumper that day, even if not a Geelong supporter growing up.
Kade Chandler has the ball during an
Starting with her cakes a decade ago, Renee Hannemann has continued to evolve her baking to an abundance of delicious desserts.
Standing behind the counter in a renovated farm kitchen in Cleve, Renee Hannemann laughs when I ask her if she has baked anything today.
Of course she has.
“I’m used to using my own recipes, a lot of them I mix by hand in a bowl,” she says.
Having a giggle, she wanders over to the fridge in a floral blue dress and makes you feel incredibly comfortable. Her six-year-old daughter Poppy is eating some peaches at the end of the counter.
Poppy’s legs swing backwards and forwards in her chair as she asks her mum a million little questions.
Renee patiently answers them as she shows me what she has been baking.
The fridge is full to the brim; macaroon shells in different pastel colours, a gorgeous mudcake for an upcoming wedding, creams on top of pastries next to cupcakes with all the frostings.
The dessert table from Nathan and Renee’s wedding, made by Renee herself.
I’m just so excited to get out and about in the community a bit more for all occasions...
Growing up in Cowell, it wasn’t too big a change for the Wild Flour founder when she moved to her husband’s family farm in Cleve to raise their family all those years ago.
In the home kitchen, with no training, Renee began to teach herself to bake celebratory cakes for all occasions, including birthdays, anniversaries, baby showers and more - it definitely came in handy when her own children came along.
“I started just doing it for friends and family, and then when I had my own kids I really enjoyed blowing their minds each year,” she smiles.
“Anything from Peppa Pig and princess castles, or for my boy Miles last year it was a tractor, and once a fire truck.”
In September 2024, with their young son and daughter present and surrounded by friends and family, Renee and Nathan were married.
After the ceremony, it was only fitting the wedding cake and desserts
everyone shared were made by Renee herself.
“I made all the desserts on our dessert table and the wedding cake, and I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone because of the pressure,” she laughed.
After a decade of baking, Renee and her husband decided to hold a stall at Eyre Peninsula Field Days in 2022, wanting to branch out from the kitchen and deliveries from her car.
It was a resounding success.
“We had our first stall and it was just trestle tables with boxes of cake on it, but the event went really well so we decided to branch out and we bought the van,” she recalled.
“And when we were wedding planning, I wanted someone to bring the desserts but I couldn’t find anything like that, so it made sense to make our own.
“It just makes sense to move more into the event space, so when we got the van the idea was we’d put a
Words:
coffee machine in it too, and now we use Boston Bean Coffee.”
The couple had their van custom built for events.
Not only does it have a coffee machine, it is a set up cocktail and dessert bar, it even has a glass front so guests can see their desserts on display.
“We wanted to be able to do cocktails for the evening events, so at night it’s cocktails and desserts and in the daytime it’s coffee, cakes, brownies and cookies,” Renee explained.
In February, Wild Flour Bar and Desserts entertained at its first ever wedding, and for Renee, it felt like all the different moving parts had finally fallen into place.
“I just like going to weddings, to be a part of someone’s big day and the atmosphere is so much fun for us,” she beamed.
“We bring our van, and we’re keeping a minimal style so as to not conflict with the wedding decor - we
can set up fairy lights at night time and glassware is ready to go for espresso martinis and margaritas - we actually have a full list of different cocktails but we are also more than happy to tailor the cocktails and drinks to the wants of the bride and groom.
“I’m just so excited to get out and about in the community a bit more for all occasions, previous to this I made everything at home in my kitchen and delivered it and that was it, so I’m just looking forward to talking to people and seeing them experience the products in real life.”
Having started her business from scratch, Wild Flour has continued to evolve and grow with Renee, as do the delicious dessert designs.
Charlotte Martin
Photos: Charlotte Martin, Bec Smart Photography and Jas Leonard Photography
The Hannemann family at the couple’s wedding last year.
Cabernet Sauvignon /Merlot 2022
A mid-red colour that has a lighter style than some years. It contains perfumed berry fruit, hints of dried herbs and a gently savoury tannic finish. This classic blend of two varietal cousins will age well for two to five years in bottle and gather greater complexity, but has immediate youthful appeal.
Blue Wren Blend 2023
In honour of the families of blue wren that live at the vineyard, this wine is a blend of 76 per cent grenache, 13 per cent cabernet sauvignon, and 11 per cent shirazshowing the best of all three varieties. The grenache gives it the bright garnet colour and floral aromas of red berries, the cabernet adds complexity with dried herbs and the shiraz rounds it out with a gentle kick of spice. Medium-bodied, savoury and perfect for drinking in its youth, it is a great expression of the family-owned and operated vineyard.
$25
Shiraz 2022
This is a purple-red, gently peppery wine. It is mediumbodied with a flourish of berries and spice on the palate, plus supple tannins. Like all good shiraz, it will reward cellaring for two to eight years.
Riesling 2023
Powerful varietal nose with citrus, floral and some tropical aromas. Generous flavours which echo the nose - intense mid-palate with classic riesling character, plus interesting notes of confectionery. This wing is long, full-flavoured and beautifully balanced by the acidity our maritime climate brings. It will age for a decade.
2024 Teakle Wines Sauvignon Blanc
The 2024 Winewise Small Vigneron Awards trophy winner in the Sauvignon Blanc & Blends Category, this aromatic wine features lifted notes of cut grass, passionfruit and ginger spice. The zesty palate showcases tropical fruit, guava and a long dry finish.
Teakle Wines teaklewines.com
Teakle Wines Riesling
With zesty acidity, this wine offers aromas of lemon rind, mandarin peel and oyster shell saltiness. The palate features green apple, orange blossom and a fresh, mineral finish. Ready to drink now, it will develop buttery notes over five to 10 years.
Teakle Wines teaklewines.com
Teakle
Wines
Teakle Wines teaklewines.com
Boston Bay Riesling 2025
The flagship wine of Eyre Peninsula, the Boston Bay Riesling has a natural acidity accompanied by a balanced minimality that makes it the perfect wine to enjoy with EP’s famous seafood. Available from April 2025.
Boston Bay Wines bostonbaywines.com.au
Brut Cuvée NV Traditional Method Sparkling
Made from pinot noir and chardonnay grapes, this crisp aperitif style features fresh brioche, pear, and citrus notes. The palate offers toasted almond character, fine mousse and creamy complexity, with incredible length and persistence, finishing with lively freshness.
Teakle Wines Rosé
The 2024 Rosé is pale yet vibrant pink, with aromas of rose petal, pomegranate and cranberry. The fresh, zingy palate features crunchy acidity and bright red fruits, with a hint of fruit sweetness and a long dry finish. Perfect as an aperitif or lunchtime wine.
Teakle Wines teaklewines.com
West Coast Distilling Co westcoastdc.au $89 $49
Boston Bay Wines bostonbaywines.com.au $32 $49
Boston Bay Cabernet Shiraz 2022
A 50/50 split of Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz; this blend is made specifically for Boston Bay, using grapes from the vineyard in Wrattonbully. A complex yet approachable blend, perfect to sit back and relax with.
First Wave Gin
First Wave Gin is handcrafted in small batches, showcasing locally sourced botanicals that capture the essence of Eyre Peninsula. With vibrant quandong, coastal daisybush and bright citrus, it delivers a crisp, refreshing taste perfect for a classic gin and tonic or elevating your favourite cocktails.
$89
Coffee Liqueur
This is a partnership with local coffee roastery Eyre Roasted to showcase its bold and punchy ‘West is Best’ blend. Infused with rich hazelnuts, toasted wattleseed, smooth vanilla and a hint of banana, this coffee liqueur delivers a deliciously complex and indulgent experience.
West Coast Distilling Co westcoastdc.au
Limoncello
Locally-sourced lemons are infused with the Vanilla and Wattleseed Vodka, allowing the bright citrus zest to harmonise with warm vanilla and the nutty, toasted depth of wattleseed. The result is a uniquely rich and aromatic Limoncello - vibrant, smooth, and bursting with character. Perfect for sipping chilled, mixing into cocktails, or elevating your favourite desserts.
West Coast Distilling Co westcoastdc.au
Blood Orange Gin
The Blood Orange Gin is handcrafted in small batches, infused with late-harvest Riverland blood oranges for a month-long maceration. This slow process unlocks deep citrus flavours, resulting in a bright, zesty, and irresistibly smooth gin with a bold, juicy character.
West Coast Distilling Co westcoastdc.au
Streaky Bay Distillers streakybaydistillers.com.au $89.
