|
The largest town in the far
west of the State, 795 km west of
Adelaide, Ceduna, with nearby Thevenard'a deep-sea port just 4 km away -services a vast hinterland of
cereal land and a fishing fleet that chases fish, abalone, and crayfish.
Grain, salt and gypsum are stored for export in the huge silos and
stockpiles that dominate the skyline of Thevenard.
For many travellers Ceduna is the last town of any note before the
Nullarbor, or the first of any size after driving from
Western Australia.
The town's name is said to come from a word in an Aboriginal language -'chedoona',
which means 'a resting place'; an apt name indeed for a place at one end
of the Nullarbor.
Matthew Flinders came this way in 1802, naming the larger, outer bay
Denial Bay; the French explorer, Nicholas Baudin, named the smaller bay,
on which Ceduna is located, Murat Bay. The original township was
established in the 1840s at Denial Bay, 13 km (8 miles) west of
present-day Ceduna and on the western side of the bay. Ceduna was
proclaimed in 1901 and soon grew into the major port it is today. Its
population now is 4050. The original McKenzie Landing, at the bay, and the
McKenzie Ruins, on the road to Davenport Creek, are heritage listed.
The present-day jetty at Denial Bay, which is only a third of its former
length, is excellent for fishing and crabbing. The surrounding waters are
also gaining acclaim as an oyster-growing area. Apart from the swimming,
fishing, diving, surfing, or boating that this area offers, there are
other attractions: the Old Schoolhouse National Trust Museum in Ceduna has
a wide range of pioneer artefacts on display as well as items from the
Maralinga atomic bomb test sites. Watching whales from the cliffs as they
come to these waters to calve is a fascinating experience. On the October
long weekend, Ceduna holds Oysterfest, with beach sport events, the
opening of the sailing season, a Red Faces competition, and a variety of
other entertainment. |
|
