Innes National Park Boardwalks at Chinaman's Hat and Pondalowie

"What would they be doing now, just circling looking for mice or rats or just looking for small marsupials or checking us out." These majestic Ospreys have made a quick trip from one of the Althorpe Islands in Investigator Strait to Innes National Park in search of food. Along this spectacular coastline of Yorke Peninsula you can marvel at feats both natural and human and so without risking life and limb. That's more than can be said for some of the surfers at Chinaman's Hat where the waves roll in over a limestone reef. You can stand here for hours taking in the sights form a specially constructed boardwalk protecting this fragile cliff environment. "It's to point out the risk to people and to say, look there are dangerous cliffs here. Please don't go under there and we've provided you with a safe access. You can walk down here without having to walk down a cliff." Just minutes from the pounding surf the birdlife is nature taking a more relaxed approach. "It's some sort of honey eater. It's got a very fine beak so it's a nectar eater." "For going into plants?" "For going into pollen." Just eight kilometres from the Chinaman's Hat lookout is another popular boardwalk. It starts at what's called the Surfers Campground where the locals are more than likely to pay you a visit. Prior to the construction of this walk, surfers and beachgoers made there own way through this coastal scrub. "As soon as somebody starts walking through it and the vegetation goes there's no root system left and you get a blow-out, but it's gradually being revegetated so it won't blow any more."

Which means the walk now offers access to stunning coastal scrub and if you know what to look for and insight into what's sustained people here for thousands of years. "There's lots of bits of bushtucker around, there's the pigface that has a fruit. If you suck it out it's a bit like a sweet melon or strawberry. This one here was probably used by pioneers as a bit of seasoning in their lamb roast. But at the end of the walk it's the surfers who are cookin' at Pondalowie Bay. Access to the Chinaman's Hat and Pondalowie Boardwalks is free. Entrance to Innes National Park is $5 per vehicle. The park's about three hours drive from Adelaide.

For more information you can email info@postcards-sa.com.au

Join Keith when he explored the The Spectacular Toe at Innes National Park on The Yorke Peninsula.