Very Little Islands Gin
Using fresh kaffir lime and saltbush, this gin won a silver medal at the Australian Gin Awards in 2024, in the London Dry section. It is subtle, slightly umami, and makes a great addition to a gin and tonic. It is delicious just with soda and a squeeze of citrus.
Yanerbie Bombie Vodka
Let’s be frank - vodka is vodka - you want it clean, flavourless, crisp and clear, and that is what Streaky Bay Distillers has created with its filtered still spirit and Streaky Bay rainwater. Magic in any cocktail or clean enough to enjoy with soda. Steadily becoming Eyre Peninsula’s go-to vodka.
Streaky Bay Distillers streakybaydistillers.com.au
Love in a bottle, this mandarin and mulberry gin is light, citrus forward and made with Streaky Bay fresh mulberries, giving it a pink hue. The delicious taste of Sister Gin is best appreciated with soda water and ice. $5 is donated to Motor Neurone Disease SA for every bottle sold.
Streaky Bay Distillers streakybaydistillers.com.au
Smooth Pool Gin
Divers, surfers and beach lovers will instantly recognise the minerality of a big breath of ocean air in this gin. The addition of an abalone shell to the still balances the citrus body and resinous pine finish with ocean minerality.
Streaky Bay Distillers streakybaydistillers.com.au
Sister Gin Beach Day Wines
Boston Bay Wines’ ‘Beach Day’ series is a collection of premium wines in a can, making them the perfect drink to take with you on your travels; whether that is just to the beach or further afield! Available in both rosé and cabernet.
Boston Bay Wines bostonbaywines.com.au
Say hello to SA’s newest icon, this Session Ale, perfect for easy drinking. It is light bodied with white grape and citrus flavours. This one embraces Jump Ship Brewing’s values of drinking to enjoy and in moderation. You can have it all and you don’t have to sacrifice your health during social occasions. It is for those who love to do it all: the beach days, the road trips, days of adventures and the refreshing spritz at social catch-ups. The feel is of freedom, adventure, joy, cruising.
The Wanna Pale is as crisp as the dunes that inspired it! This tasty, refreshing, hoppy brew is a homage to Port Lincoln’s Wanna sand dunes. The Sleaford to Wanna four-wheel drive track across these dunes offers one of the best experiences on the EP. You can easily spend a whole day exploring, taking in some insane scenery of surf and rugged cliffs, fishing, picnicking, bird watching or spotting the wildlife from both land and sea. The feel is of crashing waves, out in the wild, grateful for where we live, invigorating, recharge.
Pearlah Session AleWanna PaleGreat Southern Draught
The Great Southern Draught raises a glass to the beloved country pub, which is more than just a place to quench the thirst - its presence runs deep in the community. The GSD is dedicated to the meeting place which supports locals and visitors to meet, celebrate and belong. You will find a clean, gentle apple taste with a slight black pepper finish. It has a touch of malt sweetness, a light body and a well balanced flavour. The feel is of connection to place and community, camaraderie, nostalgia. Jump Ship Brewing jumpshipbrewing.com.au
Jump Ship Brewing jumpshipbrewing.com.au
Mix freshly-caught southern bluefin tuna from the waters of Eyre Peninsula together with other dynamic flavours and you will salivate over this delicious bluefin tuna salad, which serves two.
Ingredients:
300g southern bluefin tuna
200g pumpkin
50g pitted olives
2 tablespoons of sesame seeds
2 tablespoons of coarse ground black pepper
1 baby cos lettuce
50g Asian-style mayonnaise
Juice of 1 lime
Lemon to garnish
Neutral cooking oil such as vegetable or avocado oil
Situated across from the picturesque foreshore of Arno Bay
Under new management with newly refreshed Beer Garden available for daily use and private functions.
Open seven days from 12pm with a good selection of wines, cold beer, made to order pizzas and meals available lunch and dinner.
Ensuite motel rooms and hotel rooms available along with self-contained camping area and caravan dump point.
Live music and events throughout the year - Follow Hotel Arno on Facebook to keep up to date or pop in and see Tegan and Julz and their friendly staff for a coldy and delicious meal.
Hotel Arno
Ph: 0484775905 or 08 86280001
1 Government Road, Arno Bay SA 5603
Open 7 days - From 12pm
Instructions:
Preheat your oven to 180°C, fan force. Dice pumpkin into rough 1 inch pieces. Lightly coat in oil and place in the oven for 30 minutes or until gold and tender.
Dice tuna into rough 1 inch pieces. Coat the tuna in the sesame seeds and black pepper.
In a very hot pan, add a small amount of oil and sear the tuna pieces. The tuna should still be pink in
the middle. Do not over cook. Slice the pitted olives in half and set aside.
Combine the mayonnaise and lime juice to make the dressing.
Wash and roughly chop the cos lettuce. Place neatly onto a serving plate. Then place the pumpkin and olives, followed by the tuna pieces. Serve the dish with dressing, but lemon is optional. It can be enjoyed hot or cold.
with Liam Utting
Presten’s fervent desire
Swim with wild sea lions and dolphins in the protected waters of Baird Bay
A truly bucket-list experience on the Eyre Peninsula. Our ocean expedition journeys into a spectacular aquatic environment, where you’ll witness two of Australia’s most engaging sea creatures like never before.
Play alongside sea lions and see why they’re nicknamed ‘the puppies of the sea’; then swim among a pod of dolphins in a natural rockpool - an immersion in nature that will stay with you forever.
25-year-old
An artist on the rise, Port Lincoln’s Presten Warren has big dreams but never forgets his roots.
I focus on my ancestors and the connection between people, country and spirit.
Presten Warren has long had a passion for art which has only continued to grow as he expands his audience.
The
Indigenous artist was born in Port Augusta and grew up in Ceduna, before moving to Port Lincoln. Passion for the paintbrush was ignited in Presten from a young age. It developed from the environment he grew up in and being surrounded
Words: Liam Wormald
Photos: Presten Warren
Presten Warren with his art piece titled ’Eternal Spirit’.
I fo ntr y it
by the stories and traditions of his grandmother and mother.
“They taught me the significance of Aboriginal art as a way of storytelling, passing down cultural knowledge through patterns, symbols and dot work,” he said.
“Watching my grandmother paint I learnt that art is more than just something visual, it’s a connection to country, family and identity.
“My mother’s and grandmother’s guidance shaped the way I approach my work today, ensuring that each piece carries meaning, history and a deep sense of belonging.”
Painting is a form of meditation and storytelling for Presten.
“I love the feeling of watching a blank canvas slowly transform into something filled with movement, depth and cultural significance,” he said.
“I focus on my ancestors and the connection between people, country and spirit.
“My art reflects journeys, land, water and community, and I always want my pieces to evoke emotion - whether that be a sense of grounding, nostalgia or wonder.”
While it was hard to choose a favourite piece, Presten said a few stood out in his mind.
One piece is ‘Bush Medicine’which went viral on TikTokReconciliation Action Plan artworks which have been used to wrap a Tesla, plus his ‘Moving Sands’ piece painted with more than 12,000 dots.
Since starting his artistic journey, Presten has sold more than 300 paintings.
Awards have also followed for the talented artist.
He received the Carclew Creative Achievement Award, People’s Choice Award at the Malka Aboriginal Art Prize and NAIDOC Youth Award.
“Art is such a personal process for me, so knowing that people connect with my work enough to recognise it in this way means a lot,” he said.
“Winning the People’s Choice Award was special because it came directly from the audience and it showed that my art was resonating with people.
“The Carclew Creative Achievement Award was also a proud moment
because it acknowledged my contribution to Aboriginal art and culture.”
While humbled to receive awards for his work, Presten said his biggest reward was how he has been able to see his artwork find a new home and hear the stories of how it impacted people.
For any young aspiring artists Presten said they should keep creating artwork, trust their unique style, not be afraid to share their work and learn the business side of art early on.
“Art is subjective and not everyone will understand or appreciate what you do, but the audience will find you,” he said.
“Understanding licensing commissions and pricing your work properly is just as important as creating it.
“Most importantly, stay connected to your family, culture, inspirations and your own artistic voice - that’s what makes your work powerful.”
Looking to the future, Presten said he wanted to continue having his work on bigger platforms and new mediums.
“I’ve already had my designs applied in hotels, vehicles, corporate branding and clothing, but I’d love to collaborate with even more Australian brands,” he stated.
