Travelbeat Editorial Review Beachport's Big Waves Limestone Coast, South Australia Story and photos by Kerry Hennigan They were some of the largest waves we'd encountered along the South Australian coast. "You should see it when it's rough" was the laconic comment of one of the locals, sitting snug and warm in his truck while enjoying nature's awesome display from the safety of the car park. If the high seas off Beachport on SA's Limestone Coast weren't rough now, we didn't want to be anywhere near the picturesque coastal village when they were! With Coorong National Park to the north, and Canunda National Park to the south, Beachport is the most southerly holiday township in a coastal strip of historic ports that also includes Kingston SE and Robe. Beachport is a former whaling port that celebrates an annual Festival by the Sea and has a 772 metre long jetty (second longest in the state) that stretches out into shallow Rivoli Bay. The Booandik Aborigines knew this place as Wirmalngrang. Nicholas Baudin who sailed into the bay in the Geographe in 1802 named it Baie de Quiberon. But on the charts of his successor, Louis de Freycinet, it was called Baie de Rivoli, possibly after the Duke of Rivoli, an Italian ally of Napoleon. Early colonial documents subsequently referred to the settlement as the Rivoli Bay Port. Then, in 1878, Acting Governor Sir Samuel Way officially named the town Beachport in honour of Sir M.E. Hicks-Beach, Secretary of State for the Colonies. Today Beachport (pictured left) is a pretty, relaxed place, popular with the boating and fishing fraternity, families, birdwatchers and nature lovers. In fair weather you can swim off the beaches of the bay, or take in the scenery from the Bowman Scenic Drive around the rocky coast near town where we'd been watching the big waves. The name Limestone Coast, which includes parts of the state's South East that stretch 150 km inland as well as the southern coastline all the way to the Victorian border, refers to the limestone bedrock of the region, which once lay under a now vanished ocean. Human occupation here goes back thousands of years, as evident from the many shell middens in the sand dunes, and the oral traditions of the Ngarrindjeri people. On the advice of the guy in the truck, we continued along the Drive to the Blowhole for some close up action (lots of white spray!) and to the highest lookout on the road for something quite unexpected. Whales! Below us a mother and calf rocked impassively in the giant wash of the waves, oblivious to our own concerns about the weather conditions. During winter and spring in the Southern Hemisphere, Southern Right Whales frequent the Limestone Coast en route to their calving grounds at the head of the Great Australian Bight. Still, no-one had warned us to expect them right here, right now, and so close to shore. The experience capped off our brief stopover in Beachport. The Limestone Coast is one of South Australia's prime tourism regions, renowned not just for outdoor, nature based activities, but also for the regional food and wine and some great local art to go with it. It's a place that inspires artists and writers. Not hard to see why. In winter it's a wild, wind-blown, wave washed part of the state. But Southern Right Whales, approximately 200 species of birds, long white-sand beaches and historic townships combined with world class scenery can't fail to impress, regardless of the season. The automated lighthouse on the bluff was sending its warning beacon out over the wild waters as we departed Beachport, agog with excitement over our surprise whale sighting, and wishing we'd planned to stay longer. Maybe next time we'd even see those waves when the sea was really rough! For more information on Beachport and the Limestone Coast region visit: www.thelimestonecoast.com Back to Front Page