Mikkira Station

About 30 minutes or so south of Port Lincoln is the former sheep station of Mikkira. This place has a long (for Australia) history as a sheep ranch. the current family owning it bought it in the late '30's and now there is only 'Bet' (Elizabeth) an elderly woman who runs the place as a campground and place for various sorts of gatherings.

When we arrived at the gate, I got out of the truck and opened it, e drove through and I closed it back behind us. A short way down the dirt road is Bet's house.



When I know on the door, this small but lively lady meets me at the door and starts giving me the full run down on the station, the area, the animals, and the history of this part of the world.

She gets herself and her dog, Sally, into the ute and off we go, deeper into the bush.

We finally arrive at a spot she deems acceptable and, after a few minutes of conversation, leaves. Although there was one other camper in the field, they were far away and the trees prevented seeing them at all.

We found ourselves alone in a field of gnarly trees filled with galahs and, as we were to learn later, koalas. We really felt alone in the exotic forest filled with things we could not see or hear.

E built a great fire but the rain put it out while we sat in the truck for a spell.

The real adventure began when the sun went down. We were awakened in the night by the sound of the koalas grunting! Making a noise somewhat reminiscent of pigs grunting, the koalas were on the ground not far from our tent. Three or four at a time would start up a grunt-versation for a few minutes and then subside. This happened several times during the night. I'd gladly play a recording for you but we left our phone in the ute. This added greatly to the magic and mystery of the place and really gave us the feeling that we had experienced a piece of genuine Australia.

When we packed up camp the next morning, we found a mob of 'roos feasting in the fields.

After leaving the station, we drove past Fishery Bay and happened upon it at a special moment. A perfect punctuation at the end of the sentence describing this part of South Australia.