“Bringing Aboriginal art into mainstream spaces from luxury interiors to public art installations is a huge goal of mine, especially being able to educate the public on our culture and history.
“I also want to mentor younger Indigenous artists, ensuring that our culture continues to be shared through storytelling and creativity.”
Presten followed in his grandmother’s footsteps with his love for art.
Stunning SCULPTURES
From bronze to steel and granite, Eyre Peninsula is home to a number of breathtaking sculptures made by talented artists. Whether you are an art lover or a photo hunter, these sculptures are sure to have your attention.
Mara The Passage Thongz
Elliston
Elliston’s Anxious Bay Clifftop Drive provides incredible views of the crashing waves below, but is also a must to check out the art along the way. Some pieces have been there for a number of years, while recent additions have added to the spectacle. Among the quirky pieces are The Passage by Marijan Bekic, Thongz by Todd Romanowycz, Mara by Siv Grava and Headland by Thomas Tesselaar.
Venus Bay
Pauly Pelican is a Geoff Martin design which was unveiled in 2022 to pay homage to the town’s fishing heritage - in particular Greek migrant Kon Paleologoudias. Made from scrap metal, 2.5-metre high Pauly sits near the Venus Bay Licensed General Store overlooking the fleet of boats moored
at the Venus Bay jetty. Pauly received a friend - Stumpy the Seagullalongside in 2023, also made from steel.
Cleve has multiple impressive metal sculptures crafted by the hand of Peter Crosby. The local artist first created two Clydesdale sculptures - Bonney and Clyde, with one located on his land near the Eyre Peninsula Field Days site and the other on Main Street. Also located on the town’s main thoroughfare is Redgie the Wedgiethe wedge-tailed eagle perched on a branch with wings spread majestically. Rodney the Roo is the newest sculpture from “Turtle” and was unveiled at the field days event in 2024 but does not yet have a public home.
Cleve
Words: Luca Cetta
Photos: Luca Cetta, Stacey Lawrie, Robert Lang Photography, Wudinna District Council and Kellie Crosby
Australian Farmer Pauly Pelican
Redgie the Wedgie
RIGHT: Rodney the Roo
BELOW: Matthew Flinders
Port Lincoln
The Port Lincoln foreshore is home to three astonishing bronze sculptures.
The Makybe Diva and Tuna Poler statues are the work of renowned local sculptor Ken Martin, putting the spotlight on a sporting legend with a Port Lincoln connection and a tribute to the city’s famed fishing industry.
Makybe Diva was unveiled in 2006 and the Tuna Poler in 2019. Across the road on Tasman Terrace is a statue created by English sculptor Mark Richards, unveiled in 2017, of explorer Matthew Flinders. The sculpture, which depicts Flinders kneeling and using his compass to chart his voyage along the South Australian coast, also includes his cat Trim, who accompanied the captain on his voyages.
Streaky Bay
Another Ken Martin statue adorns the foreshore at Streaky, once more with a racing connection. This time, it is a life-size bronze statue of three-time Melbourne Cup winning jockey Kerrin McEvoy. The piece was unveiled in 2022, after the Streaky Bay community fundraised to pay honour to its local champion.
Wudinna
Unveiled in 2009, sculptor Marijan Bekic’s Australian Farmer is a tribute to the Wudinna district’s farmers, from pioneering days through to the present time. It takes a human form, but the top of the granite sculpture represents the sun, in the body are grain crops, while sheep are placed at the foot of the design. Heading north from Wudinna is a walking trail which leads to Polda Rock. On your way you can say hello to Maurie the Emu and his trio of chicks, named Wud, Din and Na, plus a kangaroo - all made by local plumber and scrap metal artist Geoff Martin.
Makybe Diva
Tuna Poler
Stumpy the Seagull
Maurie and chicks
Kerrin McEvoy
Bonney
Eminent Port Lincoln sculptor Ken Martin has made his name creating some of Eyre Peninsula’sand South Australia’s - most iconic bronze statues.
A plasticine sculpture, subsequently cast into bronze, of legendary 1930s Australian aviator Charles James “Jimmy” Melrose. It was commissioned by the City of Holdfast Bay and installed on the Glenelg foreshore in Melrose Park, near the site of the original Melrose family home.
Sculpting his LEGACY
Along a stretch of the idyllic Port Lincoln foreshore adorned in bronze, glistening in the sunshine breaking between the trees are two recognisable figures for the city’s residents.
In their own way, they helped to put Port Lincoln on the map.
Makybe Diva is a three-time Melbourne Cup winning horse with a connection to Port Lincoln - a city which exceeds expectations in the sporting arena - through tuna fisherman owner Tony Santic.
The city adopted her as its own, even though she had never physically been there, and Port Lincoln received great notoriety from Makybe Diva’s successes.
And to see the figure of the Tuna Poler is to see the history of ‘Seafood Capital’ Port Lincoln itself.
They are tourist attractions, with visitors eager to snap a photo of the bronze foreshore figures.
The two statues are the work of renowned local sculptor Ken Martin.
At Ken’s home workshop, you get a glimpse into the hours spent on his compositions, the stunning figures he has brought to life.
Dotted around the workshop are maquettes of past and present works. Some are instantly recognisable as his public works, including Kerrin McEvoy. Others are projects of private commissions.
Ken spends hours here, often working on multiple projects at once.
“I grew up with the idea to focus on one piece at a time, but the reality is with sculpture I find it is good to work on up to three pieces at once,” he said.
“If you work on one piece for a long time you can start to tread water and fiddle.
“If you shift your mind and come back with fresh eyes, you can come
back more clearly.”
One piece can take a long time. Ken estimated he would spend 100 hours or more working on a maquette - the miniature piece created with plasticine that resolves the concept design before sculpting the larger work.
It can take eight to 12 months from the initial design phase to the finished product, including the maquette, design process, sculpt of master, moulding and casting.
When you account for the many decades Ken has been sculpting and creating, it is a lifetime of passion, dedication and constant improvement to his craft.
That is why Ken’s works are highly sought after, not only in his home town, but elsewhere.
Visit Adelaide Oval and you will find four of Ken’s captivating life-size bronze sculptures of iconic SA sportsmen greeting fans as they head inside - Barrie Robran, Ken Farmer, Darren Lehmann and Jason Gillespie.
Closer to home, Ken worked with three-time Melbourne Cup winning jockey Kerrin McEvoy and the Streaky Bay community, which fundraised to commission a bronze statue of its champion on the foreshore that was unveiled in 2022.
There are about a dozen of Ken’s statues across SA, but some are even further afield.
“It is a privilege, and I have been fortunate - if you include wood - to have pieces in eight countries,” Ken said.
“It feels good, but I don’t get too caught up in that; there is always something to learn and I enjoy what I do.”
For how highly regarded the sculptor is and how sought-after his bronze works have become, it is somewhat surprising to learn the Makybe Diva
I’ve
been told plenty of times it wouldn’t work, but I refused that as I needed to make it workthere is nothing like that drive to help you
press on. I’v ” to n
statue, unveiled in 2006, was Ken’s first public bronze piece.
“Bronze is now my first choice, but for a good 25 years, wood was my medium for sculpture,” Ken said.
It was wood that led Ken to Port Lincoln in the first place.
He grew up moving from town to town, initially in the South East but then to various locations across South Australia.
Ken’s father was a mobile shearer and he, for a time, took that up.
But Ken sought a different path and left school - he had been to eight of them - and home at the age of 14.
Twelve years later, in 1978, he arrived in Port Lincoln as one of the original partners of Constantia Furniture.
Ken had no art school background. He simply had a passion for drawing, which expanded to other pursuits as he got older.
“In my early 20s I found 3D work. I was working in Naracoorte and had access to Mount Gambier stone and wood, and I started experimenting with 3D wood and stone sculpture,” he recalled.
“When I met the other men to form the partnership to come to Port Lincoln I was going into wood carving.
“That was my first professional foray into arts and a lot of sculptures were produced in those eight years.”
Ken noted he enjoyed working in 3D.
“I love the idea of capturing the essence of a person, an animal, or situation, in 3D,” he said.
“I had no formal education, but reading through books I was fascinated with past works.”
And some of Ken’s influences are the best ever.
Names like Michelangelo and Bernini have inspired, so too Auguste Rodin.
“The ancient Greek sculptors were
marvellous, and then the Italian Renaissance period was remarkable,” he claimed.
“I remember going through the museum at the Sistine Chapel and seeing the statue of Laocoön and His Sons - I was so taken by the energy of the piece.”
