Davenport Creek: Ron tests his fishing skills on the Eyre Peninsula in the West Coast region of South Australia
From the air, the coastline stretching out from Murat Bay on the Far West Coast is enough to tempt any passionate boatie. And out in the distance the islands of Nuyts Archipelago keep many a yachtie happy all year round. But it's the intricate web of winding waterways and mangroves at nearby Davenport Creek that draw many to the shores of Ceduna - a good 780 Kilometres from Adelaide.
And it's into the heart of Davenport Creek that charter operator Perry Will and I are bound, but not before we scrounge some razorfish for bait.
Poke around in the waters of Murat Bay - just metres offshore from it's historic screwpile jetty - and you'll be amazed at the abundant marine life. We watch as Perry pulls up native oysters, scallops and some additional razorfish - more than enough for our fishing foray a seventeen nautical miles from Ceduna.
Many of the locals sing the praises of Davenport Creek but to get there you need a good sized boat and it pays to have local guide like Perry from Ceduna Boat Charter who knows the history of this pristine environment.
Perry Will, Ceduna Boat Charter: “This is a local playground. Because it's owned by the Lutheran church they sort of protect it a bit. What happens is at the end of harvest all the farmers clean up their properties and they set down here. They get their tractors and they bring their caravans in.”
From here you've got a host of hidden waterways to explore - home to an amazing array of birdlife - all congregating in one of the largest stretches of mangrove on the South Australian coastline.
Today it's a holiday playground for the local cockies but back in 1841, the dunes played an historic part in opening up of the Far West Coast. At the Bellamiah Sandhills about eight kilometres west, the aboriginal guide Wylie showed the explorer Edward John Eyre how to extract freshwater from soaks in the sand dunes.
Soon the settlers were on their way, transforming the nearby coastal mallee country into vast expanses of wheat and barley.
Perry Will, Ceduna Boat Charter: “It was also pivotal in opening up this country for agriculture and that because they couldn't water their animals unless they had rain - catching rainfall - and there was this ready source that was here all the time. And that's why the Lutherans I believe probably took ownership of this land knowing full well that there were soaks in here that they could get water from.”
Come the summer holidays this place is jam-packed. Come Sunday many of the Lutheran congregation are here so church services are held on the banks of Davenport Creek.
Little wonder that the locals settle in for a long stay when you've got all this to explore.
Perry Will, Ceduna Boat Charter: “I believe there’s between 2000 and 3000 acres of mangroves here.”
Perry describes the mangroves as the lungs of the ocean - allowing the system to breathe. They also breathe new life into holidaymakers who discover the place for the first time in all it's teeming glory.
Perry Will: “There's a fantastic scuba dive to at night here. Probably the most magnificent site is when you're coming around the bend there you look over at the sandbar that's on the mangroves and you shine a torch across and there's just millions of little red eyes that look like a little city. They're actually little prawns sitting up in their sand and looking at you sitting. It's obviously a prawn nursery and there are a lot of whiting here too that are only a few inches long.”
Thankfully a little longer by the time we get to make the most of our razor fish bait at Tourville Bay just a few kilometres from the fish nursery in the mangroves at Davenport Creek. To hook up with Perry Will from Ceduna Boat Charter call 0428 643 519. If you have any further questions please email info@postcards-sa.com.au
Ceduna Boat Charter
Davenport Creek Mangroves
Near Ceduna
780 kilometres ex Adelaide
Contact Perry Will on 0428 643 519Published 17th May 2009
