Travel: Shelley Beach, Ceduna, SA

By Ken Hay

Ceduna is often regarded as merely a stopover, somewhere for caravanners to rest overnight before or after crossing the Nullarbor. Little do these stop-and-go travellers know that Ceduna is also a beautiful little town with magnificent scenery, friendly locals and quality caravan parks. It is well worth taking a few lay-days here and having a good look around. You might even need to get your vehicle serviced and that is easily catered for.

There are three good caravan parks in Ceduna, but our favourite is Shelly Beach Caravan Park. A member of the Family Parks of Australia group, and situated three kilometres out of town near the racecourse, the park nestles under a well-vegetated sand dune which overlooks Bosanquet Bay.

Owner/managers Lynton and Anna Brown have built up Shelly Beach Park on 55 acres of natural coastal reserve. A short, not too strenuous stroll up the path to the top of the sand dune gives a magnificent view of the bay and distant islands. At the foot of the dune is a picturesque beach offering safe swimming and easy fishing for such species as King George whiting, tommy ruff, salmon trout and flathead.

Checking in to this park is a pleasure. Lynton (‘Brownie’) and Anna personally make you feel very welcome 24 hours a day. Our first impressions were of cleanliness, shade and tranquillity. All sites offer at least some shade; drive-through sites are very easy to access and the others present no difficulties to even the newest caravanner. Due to limited water in Ceduna there is no grass in the park – and not much in the town for that matter, but this is not a problem, as the roads are sealed and the bays in the park are made of compacted road base – that means no dust.

The Shelly Beach ablutions facilities were unique to our experience. They, and the amenities room, have shade cloth-enclosed verandahs and are nothing less than immaculate. You will never find an old Band-Aid in these showers!

There’s also none of the old business of communal, prison-style bathing, as individual showers are given more than enough room, a vanity and mirror and enough clothes hooks to cater for even winter clothing. The toilets are similarly appointed.

The park has a gazebo along with camp kitchen and electric and wood-fired barbecues, plus a fish cleaning facility with a crab cooker (crab nets are available to borrow at no charge).

Those who wish to can get a blaze going in the open fireplace of an evening and engage in a chat with fellow patrons. Shelly Beach also allows pets, as long as they are on a leash. There are the usual facilities such as TV room, laundry, public phone, Internet access, disabled facilities and kiosk, all kept in pristine condition.

With much to do and see in the district, Brownie and Anna will happily advise where to go and how to get there. For those reluctant to take their own vehicles, staff will arrange day tours to Streaky Bay, Denial Bay and Cactus Beach. Whale watching, dolphin and seal tours are also available, as are eco tours and overnight fishing safaris.

As Shelly Beach lies out of town, the ambience is one of quiet and calm, with no traffic noise or uninvited guests wandering through the park. That said, if you need to stock up on essentials, a supermarket, chemist, liquor store and more are only three kilometres away.

Shelly Beach Fast Facts
Getting there: Ceduna is 465km west of Port Augusta and 482km east of the WA border. Shelly Beach Caravan Park is 3km south-east of town centre.
Shelly Beach CP (four-star): 178 Decres Bay Rd, Ceduna, SA. Ph/fax: (08) 8625 2012; email shellycp@tpg.com.au; www.cedunacaravanpark.com.au.
Drive-through, shady, powered sites with town water $18 per night for FPA members.