In wood, Thomas Chippendale and Grinling Gibbons were also inspirations, with their fluidity and ability to “bring wood to life”.
“It transcended the slight stiffness of earlier carving.”
In the mid-1990s Ken started working with clay for the purpose of casting to bronze and said he enjoyed the process.
That started his love affair with metal.
“All mediums have their challenges and it took a while to make the transitions as the mediums are different, but I enjoy it.”
Along with learning to work with bronze was another aspect - dealing with foundries and the need to procure the metal.
He is involved with the process from design and maquette through to the final casting of bronze - the finished products are hollow.
Ken explained that in order to get to the finished state there is initially a silicon rubber mould, with sections then recreated in wax.
The wax is refined and invested into a plaster mould and burnt out for the metal to be poured in.
“There are a number of processes where things can go wrong, but it is rare,” he said.
In order to check up on the various stages of production, the 72-year-old is a frequent visitor to the foundry in Melbourne he works with.
“There are two main stages when my presence is required - when wax is cast prior to moulds and then checking
Words: Luca Cetta
Photos: Luca Cetta and Rebecca Gosling
on seam lines to see if they are correct before being invested and burnt out,” he said.
“Then at the final stage I make sure all sections are brought together correctly.”
The mould is taken in Port Lincoln, then sent to Melbourne.
Asked which of his finished products was his favourite, Ken likened it to choosing your favourite child, but had an affinity for Makybe Diva.
“It will always have a special place for me as it was my first major public work and a huge challenge,” he stated.
“This was the most famous horse in the world at the time and it had to be right.
“I also look at the Tuna Poler and Kerrin, and I’m delighted to have both pieces on Eyre Peninsula.”
Ken has pieces on the go all the time, at various stages of production.
A planned life-size piece of Formula 1 legend Ayrton Senna hit a brick wall because the person behind the project was involved in a serious motorcycle accident.
The maquette has received approval from the Senna family and should it go ahead, is planned to be installed somewhere along the Adelaide Street Circuit Senna triumphed at twice.
A private piece he is working on is a life-size osprey lifting a fish out of the water.
“It is a complex piece creatively, it has to be anatomically correct and it took time to understand the biology - to do so I had the aid of the local osprey society and a biologist,” Ken said.
Ken Martin at work on a maquette in his workshop.
While not currently working on any public Eyre Peninsula pieces, Ken is imparting his wisdom on the region’s next generation of artists.
St Joseph’s School student Henri Jenkins is a pupil of the sculptor and a regular visitor to the workshop.
“Henri is so driven that I couldn’t refuse his approaches,” Ken laughed.
“I am hoping to impart some of the technical aspects and the realities in making a living in sculpture.”
If you are passionate about art, Ken said, then give it a go.
Kerrin McEvoy and Ken Martin together with the statue of the three-time Melbourne Cup winning jockey and Streaky Bay icon during the 2022 unveiling.
It was that passion which drove him forward decades ago.
“I’ve been told plenty of times it wouldn’t work, but I refused that as I needed to make it work - there is nothing like that drive to help you press on,” Ken remarked.
“I was very fortunate to meet and marry the girl I did, back in 1977, the daughter of an Italian immigrant, Elisa; she bought my first carving chisels.
“Her family saw creative work as a realistic option going forward and that was foreign to me. That encouragement was important to me when starting.”
Ken is at home working in Port Lincoln, in a region he said “punches above its weight when it comes to creativity”.
“I think it is a place that has always had creativity, even going back to the farmers and fishers and those involved, who had to solve problems to make things work,” he said.
“Isolation is another thing that contributes to that. There are some things even today we can’t take for granted that maybe they do in the city, so we find ways around it.
“Creativity across the board attracts me. I love the relaxed culture and ability to go in the bush and marine environment - I have to do that every so often for my sanity!”
As we head to the foreshore to take pictures with Ken’s two famous works for this article, along comes a couple from Brisbane taking photos of the Tuna Poler.
Standing alongside them, it was decided to introduce Ken to the couple - now they could not only snap a photo with the statue, but with the sculptor himself.
The grateful couple, smiling, went off to see Makybe Diva and continue their stroll through Port Lincoln.
Such is the reverence for Ken’s statues.
Ken Martin with the maquette of what would become his life-size Kerrin McEvoy sculpture on the Streaky Bay foreshore.
Wudinna link remains strong for flying doctor
Dr Scott Lewis with Wudinna’s permanent GP Dr Ernest Wong. Dr Lewis regularly flies in to support Dr Wong at Wudinna Medical Practice.
Words: Luca Cetta
Photos: Dr Scott Lewis
As a fresh-eyed medical student with big aspirations and a desire to help people, Dr Scott Lewis packed his bags and headed to Wudinna.
He stayed in the town for three years - from 1998 to 2001, under the tutelage of Dr Wolf du Plessis - before later returning, this time a university graduate and a qualified doctor.
Dr Lewis’ second stint in the upper Eyre Peninsula town started in 2008 and in some ways, it has never ended.
For more than a decade the 45-year-old provided care as the town’s sole resident general practitioner.
Other than fleeting visits from locum doctors and registrars, Dr Lewis had the health needs of the Wudinna district in his hands.
That was until 2021, when issues with the Eyre and Far North Local Health Network came to a head and he said farewell.
“A number of issues I had relating to the hospital and the level of professional support were unresolved,” he said.
“When you have been on your own for such a long time you hope to get support and understanding, but it didn’t happen.”
He may have moved on, but it was not goodbye.
Dr Lewis retained ownership of the Wudinna Medical Practice and from his new base at Littlehampton in the Adelaide Hills, maintained an interest in the health needs of the Wudinna district.
In 2023 it was announced the practice would reopen with a new permanent GP in tow, Dr Ernest Wong, alongside visits from Dr Lewis.
“I retained ownership of the practice and had been working with the [Wudinna District] Council since before my departure on a strategy to
recruit another GP,” he said.
“The council and I were working and it basically was how long it took to recruit Dr Wong from the UK.”
Born in Ceduna, Dr Lewis lived in multiple country towns across South Australia until the age of 10, when the family moved to Adelaide.
But it left him with an affinity for the regions.
Having enjoyed his student stint in Wudinna, when it came time to make a career as a doctor, the town was on the list as a possible home.
“Tim Scholz, who was the mayor at the time, tracked me down; they were looking for a doctor at the time, so the stars aligned.”
Given his role and responsibilities, it was all hands on deck for Dr Lewis.
“Working in rural medicine, you don’t have the resources and the backup you have in a lot of placesthat is both a challenge and opportunity,” he said.
“You have to do a lot more and be prepared to do a lot more - you provide a full service to your patients.
“It’s a bit more old-fashioned, where back in the day the GPs would do everything. In a metro setting it is too easy to send people five minutes down the road for a scan, compared to sending them two hours away out in the regions, so you don’t use your clinical skills as much.”
For more than a decade, Dr Lewis was an integral part of the community and savoured his time in the town.
“From a community point of view, I liked the people, the tight sense of community, the fact everyone looks out for each other and were so friendly,” he noted.
“From a medicine point of view, it is good to have what they call ‘cradle to grave’ - you are looking after all aspects of people’s lives.
“You see lots of different things and by virtue of where you are, you have to.”
Dr Lewis has a lot on his plate these days and aside from his Adelaide Hills base, he is also a regular in Whyalla, Bordertown in the South East and Yorketown on Yorke Peninsula.
That is in addition to frequent Wudinna visits.
“I try to get over every three or four weeks,” he said.
“I am definitely not a strangerwhenever I get over I am completely booked with people who want to see me.
“The practice is going well; it is always good to have a resident GP to care for the population.”
Dr Lewis puts in plenty of kilometres to meet the demands of the various practices and communities in which he supports.
Rather than spend hours on the road, another method of travel does the trick.
A qualified pilot, Dr Lewis jets off to different parts of the state every week or two.
“I used the plane, and still use it, for getting around - as I work in different parts of the state, it is the quickest way,” he said.
“While in Wudinna it allowed me to stay connected to Adelaide and I could get to dinner meetings and be back easily.
“It also removed the isolation.”
Dr Lewis learned to fly while in
Wudinna, having seen Dr du Plessis buy a plane and use it to visit Whyalla to perform anesthetics.
“He used it in a similar way to what I do.”
Air travel has allowed him to go all over Eyre Peninsula, to Coober Pedy and the Riverland, plus more.
“I have seen all corners of the state.”
