Adel Aide & South Au
Str Ali A
EYRE
PENINSULA
&THE
WEST
COAST
Adel Aide & South Au
Str Ali A
SLEEPING
&EATING
Adel Aide & South Au
Str Ali A
PORT
LINCOLN
TO STREAKY
BAY
$85, 2-nightminimum) at Spalding Cove, built
in 1899, sleeps six and has photo-worthy
views. Book through Port Lincoln visitor
information centre; BYO linen and food.
The visitor centre can also advise on bush ̈
camping (per car $17) in the park, including
sites at Fisherman’s Point, Memory Cove,
September Beach and Surfleet Cove.
The Port Lincoln visitor information centre
also sells permits to Mikkira ̈Station ̈& ̈Koala ̈
Sanctuary (www �mikkirakoalas�com; FisheryBay
Rd; day permit/camping$15/25), Eyre Peninsula’s
first sheep station and home to the endemic
Port Lincoln parrot (and some koalas); and
Whalers ̈Way (24hr pass per car incl 1night camp-
ing $30), a super-scenic 14km coastal drive
32km southwest of Port Lincoln.Coffin Bay
POP 650
Oyster lovers rejoice! Deathly sounding Cof-
fin Bay (named by Matthew Flinders after
his buddy Sir Isaac Coffin) is a snoozy fish-
ing village basking languidly in the warm
sun...until a 2500-strong holiday horde ar-
rives every January. Slippery, salty oysters
from the nearby beds are exported world-
wide, but you shouldn’t pay more than $1
per oyster around town. Online, see http://www.
coffinbay.net.
Along the ocean side of Coffin Bay there’s
some wild coastal scenery, most of which
is part of Coffin ̈Bay ̈National ̈Park (www�
environment�sa �gov �au; per car $9), overrun with
roos, emus and fat goannas. Access for con-
ventional vehicles is limited: you can get to
Point Avoid (coastal lookouts, rocky cliffs,
good surf and whales passing between May
and October) and Yangie Bay (arid-looking
rocky landscapes and walking trails), but
otherwise you’ll need a 4WD. There are
some isolated camp ̈sites (per car $7) within
the park, generally with dirt-road access.
Coffin ̈ Bay ̈ Explorer (%0428 880 621,
1300 788 378; www �coffinbayexplorer�com; adult/
child $85/45) runs half-day wildlife and sea-
food tours with plenty of oysters and dol-
phins. See also Earth Adventure (p715).4 ̈Sleeping ̈& ̈Eating
To rent out holiday shacks around town
from $50 to $300 per night try Coffin ̈Bay ̈
Holiday ̈Rentals (%0427 844 568; www �coffin
bayholidayrentals�com �au) or Flinders ̈ Keep-
ers (%1300 986 849, 08-86854063;www �flinders
keepers�com �au).Coffin ̈Bay ̈Caravan ̈Park ̈ CARAVANPARK$
(%08-86854170; www �coffinbay�net/caravanpark;
91 Esplanade; unpowered/powered sites $24/34,
cabinswithout/withbathroom$75/105,villas $130;
a) Resident cockatoos, galahs and parrots
squawk around the shady she-oak sites here,
and the cabins are a reasonable bang for
your buck (BYO linen). Lovely two-bedroom
family villas, too.Coffin ̈Bay ̈Hotel ̈ MOTEL$
(%08-8685 4111; www �coffinbay�net/accommoda
tion/hotel�html; cnr JubileeDr &ShepperdAve; s/d
$85/95;a) The sprawling local pub (built, it
seems, to avoid any kind of view) has eight
regulation units out the back (all brown
brick and teak veneer), and plates up regula-
tion counter meals (mains $16 to $27, serv-
ing noon to 2pm and 6pm to 8pm). What
will emerge from the building site out the
front?Oysterbeds ̈ SEAFOOD$$
(%08-86854000;www �oysterbeds�com �au; 61 Es-
planade;mains$18-28;h10 �30am-2pmWed-Sun,
6-8pmFri &Sat, closedJun-Aug) A gregarious lit-
tle food room − all tangerine, sea-blue and
shiny liquor bottles − serving the pick of the
local seafood. Takeaway oysters shucked/
unshucked are $14/10 per dozen.Coffin Bay to Streaky Bay
There’s reliable surf at Greenly ̈Beach just
south of Coulta, 40km north of Coffin Bay.
There’s also good salmon fishing along
this wild stretch of coast, notably at Locks ̈
Well, where a long, steep stairway called
the Staircase ̈to ̈Heaven (283 steps? Count
’em...) leads from the car park down to an
awesome surf beach, the deep orange sand
strewn with seashells.
About 15km further north, tiny Elliston
(population 380; http://www.elliston.com.au) is
a small fishing town on soporific Waterloo
Bay, with a beautiful swimming beach and
a fishing jetty (hope the whiting are bit-
ing). Waterside Waterloo ̈Bay ̈Tourist ̈Park
(%08-8687 9076; www �visitelliston�net; 10 Beach
Tce; unpowered/poweredsites $25/29,cabins$60-
110; aW) is a smallish operation with decent
cabins (aim for one on top of the dunes) and
fishing gear for sale.
Just north of Elliston, take the 10km
detour to Anxious ̈Bay for some anxiety-
relieving ocean scenery (billed as Elliston’s
‘Great Ocean Tourist Drive’). En route you’ll
pass Blackfellows, which boasts some of