A 90 minute drive from Riverton to Slope Point with JP on Monday 10 March meant we arrived at 12:45pm with high tide scheduled for 1:15pm. It was an overcast day but sun did come out just as we were leaving.
I didn’t wear my gumboots, opting for my hiking boots instead. That meant it was hard for me to fossick by the the waters edge without getting my feet wet so I didn’t. I fossicked a bit further up the beach than usual and as a result I didn’t collect as many stones as I usually do. My back was probably quite thankful that my backpack was lighter than usual although it was still heavy to lug back up the hill!
We spent about 2½ hours on the beach after which JP did a little fossick down to a small cove. We didn’t mean to, but we mildly disturbed a young sealion basking in the grass. Luckily he/she stayed right where they were, raising their head as we quietly snuck past.
Favourite Finds from Slope Point
JP had some really interesting finds this trip but I found mine a little underwhelming compared to other times I’ve fossicked at Slope Point. The big takeaway from this fossick for me is to wear my gumboots down to the beach or remember that my wet/dry beach slip ons are in my backpack so that it doesn’t matter if I get caught by a wave.
The types of stones that are found at Slope Point tend to be darker than they are at Gemstone Beach so they are much easier to pick out when they are wet. You can also “concentrate” more when you’re not too worried about getting your hiking boots wet!