Dr Lewis has utilised the plane to assist patients with Angel Flight, but its main use ensures travel is “nowhere near as daunting as it could be”.
When not in the pilot’s seat, you can find Dr Lewis in another cockpit, relishing his other passion.
“I enjoy land speed racing and get up to Lake Gairdner for the Dry Lake Racers Australia Speed Week,” he said.
“I race and provide medical services as the chief medical officer in Australia.”
Dr Lewis did not rule out the possibility of returning to Eyre Peninsula permanently, but added he would always be an “advocate” for the region.
“I will always remain connected to Eyre Peninsula in one way or another,” he said.
“It is a lovely area and group of people.
“They certainly aren’t getting the quality of health services that are deserved and I will always be a strong advocate for health services in the region.”
Dr Scott Lewis together with his wife Candice.
he is not with a patient, you can find Dr Lewis taking part in land speed racing. He gets up to Lake Gairdner for the Dry Lake Racers Australia Speed Week and is the sport’s chief medical officer in Australia.
The shipment of wool ready for delivery, makes for a comfortable place to sit on the return trip for
Journey into island’s past
A Cornish fisher shuffles past me in the galley, a nurse from the city says hello in the berth and I delve into a familiar conversation with an environmental scientist from Port Lincoln - all within minutes of boarding the Tacoma. This, Australia’s first purpose-built tuna purse seine fishing boat, is our abode for the next half-day or so, as we set off on the annual Taylor Island wool pick-up.
Stepping aboard on a misty November morning, we are to take part in a piece of South Australia’s
fading past, and the excitement of the passengers as we prepare to experience this nod to days gone by is palpable.
Once a year, the Tacoma Preservation Society organises the unique trip from Port Lincoln which passes Donington Lighthouse, and heads down the Thorny Passage arriving at Taylor Island.
The mission was to pick up some 16 wool bales and safely deliver them back to Lincoln Cove Marina.
The boat bustles with people of all ages, from all walks of life, ready for a day on the water.
Skipper Ross Haldane mentions one would be hard pressed to find a person that doesn’t somehow have a connection to the Tacoma.
We chat with hot teas and coffees in hand while the crew prepare the boat to sail; mooring ropes released, the engine begins its deep low rumble at
a leisurely 420 revs per minute, and soon enough we pass out the gateway of the marina to cruise the dramatic Eyre Peninsula coast.
As we make our way to the island, guests mosey in and out of the galley, warmed by the old 1950s Aga cooker. Also on board is 91-year-old Jack Bellamy, for whom the cream Aga remained a source of pride and joy.
Jack has fishy tails to tell us all, like the time he and five others poled some 40 tonnes of bluefin tuna in four-and-ahalf hours.
Masto Myles, Pamela Swaffer and Anna Van der Hart.
Claire Webber working the ropes.
Jack Bellamy at home on the Tacoma.
Ray Watherston ready to transfer more bales to the Tacoma.
Words and Photos: Charlotte Martin
Pamela Swaffer
hearing tales of Taylor Island from Ray’s mate ‘Springs’ Bryant.
That is just the start. Jack had also trained as a butcher and recalls how the islands were like a watery supermarket, their fat saltbush-fed sheep just the ticket to roast in the boat’s oven.
Jack has memories of the Tacoma spanning a lifetime, as for 17 years the Tacoma was his home and like all stories about the sea there is hardship - his twin brother was lost at sea from the back deck of his beloved home at only 25.
On our trip, nearly 70 years later, Jack potters in the kitchen, organising morning tea, offering up more hot drinks, doing dishes and charming guests with his calm and open manner.
A sea dog through and through, his experience on the water couples well with the rest of the Tacoma Preservation Society crew.
There is an obvious shared passion by all working the boat - and a place for everyone with everyone in their place.
Time flows and we wander around the decks, peering down the wooden ladder to the engine room, and high above we stand in the lofty wheelhouse where skipper Ross has a hand on one of the eight steering wheel spokes, now worn by countless turns.
We watch the horizon as the coastline changes from mallee scrub to slivers of sandy beaches, sheer cliff drops and into a final shift of old farm land speckled with large granite rocks as eventually, Taylor Island comes into view.
The sheltered cove of the island seems the perfect place to find a little red woolshed at the water’s edge.
Four people are out the front, sitting on steps and hay bales, casually waiting as Tacoma committee captain Trevor Fulmer drops anchor.
The man who runs the sheep, Ray Watherston, meets us on his centre-
console tinny, with the first lot of bales ready to be lifted aboard rope and tackle as if time has not moved forward.
The visitors among us climb over the sturdy bulwark down into the empty tinny for a quick trip to explore the island.
As we disembark at Taylor Island, Ray and his mates start to get the next load ready, flicking their hooks into the bales and rolling them down into the tinny.
A few of us go off to explore, heading up a dirt track.
Akin to an abandoned village, sheds dot the road leading to the island shack, visitors sparse except for native wildlife.
The homestead sits a few metres from the edge of the beach looking right out over the water, spectacular views with Owen Island not far off in the distance.
All eight nearby islands carry the names of the eights sailors lost from Matthew Flinders’ 1802 expedition.
To the south is Memory Cove where Flinders’ ship, the Investigator, anchored after losing sailors at Cape Catastrophe nearby.
At Memory Cove he erected South Australia’s first memorial plaque which had an engraved sheet of copper attached to a stout post - ‘NAUTICI CAVETE!’, it read, or ‘Sailors take care!’.
We turn to make our way back down the track, passing a Hills Hoist standing tall near an old cement mixer; both add to the rusty colours of the granite nearby - all part of the island’s charm. After pondering the change in times and marvelling at the beauty of the island, we make our way back down to the little red woolshed and watch the last three bales get rolled up a plank and loaded into Ray’s tinny. The sheep are not shorn in the little
BOATING
woolshed anymore, but in a new galvanised shed on top of the island. Sheep prefer to be mustered there rather than taking the steep dirt track to the waterside - something about sheep not being beachgoers.
There is plenty to suggest the little red woolshed once rang with the sound of shearers’ clippers and the drove clomping through its motions.
From the distance, the Tacoma is an impressive view in the sea, with its lofty mast crow’s nest and the long sweeping arc of the white painted timber hull.
Bidding the island farewell and back aboard, rumour spreads a tuna poling demonstration is being organised for the trip back; a welcome surprise.
Tacoma Preservation Society member Claire Webber and aforementioned Cornish fisher Callum Hardwick don waders and safety gear to throw back to the glory days of tuna poling.
Standing on the outboard steel racks, the pair wrestle 10-foot poles with clasped hands and arms outstretched, backs at the ready and on the count of three Tina the 10kg
Skipper Ross Haldane directs the crew as the load is delivered back at the marina.
outstretched, backs at the ready and on the count of three Tina the 10kg tuna is heaved over the bulwarks to land with a thud on to soft bales of wool.
Tina is not a real tuna, so no tuna are harmed in the demonstration, but with wool bales on board it would have been a safe landing for any catch.
A book sits on the galley for guests to peruse, including photos from the 1950s when the Tacoma was an operational tuna fishing boat proving the vessel held its own, the deck filled to the brim of the hull with wild catch destined to be canned at the local cannery.
We make our way back to the marina, lazing, snacking, taking in the coast and watching the crew work, in due course sighting Ray, who patiently waited to receive the wool.
The unloading is a sight to behold. No new age forklifts or modern packaging here, rather skilled hands working around the deck winch drum, a handful of crew throwing ropes around a bale at a time then lifting them into the sky and slewing them across to the awaiting truck.
Once the deck is clear, we cruise back into the Tacoma’s berth and pack up our belongings while the crew stow the ropes and clean up the
boat.
The world has changed, and many have come and gone.
The tradition of the Tacoma’s Taylor Island wool pick up is an engaging way for guests to see what once was and what now is, while meeting new people, eating good food and cruising through the turquoise waters along the Eyre Peninsula coast.
The sea dogs bid us all farewell as they stow the ropes and clean the decks and we step back on to the mainland, more informed and invigorated.
We turn to make our way back down the track, passing a Hills Hoist standing tall near an old cement mixer; both add to the rusty colours of the granite nearby - all part of the island’s charm.
Callum Hardwick and Claire Webber poling in Tina the tuna.
Ray Watherston, right, chatting with guests at Taylor Island in a decade gone by.
Tacoma crew member Kevin Crahge tying up the ropes on return to port.
At home on the stage
Hailing from Port Lincoln, 20-year-old Charlee Watt is a dynamic artist making waves in the cabaret and Fringe scenes across South Australia and the nation.
