Day 7 Comfortable night in the park, about a dozen vans. I tell Sarah I am using the local amenities, as Sarah decides to use the vans shower. I am having non of this I look forward to a long hot shower. Oh oh, sign on door says no longer than 4 minute showers, I’ll pretend I did not see that, whoa, cold shower only, no need to worry about 4 min time limit, I was out in 94 seconds. Head off around 9.00am .
Australians are known for their interesting advertising slogans. The Victorian Road Authority in the 1990’s Used the slogan “Drink & Drive Bloody Idiot “as a safety campaign, the South Australian Authority have another interesting angle. The tag on the corpse is in place of the letter ‘I’
Trish & Sarah Spencer Gulf 
Boston Bay Pt Lincoln
Trish & Declan have been in this region many times, so Sarah & myself decide to head for Port Lincoln. We will meet up in Ellison before we cross the Nullabor. I have been to Pt Lincoln a number of times with work back in 199 & the early 2000’s. Firstly with Heinz, then with Orica. Firstly Pt Lincoln was named by Matthew Flinders, who was born in Lincolnshire UK. He was assigned with the first circumnavigation of Australia in 1802, just 14 years after the first colony was set up in 1788. It is situated on Boston Bay. Mind you Nicolas Baudin (France) entered the port 2 months later an named it Port Champagny, as England was at war with France, (back in Europe) there was an urgency to establish key sites for the new colony.
The advantage of being an early explorer is you get to name places , mountains etc, of your choosing. Joe the gulf is named after you as it is situated in the Spencer Gulf.
Pt Lincoln is an affluent town of 16,000 people. They say it has the most millionaires per capita in Australia. It has a huge fishing industry. Tuna, Abalone, Cuttlefish. Back to my visit in 1999 with work. I visited a cannery where Heinz canned their Tuna. All there tuna was Blue Fin until the global demand, particularly from Japan for Blue Fin, meant they switched from Blue to Yellow Fin (skip jacket) tuna.
Part of the fishing fleet
When you fly into Pt Lincoln you see multiple circles that looks like Olympic Rings in the ocean, inside these rings are thousand of Blue Fin. Over a two month period they tow them into Pt Lincoln from far out to sea at two knots as the Japanese markets want their fish not bruised and not stressed. They feed them large amounts of Krill to fatten them up. They grow from 1kg to 50kg by the time they reach shore.
In 1999 these Blue Fin were selling for $50 a kilo. ($2500 per fish). They are then snap frozen then road freighted to Adelaide, 650klm away. (only 280klm by air). They are then air freighted to Japan and are in their fish markets within 48hrs.
Campsite for the night 
Bonne Nuit
That’s why there is so much money in town with these industries. A significant portion of the pop. is from Croatia.
Dean Lukin won a gold medal for Australia in the 1984 LA Olympics in the Super Heavyweight Division. Son of a Pt Lincoln Croatian Tuna Fisherman. He returned to Australia and the family Business after the games.
Makybe Diva, a British bred, Australian-trained thoroughbred racehorse won the Melbourne Cup three times 2003-05. He is the highest stakes-earner in Australian History. (over $14 million). The horse is owned by Tony Santic born in Croatia, is a Tuna Fisherman, personal wealth of over $200 mill.
So far we have travelled over 2000klm in a week, during lockdown (covid) last year I was averaging 1000klm a month. Fuel is back to pre-covid levels @ $1.30 a litre. Had a meal in town for two and a few drinks incl. oysters $75, good value. End of a wonderful first week. Trish & Sarah, wonderful with the shopping & baking. Trish’s Soda Bread, whoa! delicious. Declan great craic.
Tomorrow up the coast towards Ceduna.
