Balaklava to Port Wakefield

We made a crack of dawn start in order to arrive at Port Wakefield in time for our 9.15am bus to Adelaide. The line of trees on the horizon shows the location of the river.

There is an old stone bridge at Whitwarta with a pool of water underneath.

Sun on Angel Road, heading away from Whitwarta towards Port Wakefield. We took more gravel and dirt tracks, luckily all dry. Do not try this in wet weather! On Stubing Road we crossed a wide shallow floodway that I completely ignored, only to realise later that it was the Wakefield River, unrecognisable in bare treeless badlands.

Massive agave infestation – but it looks dramatic with the morning sun shining on it!

We had seen these orange Copper Trail signs in Balaklava and thought they indicated a tourist drive. It is actually a 26 km cycling/walking trail between Balaklava and Port Wakefield along the old railway line. They need to do better here – although it’s not all as rough as this section!

This is the mouth of the Wakefield River at Port Wakefield at low tide. Port Wakefield is a mess of roadworks with orange barriers and hi-viz road workers everywhere, but the old town is quite peaceful with a mix of old stone buildings, pubs and halls alongside fibro shacks and unpretentious houses.

The Port Wakefield Tidal Pool is the only one of its kind – probably anywhere. The claim is made that Dawn Fraser swam here once. This could be true as she lived in Adelaide for a while in her younger days, but fact-checking is required to confirm it.

Port Wakefield Memorial Arch.
We patronised Kiplings Bakery, squeezed between two massive petrol stations, then went to catch our bus home.