Charlee’s dedication to her craft and her innovative approach to cabaret and music performance continue to captivate audiences, making her a rising star to watch in the Australian performing arts scene.
Her passion for music and performance began at an early age with her father Malcolm playing Aussie rock and mother Kellie playing musical theatre songs throughout the household.
“Mum and Dad said I could sing before I could talk,” Charlee said.
“The Wiggles, Hi-5, [they] were on 24/7 growing up.”
Charlee started musical education around the age of six - learning vocals, piano, guitar and ukelele at the Creative House of Learning in Port Lincoln.
During her schooling at St Joseph’s School, Charlee was involved with musicals and at the time, was the youngest person to ever star as a lead.
Her music teachers at school such as Bill Kannussaar, Carolyn Coulson, Kym Rowe and Andrew Morris inspired and supported her to develop her skills.
This passion developed further throughout her teen years as she worked with local legends Lee Gunness, Leah Stuart-Douglas, Greg Eden, Jean Proude and her mentor, Lesley Gentilin.
They all helped shape Charlee’s experiences and enabled her the confidence to make significant achievements early in her career.
In 2018-19 Charlee participated in the Adelaide Festival Centre’s On Stage program, which gave her a chance to further refine her skills, opened up her potential and introduced her to SA industry professionals.
At the young age of 16, an opportunity to study under esteemed cabaret artists and perform at the Adelaide Cabaret Fringe Festival emerged when Charlee was awarded the prestigious Nathaniel O’Brien Class of Cabaret Scholarship in 2021.
She described this opportunity as “life-changing”, meeting and being mentored by international artists like
I used to struggle when I made people cry. They would come up to me in tears and I would be like ‘oh my, I’m so sorry’, but now I go,
‘I have done my job’, and to have that ability to make people feel something is very special
meth l
Music has been part of Charlee’s life since she can remember.
Words: Mitchell Paterson
Photos: Mikaela Frick Photography
Alan Cumming, Sarah Louise Young and being part of a world class performance.
In 2022, at the beginning of year 12, Charlee made her entrance into the Adelaide Fringe Festival scene with her original production, ‘Both Sides NowJoni and Carole - An Interweaving of Blue and Tapestry’.
The show featured Port Lincoln musician Greg Eden and marked the beginning of several productions for Charlee based around the music of the 1960s and 1970s.
This was her debut show at the Adelaide Fringe and sold out before opening.
It also earned her a Weekly Emerging Artist Award.
In late 2022, and later again in 2024, Charlee travelled to a special place in the arts scene - the Sydney Opera House - where she sang in the Gondwana National Choir at the Voices of Angels concert.
“Truly, performing at the Opera House was surreal,” she gleamed.
“[It is] such an iconic venue…and amazing to be a part of the huge machine that is putting on a show of this scale at the Opera House.
“It really did feel like a milestone achievement which I am really grateful for.”
Charlee reflected on her passion for singing and performing, noting, “it is about making people feel something”.
“I used to struggle when I made people cry. They would come up to me in tears and I would be like ‘oh my, I’m so sorry’, but now I go, ‘I have done my job’, and to have that ability to make people feel something is very special.”
Charlee returned to the Adelaide Fringe scene in 2023 with her second original production, ‘Make Your Own Kind of Music’.
This tribute to the iconic sounds of the 70s again featured Greg along with local Port Lincoln guitarist John Williams.
This show further established her presence in the cabaret community and three years into performing at the Adelaide Fringe Festival, Charlee has gone from stride to stride.
Her 2024 show - ‘Beating Up The Beatles’ - showcased this development.
The innovative performance received multiple five-star reviews, won the Encore Award at the Adelaide Cabaret Fringe Festival and was also featured at the Melbourne Senior’s Festival.
Another highlight was a sellout show in Cummins.
In late 2024, Charlee was awarded the Adelaide Critics Circle Emerging Artist Award for her performance and creation of her Beatles’ inspired show.
The annual SALT Festival, held in Port Lincoln, has given Charlee a space to showcase her Fringe shows to the Eyre Peninsula region.
“This will be my fourth year performing my shows as part of the SALT Festival. Each year has been a different show and this year’s show is a world premiere!” she said.
“It is really special to be able to give back a bit by performing here and bringing something new to the community and it is pretty special to perform in front of people who have watched me grow up and given me lots of encouragement along the way.
“Also performing for the kids I have taught music and singing to, or other younger kids who saw me at school and love what I do, is really meaningful to me. I’m really looking forward to working with other young locals in She Rocks for the opening night of the festival on Good Friday.”
Charlee admitted to being a harsh
critic of herself, and analysing the work of artists she looked up to helped her to refine her own craft.
“If I don’t think that something was very good, I will analyse it and ask ‘Why wasn’t it very good?’, ‘Do I want to do any of that stuff’? versus seeing artists who I adore and love, and asking ‘Why was that amazing? Oh, maybe I can do that’,” she said.
With the momentum flowing, Charlee returned to the Adelaide Fringe Festival in February, where she reprised Beating Up The Beatles with performances at various venues, including The Arts Centre in Noarlunga, Eliza Hall in Prospect, The Shedley Theatre in Elizabeth and Plant 4 Bowden.
Charlee has been busy working on co-creating and co-writing new productions such as She Rocks! Love, Lyrics, and Legacies, celebrating the contributions of women in music, and as well as showcase local legends, promoting the talents of six young Port Lincoln musicians all under 18 and ready to rock.
Scheduled to open SALT Festival in April 2025, Charlee has aspirations to take this show to the Adelaide Fringe in 2026, and then fund a regional tour on Eyre Peninsula.
She had also been working on a coffee cabaret titled Caffeine Fiend, which had been in development with her co-creator/producer/’mummager’ Kellie Grace.
Charlee secured the services of a director from State Opera and was looking forward to bringing this new jazz-infused show to the Adelaide Cabaret Fringe in May.
Charlee said the best piece of advice she has ever received was from 2021 Adelaide Cabaret Festival director Alan Cumming.
“You should be nervous before every single show. You should be nervous before you do anything. You should always have some kind of nerves and anxiety and fear and a feeling towards whatever it is you’re doing because it means you care,” she said.
“And if you are ever finding yourself going on stage or doing a performance or having a meeting or, you know, doing something for someone and not finding some kind of nerve deep, like within that, you need to step back because you don’t care enough.”
Charlee added that piece of advice resonated with her as she had been struggling with nerves and feeling anxious before a show.
“That has been very helpful and it is something that I refer back to a lot.”
Charlee is touring her Beating up The Beatles show with her full Adelaide jazz band to Streaky Bay as part of the Country Arts Shows On The Road tour in October, so be sure to catch the Fab One then.
With shows such as ’Beating Up The Beatles’ Charlee has showcased her diverse talents.
D re am Dream e volv e s evolves from dusty p ad do ck s paddocks
Words:
Bev Story
Photos: Bev Story and Poodra Springs Native Flowers
W
What was once a bare patch that i s n ow f l o u r i s h
ve is now flourishing with native f l owe r s , Ja s m i n P i g g o t t ’ s flowers, Jasmin Piggott’s c o l o u r f u l Po o d r a S p r i n g s Na t i ve colourful Poodra Springs Native F l owe r s c o n t i n u e s to p r o s p e r. Flowers continues to prosper.
I really started enjoying bunching and arranging flowers. “Ire ng“ ng s
The Eyre Peninsula district was in the grip of a drought in 2018 - as were many other areas of South Australia. Jasmin Piggott was sick of looking out the window of her and husband Wayne’s Miltalie farm house at onion weed and dry, bare paddocks.
Knowing the Poodra Springs dams had dried up, and without mains water connected - she dreamed of growing flowers.
Some would have thought that was crazy but today she runs Poodra Springs Native Flowers - a commercial flower farm and floristry business.
Initially, Jasmin researched the costs, infrastructure and suppliers she needed in order to grow cut flowers for sale.
The mallee had done well during the drought, so she believed native plants would be the answer.
However, after the drought they connected to mains water to ensure the necessary reliable water supply.
Then Covid hit, dampening her plans, but it did not stop her and their children Chase and Bella making a start with a little cut flower garden of annuals next to the house in 2020.
Jasmin’s favourite flower is the protea, so despite hearing a lot of people in the Cowell district saying they needed a certain soil type to thrive, she planted one in her home garden.
The first section of 30 rows - 30 metres long - was marked out; the length chosen because that was the length the irrigation pipe and weed matting came in.
