We have been camped down here on the beautiful Fleurieu Peninsula for almost a month now. Although this was our year to travel Australia, we have been making the most of staying put, and are practically locals now in the hamlet of Second Valley. We were able to get a place at Second Valley Caravan Park & Jetty Store, due to being “essential travellers” with no home address. The caravan park managers have been amazing, and have put strict social distancing rules in place, so we have been very safe here.
We have got into a daily routine. Our alarm clock is the squawking of 200 galahs, which wakes us up to check the weather. We sometimes go for a walk up the steep hills to get some exercise, or if the conditions are good, we can do a shore dive from the quiet beach at the campsite, or at Rapid Bay. The rest of the time we spend doing admin. For Scott that means a chance to sort out his hundreds of hours of video footage, as well as dealing with the effect of the pandemic on our travel business. For me, it’s meant updating my CV and applying for hospital and aged care positions, because I’d rather be out there helping if I can.
Schooling fish, Rapid Bay
Giant cuttlefish, Rapid Bay
We are lucky here in Second Valley that we are surrounded by wildlife. I have developed an affinity to magpies, they are great kitchen assistants. They keep me company, and clean up crumbs, they are smart, and can copy sounds. I thought it would be fun if I could teach them to say “hello”, as a surprise for the next people who camp here. But none of the magpies have taken this idea on board yet.
Australian Magpie
This part of Australia is also home to the leafy seadragon – equally as bizarre as it is beautiful! Just how something like this exists blows my mind every time I think about it! Although they look so fragile, one thing that works in their favour is that they look so much like seaweed, it’s almost impossible to find them.
Scott with a leafy seadragon
We are grateful every day that we happen to be in a quiet corner of the world with access to the outdoors, the ocean, and everything we need to stay healthy. We hope all our friends out there are staying as safe as possible, and we are often online if anybody wants to catch up ? We look forward to the time when it’s safe to start moving again.
Friendly emu