Ceduna, 28 February 2008

Shared

The beach at Ceduna is where Australia ends. It is the start of the ocean.

Now it is pretty hard to tell the border between those two.

So, the edge of Australia is never completely clear.

There is no distinct border between land and sea. The beach is a shared country by land and sea.
Totally empty beach, Shelly Beach in Ceduna

Shelly Beach Caravan Park

  • Sun, dunes, sea, beach
  • Clean air
  • Drinkable rain water from tab
  • 2 luxurious villas
    Star Star Star Star Star
  • Bubble bath sunset
  • en suite cabins
  • camping sites
www.cedunacaravanpark.com.au

Shelly Beach

Shelly beach is usually empty. There are not many people living here. Ceduna is a small town, but the biggest one around. Those who come here have left their hurries behind. From the top of the dunes my European eyes see something unbelievable: a totally empty beach.

Trail

It is a great experience to stroll along a totally empty beach. Leaving footprints on a totally flat beach feels like a shameful thing to do. I take a walk along the shore. Looking back I see a single trail of footprints, my own.

When the tide goes low several islands emerge. Strolling through the water you can go island hopping. With sufficient patience you can walk in circles on one of those islands. Those circles grow, until the island becomes an peninsula. Suddenly you can walk to mainland Australia, across a new untravelled land bridge.

Circle

An empty, pristine beach without any footprints. It is a sheer joy for anyone with a young mind.
  1. Walk from the sea diagonally onto the beach.
  2. Create a circle in the sand at the end of your trail.
  3. And walk an other route backwards to the sea.
You will see 2 tracks landing from sea to a mysterious circle, where the footprints suddenly end. Now, is that fun or isn't it, well anyway it is for all kids aged 120 or younger.

The high tide will erase the circle. So it is a temporary puzzle for the rare visitor.

Rush hour?

Walking back to the caravan park I notice something weird: foot prints. Huh? This is an unexpected puzzle. Where do they come from? I did not see any other people walking this beach. Now, did I miss this beach rush hour?

Hmm, these foot prints are made by a heavy weight, just like me. And the feet are my size too.

O how silly: I have encountered my very own trail. Shelly Beach is shared country, but beach and ocean share it with you exclusively.

Till next nut,
Nut

Shared Country is an Aboriginal expression.
It is the area that 2 neighbouring peoples use for trading.