Wayne deep ripped the area and Jasmin and the children did the marking out and rolling out of the weed matting and irrigation hose, plus placing every dripper by hand.
She ordered tubestock of varieties of proteas, leucadendron, Cootamundra wattle, Geraldton wax and eucalypts.
Fast forward to the June long weekend in 2021 and despite not having much rain for the year to date, it was full on planting the tubestock, with the help of family and friends.
Relying on a gravity feed water supply meant not going overboard with the number of trees planted at first.
They planted every two metres and put tree guards around each tree.
It was a case of doing the research and learning from experience, with tree guards no longer used, as Jasmin said they found them blown into every paddock on the farm.
Likewise, she soon learned that using weed matting meant that she could not mow right up to the trees.
The trees had weeds growing right up to them, which needed to be removed by hand - backbreaking work on the scale of their tree farm.
Jasmin knew she would not get to pick much in the way of either flowers or foliage from her trees in the first three to five years.
That led to her planting a cutting garden of both autumn and spring flowering annuals, with cosmos, zinnia, dahlia and statice.
In 2021 Jasmin won an $8000 sustainable agricultural scholarship and used it as a study tour for herself and the family.
The Piggotts did not just look at flower growing but at other farms that had diversified and how they were using any byproducts they produced.
Jurlique Farm’s botanicals in the Adelaide Hills, different gin distillers, a chicken farm and an organic winery that was making its own compost, were among the many places they learned from - visiting two or three places every day for 10 days - all within South Australia.
Jasmin said when it came to selling flowers “it was a very small affair”, creating a flower studio to arrange flowers in and dry some foliage and flowers.
They also built a small greenhouse to start seeds and grow small plants before planting out.
“I then started selling some of my flowers in the local shops,” Jasmin said.
“The real idea was to sell wholesale to Eyre Peninsula florists. I don’t have the flowers to do that at the moment - but maybe in five or 10 years down
the track I will.
“I really started enjoying bunching and arranging flowers.”
Jasmin was surprised at the number of people wanting to come and visit them, and did allow some groups, plus a few functions, including the wedding of friends.
However, going forward now she has put that side of the business on hold.
It has not been an easy journey for Jasmin and her family to get this far - when they were away for a week in January 400 sheep and lambs got into the flower paddock.
Sadly she found sheep “really like proteas” and the trees got a severe pruning.
“I didn’t think sheep would eat eucalypts. I thought [the trees] would come back - some did and some didn’t.
“We ended up getting rid of the sheep.”
Unfortunately, the damage caused set the native trees back 18 months.
However, she has still had to cope with rabbits and kangaroos.
Jasmin continues to live and learn and to speak to others in related industries to run her business in a sustainable manner.
She found one variety of banksia would not grow on her farm at all, but other varieties of it did.
The Piggotts have tried different approaches to managing pests and bugs, after “one eucalypt was stripped back to almost nothing”.
“We try not to use sprays but we are
We try to pay homage to the history of the place and we are hoping to leave it in a better state for our kids and their kids.“ s
not organic,” she said.
Jasmin said back before she and Wayne bought the farm there was once a fruit tree orchard where her native tree farm is now.
“We try to pay homage to the history of the place and we are hoping to leave it in a better state for our kids and their kids.”
LEFT: Bunches of flowers grown at Poodra Springs.
BELOW: Wedding arrangements Jasmin Piggott has made.
Masses of cosmos to fill in around feature flowers in bunches.
History’s KEEPERS
An interest in preserving Far West history now and for generations to come is fuelling the dedicated cohort of Ceduna School House Museum volunteers.
From the instant you step foot inside the Ceduna School House Museum you can sense the whispers of Far West history exuding from all directions.
Maybe it is the creaky old wooden flooring that does it; or perhaps the building itself, converted from an old school house and headmaster’s residence that opened in 1914 and last
hosted teachers imparting their wisdom on young minds a little more than a decade later.
Yet it is likely because on every wall and in every corner the museum is equipped with a vast snapshot of life in the district over the past two centuries.
Helping to preserve the district’s rich history for generations to come is a group of dedicated volunteers. They are led by museum president Allan Lowe, a history aficionado who, by his count, has donated 30 to 40 per cent of the items on display - ranging from shells to classic vehicles, and just about everything in between. By Allan’s count, he has donated 160 radios alone.
Words: Luca Cetta
Photos: Luca Cetta and Penny Brace
Allan Lowe with a massive shell from the museum’s new shell room.
“I am probably one of the bigger collectors in the state,” he laughed.
“Most of our items are donated by local people, of which we are thankful.”
Allan is unequivocally passionate about the museum and its place within the Ceduna community.
After all, he has been there since the beginning.
Ken Wright was the museum’s first president when it opened in 1980, but “Tubba” soon took over and for the past 43 years has been dedicated to preserving history and giving visitors something to look forward to upon their visit.
And there is plenty to see. Inside the main building are various household
and community items, a small library, medical room and one of the museum’s most exclusive displays.
“The Maralinga room is quite unique, you wouldn’t find much else around aside from the collection up there [at Maralinga],” Tubba said.
The museum doesn’t stop once you reach the back door.
The main building simply scratches the surface, for there are a host of buildings and sheds outside, each telling their own tale.
Farming machinery and vehicles are on display, so too the Flossie Jones Cottage complete with furnishings, a post office, Denial Bay Gaol cell, church, classroom, land and marine animals, plus displays of clothing and
technology through the decades.
There is so much on offer, in fact, that the committee has had to turn some larger items down due to a lack of space.
“There are so many items that I like,” Allan said.
“I quite like the horse-drawn vehicles and the phonographs - before they came long there was no way to record sound.”
But what it comes down to, for Allan, is a love of history.
“I enjoy preserving local history,” he said.
“I am a collector and enjoy the chase - there is always something different and new.
“Besides, I have got to have a hobby!”
Allan is one of almost 20 volunteers involved with the Ceduna museum.
Numbers are good, Tubba said, but the concern for him was the age of the volunteer group.
Allan is 81 and there are another seven volunteers aged 80 to 85; another eight are in their 70s. Only three are younger.
“The age of our volunteer base could be an issue,” he said.
“Our old ones are not going to be around for very long.”
The museum is open seven times a week across six days, with volunteers doing as many shifts as possible to fit their schedule.
Allan Lowe, Penny Brace and Geoff Zippel in the Flossie Jones Cottage.
Tubba does three shifts a week - a little more than the two hours the museum is open to visitors, to open and lock rooms and sheds.
Factoring in more than four decades of involvement, he calculated spending north of 20,000 hours in the museum.
Volunteers are also making sure the site is clean and tidy, or sorting through collections, with busy bees.
Penny Brace has not put in anywhere near as many hours as Tubba, but her contributions are just as valuable.
A relative museum newcomer, Penny has been part of the group for the past year.
“I love history, I love museums and approached them to get involved,” she said.
Penny is the brainchild behind the museum’s push to have more children engaged and interacting with the museum.
The Kids Fun Club sees children attend the museum and get involved in a range of activities.
“We have had the kids coming in over the past nine months,” Penny said.
“It has grown in that time and we have a waiting list for when we have Craft Corner.
“The first youth volunteer has also just finished his ‘apprenticeship’ to become a busy bee.”
The idea was sparked, she said, when a grandmother came through the museum with her nine-year-old grandson.
Penny said getting children involved was vital to keep the site operating in years to come.
“Without children getting involved we won’t have a museum,” she said.
“We need to get them having fun with their history and learning. They are the next generation to take over.
“If we can encourage kids, we can encourage parents and then they could become volunteers.”
The kids club runs about every six weeks, more in school holidays, with Penny hoping to get a firm plan in place to run it regularly.
Activities are free and Penny thanked the Ceduna community for ensuring that was a possibility.
“The community as a wholechildren, parents and others - are supporting us 110 per cent with donations for the craft kids to continue,” she said.
“We don’t want to charge and everyone has been so kind with their donations.”
Tubba was pleased with what Penny has been able to achieve.
“We have been getting in a lot of kids who have never been here before, and they tell mum and dad about it.”
Numbers, on the whole, are rising.
Tubba said the museum is attracting about 2000 visitors a year, up from what it was a decade ago.
“The biggest problem is people think that since it is a school house museum that there will be a few photos of ex-students and that’s it,” he claimed.
“Then once they get here they are quite wrapt with what is on display.”
