Ceduna is very much a
solitary hub town that serves the Far West Coastal areas of South
Australia. Heading to the West the nearest town of any size is
Norseman, some 1200 kilometres away, and to the East 480 kilometres
away is the town of Port Augusta, located on the main route to
Adelaide and the Eastern States. Ceduna is a corruption of the local
Aboriginal word "Chedoona" and is said to mean a place to
sit down and rest. For the traveller crossing the Nullarbor, in
either an Easterly or Westerly direction, Ceduna is indeed a very
welcome overnight rest stop. Located on the scenic shores of Murat
Bay, Ceduna is a town of some 4000 people and is supported by a
number of local industries, including wheat farming, gypsum mining,
salt mining, and commercial fishing for a number of local fish
species including the much renowned King George Whiting, Snapper,
Garfish, Prawns and Lobsters which are known to South Australians as
"Cray Fish". Two kilometres from Ceduna is the nearby Port
of Thevenard which tranships gypsum, salt and wheat to many ports
around the world.
FACILITIES AVAILABLE:
Ceduna
provides close to a full range of shopping, banking and business
services for the traveller. Within Ceduna and nearby Thevenard a
wide range of accommodation facilities are available to suit the
budget needs of all travellers. Within the 2 towns are 6 Caravan
Parks, 4 Motels and 2 Hotels and 1 Backpacker's Hostel. For a town
of Ceduna's size, medical facilities can be considered to be good,
with 4 Doctors being on call to provide medical support to the local
Murat Bay Hospital. Ceduna also has a permanently resident Dentist
who is able to carry out Dental work at short notice. Both Ceduna
and Thevenard are also serviced by 3 Supermarkets all of which
accept standard ATM cards. Jim's Supermarket located in the main
street of Thevenard has the most extensive opening hours and trades
7 days a week until 8pm. Both the ANZ Bank and the State Bank of
South Australia operate from the main intersection in Ceduna and a
normal range of Banking Services are provided, including providing
the traveller with access to after hours ATM machines. The local
Post Office is also an agent for the Commonwealth Bank.
Within the town are a number of cafes serving the local population.
Next to the State Bank of SA is Emandess's cafe which serves the
best cappuccino in the whole of Ceduna. Scattered along the main
street is the West Coast Bakery which provides a variety of good
lunches, and Bill's Fish and Chips which obviously specialises in
seafood and particularly the locally caught King George Whiting. A
little further along the street is Bill's Pizza and Pasta which
specialises in a variety of tasty cheap eats for as little as $4-50
per meal. Out the back of Bill's Pizza and Pasta is a comfortable
eating area with lots of space and shelter from the Hot Summer sun.
Accross the road from these eateries can be found another cafe known
as Cactus Cafe. This business does most of its trade during lunch
times and is pleasantly situated in an arcade.
![](images/thevenard%20jetty%20panarama.jpg)
Ceduna Community Hotel and Thevenard Hotel also provide counter
lunches and restaurant facilities - just the thing to have after a
stroll along the Ceduna or Thevenard jetty. Other fast food outlets
include the Shell Road House and Mozie's Diner both of which are
located on the Eastern approaches to Ceduna. Both these roadhouses
operate 7 days a week 24 hours a day. On the Western approaches to
Ceduna is the local BP Roadhouse which is likewise open 24 hours a
day 7 days a week. All of Ceduna's Roadhouses have shower
facilities. EFTPOS facilities are also available at Ceduna's
Roadhouses facilities.
Located in Ceduna's main shopping street is the Ceduna Tourist
Information Centre which also provides the traveller with access to
the Internet and Email, and so there is no need to out of contact
with home - even in the middle of nowhere and on the other side of
the world. The Information Centre is open 7 days a week between the
hours of 10 and 5. Should your car or vehicle require mechanical
repairs or servicing there are quite a number of businesses able to
do the neccesary work. This is a must should you be crossing the
Nullarbor Plain as prices rapidly skyrocket between Norseman and
Penong 60 kilometres west of Ceduna.
Ceduna is blessed with good transport links to the rest of South
Australia and Western Australia. Nightly services connect Adelaide
with Ceduna and vice versa. The overnight journey is a truly epic 12
hours long with the Premier Coach line Bus stopping at country towns
and Post Offices picking up mail and cargo, and on loading and
offloading passengers. Tickets can be obtained from the Stateliner
Bus Depot in Franklin Street, Adelaide: and in Ceduna tickets can be
purchased from the Shell Roadhouse. Greyhound Bus Services also
connect through to Perth for travellers heading into Western
Australia. For tourists wishing to travel 440 kilometres south to
Port Lincoln there is a 3 times a week service that returns the same
day. It is recommended that you spend overnight in Port Lincoln to
allow sufficient time to take in the sights. Tickets can be
purchased from Emandess's cafe which is located next to the State
Bank of South Australia.
![](images/ceduna%20sailing%20club.jpg)
THINGS TO DO:
Ceduna is situated on scenic Murat Bay and as expected
the locals main pastimes include water based activities. Ceduna is
definitely a fisherman's paradise with anglers on Ceduna's jetty
frequently catching Garfish, Snook, Tommy Ruff, the Delicious Blue
Swimmer Crab and the occasional squid. Squid makes a good all
purpose bait in Ceduna and can be bought from local supermarkets and
sport stores. The best times to catch fish are an hour or so before
high tide until an hour or so after high tide. Best places for
swimming are near the Ceduna Yacht Club and Alexander's Beach which
also has a raft moored nearby. For the lucky traveller with a
fishing boat in tow Ceduna also has a number of boat ramps. For the
angler on the road the most accessible ramp is located in front of
the Ceduna Foreshore caravan park. Two kilometres on the road to
Thevenard is another much larger boat ramp which local people tend
to use. At Thevenard there is another local Boat Ramp situated next
to the Fish Processing factories. To head there just drive 2
kilometres to Thevenard and watch for a sign on the left indicating
the way to the Boat Ramp and Fish Processing factories. This ramp
has a sealed access road and is used by professional fisherman and
members of the general public alike. Whilst in Thevenard why not see
if the Fish Processing factories are open and try to purchase some
freshly caught King George Whiting. Thevenard jetty is also another
good fishing spot and the visitor may also see some ships loading
salt, gypsum or wheat for shipment to other ports in Australia or
elsewhere in the world. For further hints on fishing Murat Bay
waters check out the fishing page for useful fishing holes, bait and
fishing techniques. Over the October Long Weekend of each year
Ceduna also celebrates what is known as "Oysterfest". This
festival celebrates the existence of locally grown Pacific Oysters.
For Four Wheel Drive enthusiasts nearby scenic Laura Bay National
Park can be reached by driving 12 kilometres along the Decres Bay
Road. This area of remnant vegetation shows how the area was prior
to European settlement. For those travellers who are inclined to go
surfing the legendary Cactus Beach is located some 80 kilometres to
the west. And by the way don't forget insect repellent as it is
rumoured the local flies have bred with Wedge Tailed Eagles and are
liable to carry you away and make a meal of you! To get there just
head 70 kilometres west to Penong and take the Cactus Beach or Port
Sinclair turnoff. This is an unsealed road.