#second valley

This is where you get to see the Fleurieu Peninsula from my last post in all its brown summer glory. the photo above shows the coast from Little Gorge through to Rapid Head (that big headland in the distance). Between here and there, there are three towns. Wirrina Cove (stupid resort with a marina), Second Valley and Rapid Bay.

Second Valley is a popular day trip and holiday destination to the point that I won’t visit it during holidays (too many people, ugh). This photo looks back towards Little Gorge from Second Valley.

The hills look brown and boring here, but they have some interesting geological formations hidden within them. Behind the jetty (as mentioned in the video), you can find folds of quarzite, phyllite, slate and marble. All very geologically complicated, but fascinating to see. I has a book! If anyone is interested :D

And, yes, I am a geology geek :D

Second Valley has a large rock formation that protrudes out into the Gulf and it gives great views up and down the coast. This shot was taken pointing south-west towards Rapid Bay. The pale turquoise of the ocean is artificial. Rapid Bay, for a long time, supported a limestone quarry which dumped tonnes of till off the cliff onto the coastline. It artificially widened Rapid Bay’s beach 250 metres. As the quarry ceased doing that in the 1980s the beach has eroded somewhat (though it is still much larger than it should be and feels just wrong) and the till has been dragged northward by longshore drift. Some of it is stopped at this rocky protrusion, but the limestone sand creates this swath of pale blue water. Rapid Bay is about where the dark blue joins the light blue in the photo.

Here is a shot of Rapid Bay beach facing east, back towards Second Valley. The original beach was at the treeline and the cave at the end of the beach towards the left, was an active sea cave which is now stranded.

On a side note, the above photo was taken in April 2017. On New Years Eve 2019, just recently, some idiots lit up that hillside. It was one of the smaller bushfires to hit Australia, but it still pissed me off. Here be video that can show you more of Rapid Bay, plus the hill on fire. ::mutters lots at idiots::

But despite all the alterations by human presence, the area does support lots of wildlife. I have photographed dolphins in the bays and fishermen love the place. And yes, I have literally hundreds of photos of Australian Pelicans from all over South Australia :D