Tubba reiterated the importance of preserving history, noting the Ceduna museum - and similar ones across Eyre Peninsula - are vital to their community.
“People spend a fortune at school teaching the kids and we do it here for nothing!
“A museum is part of education and learning and is the same right across Eyre Peninsula towns.”
He urged the community to ensure it got behind what it has, to see it continue to tell vibrant stories of yesteryear.
“Some people have lived here their whole life and still not had a look at the museum, so come along and take an interest in what we are doing.”
We need to get them having fun with their history and learning. They are the next generation to take over.
One of Tubba’s favourite items on display is this horsedrawn carriage.
The Kids Fun Club, run by Penny Brace, sees children partaking in activities.
Ph otos : Dodd life Photography
Granite Rocks Music Festival
Saturday, April 5
Wudinna
The Wudinna Showgrounds will be rocking as Melbourne band Bodyjar headlines the second iteration of the Granite Rocks Music Festival. After a great first edition, organisers are hoping to see the festival grow.
Port Lincoln Show
Saturday, August 10
Port Lincoln
Eyre Peninsula show season starts in Port Lincoln and after more than a century it remains a fixture on the local calendar. Come along for a family-friendly outing.
SALT Festival
Friday, April 18 - Sunday, April 27
Southern Eyre Peninsula
One of Eyre Peninsula’s premiere showcases of the arts, SALT Festival returns in 2025 as a festival providing talented artists from across the region a platform. The festival is centred in Port Lincoln, but includes surrounding lower Eyre Peninsula towns.
Wudinna & District AH&F Show
Saturday, September 13
Wudinna
The Wudinna Showgrounds welcomes a massive day with horses in action, local craft and pavilion entries, shearing and poultry, as well as plenty of activities for kids, market stalls and live music.
NAIDOC Week
Sunday, July 6 - Sunday, July 13
Eyre Peninsula
Eyre Peninsula communities will join others across the country in celebrating and recognising the rich history, culture and achievements of Indigenous peoples this NAIDOC Week. Towns including Ceduna and Port Lincoln will have a packed program of events throughout the week and everybody is invited to join in the celebration.
Kimba AH&F Show
Saturday, September 20
Kimba
With plenty of pavilion sections, machinery displays, market stalls and kids’ activities, you cannot go wrong with having a day out at the Kimba Show. There is something for everyone to enjoy.
Ceduna Oysterfest
Saturday, October 4 - Sunday, October 5
Ceduna
One for the oyster lovers - and everyone else. Ceduna Oysterfest is a two-day feast celebrating the West Coast’s famous oysters, plus so much more, on the Ceduna foreshore. Entertainment, live music, kids’ activities and a fireworks display are highlights of the weekend.
Rodeo by the Sea
Saturday, October 18
Streaky Bay
Get set for another fun-filled evening of high-octane rodeo at the Streaky Bay Racecourse. This renowned event continues to attract some of Australian rodeo’s most prominent figures and contains thrilling action.
Yallunda Flat Show
Monday, October 6
Yallunda Flat
The best way to finish the October long weekend is to call into the Yallunda Flat Showgrounds, where you will enjoy activities prioritising the country experience and lifestyle. With showcasing, shearing, horse events and live music, Yallunda Flat has plenty to offer.
Cleve Show
Saturday, October 18
Cleve
The final Eyre Peninsula show of the season, kids can enjoy the fun activities and games on offer, while adults can see all the staples of a country show. This is an event not to be missed.
DINE IN OR TAKE AWAY
Cummins Show and Ag Fair
Saturday, October 11
Cummins
A fixture on the Cummins calendar for more than 100 years, the Cummins Showgrounds will host equestrian events, pavilion competitions and plenty of machinery to keep you enthused. Activities for the youngsters are also a hit.
Cummins Christmas Wonderland
Monday, December 1 - Sunday, December 28
Cummins
Experience the magic of the Christmas season with a visit to the Cummins Community Hall during December. Father Christmas will be stopping by and the committee always does a fantastic job in creating a stunning Christmas backdrop.
OPENING HOURS
Monday - Friday 6:30am-4:00pm (08) 8688
Raising the bar in Port Lincoln Real Estate
In the heart of the Eyre Peninsula, Rachel Hawkins, Jayde Whittaker, and Corey Carbone are redefining real estate with their dedication to excellence, community, and client care. As key members of Harris Real Estate, their combined expertise and people-first approach are setting a new benchmark for property management and sales across Port Lincoln and surrounds.
Rachel Hawkins is a powerhouse in the industry, seamlessly blending her background in wholesale tourism, local government, and marine brokerage with her natural ability to connect people. A self-proclaimed “community connector,” Rachel’s vast network fuels buyer activity, making her an invaluable asset to both her clients and the Eyre Peninsula property market. Her achievements are a testament to her dedication.
Jayde Whittaker brings a deep commitment to trust and relationship-building. With a background in hospitality and the music industry, she thrives on communication and connection. Whether overseeing tenancies or executing flawless sales campaigns, Jayde ensures every client feels supported. As the newest addition to the Hawkins team at Harris Real Estate, she continues to deliver outstanding results for vendors, purchasers, landlords, and tenants alike.
Corey Carbone rounds out the team with his unwavering focus on people first, property second. With a Bachelor of Business in Event Management and Marketing, and experience across the disability and beauty industries, Corey’s adaptability and communication skills make him an exceptional advocate for his clients. From his start as Team Manager to his rise as a Property Consultant, he is proud to represent Australia’s #1 agency, delivering a new level of service to the Eyre Peninsula.
With this dynamic team at the helm, real estate in Port Lincoln has never looked better.
Rachel Hawkins 0429 682 227 rachelh@harrisre.com.au
Corey Carbone 0427 646 720 coreyc@harrisre.com.au
Jayde Whittaker 0419 765 145 jaydew@harrisre.com.au
When the shopfront for Myers Seafood opened in 2023, it was the culmination of more than two decades of hard work, innovation and adaptation for Gavin Myers.
The retail outlet is a rendering of Gavin’s extensive experience in the seafood industry and the business’ diverse seafood offerings from the Eyre Peninsula region.
“It all takes me back to the beginning of my journey, when it started with Southern Ocean Express in ‘96,” Gavin said.
“I worked for the company as a casual employee unloading, packing and distributing seafood around the country and overseas; it was very much a get-yourhands-dirty role.
“I ended up managing the company and then the previous owners gave me the opportunity to buy the business in 2006. I learned the ropes before computers were a thing in the business and aided in the growth of many well established commercial fisheries operating today.”
After purchasing Southern Ocean Express, the Myers Seafood brand was born a decade later, from a need Gavin saw in the seafood sector.
“All these beautiful seafood products were being produced or caught out of this region but the stories of those particular seafood products were not necessarily getting told well, or at all,” he said.
“Having been involved in nearly every commercial fishery in this region on some level, we found the consumer often had no knowledge or a misunderstanding of the commercial seafood industry.
“In order to be able to share our knowledge we needed a platform or brand, so that’s where the idea of Myers Seafood originated.”
Gavin has a vast knowledge and
understanding of the ins and outs of most seafood sectors and their produce from the waters surrounding Eyre Peninsula, which shines through in his service.
Sometimes you will find him at the shop counter, sharing knowledge to locals and passers by about where the whiting was caught, why trap fishing is considered the most sustainable method of catch or how and where vongole is raked by hand.
The shop stocks local staples Coffin Bay oysters, vongole, berrima octopus, King George whiting, sashimi grade bluefin tuna, southern rock lobster, abalone, flathead, mussels and plenty more.
,
“We’re a very hands-on business, we don’t trade any products that are not handled through our own facility and by our own personnel,” Gavin said proudly.
“We’re fully responsible for ensuring that the integrity of the product is retained and given the best chance to travel to destination in the best possible condition in the shortest time frame.
“We want people in the area to know what they’re buying, where the seafood is from, and to know they are getting a high-quality local seafood product served by people that have industry knowledge.”
As an owner and operator, Gavin is still gratified by his work, which he said boiled down to product satisfaction.
“It’s the time when I get to take seafood home and enjoy it with friends and family and am able to cook seafood - that is when I reflect on my appreciation for the beautiful products from this region,” he said.
“It is a huge journey and I do think about it occasionally and wonder where it will end.
“I have been in the game for a long time, but I suppose because I’ve kept changing or evolving the path of the business it’s kept me interested and excited about the seafood.”
e
Gavin Myers uses his expertise in the seafood industry to ensure the best possible product is a staple for Myers Seafood.
