112 caravanworld.com.au
there. To stay at Whalers Way you need to
pay at the Port Lincoln visitors’ centre, leave
a deposit for the gate key and promise to only
leave footprints. We found ourselves over the
well-known Red Banks at the southwestern
point of the Eyre Peninsula. Here we got to
relax for the first time though one afternoon
and night will never be enough. We’ll be back.IN THE DRINK
The Bight is known for its sea life. Back in
the early days of European settlement, it
was littered with whaling stations and ports
servicing fishing and sea-based trade.
We got up close thanks to Baird Bay Ocean
Eco Experience which took the team out for
an unforgettable swim with sea lions and
dolphins. The best time is late January to
early February as the winds drop off but sea
temps stay high. Nearby Coffin Bay and Venus
Bay offer family fun activities and parks, and
oyster beds open to pick your own plus great
access to open water.STEPPING OFF
Further along at Fowlers Bay we put our
newfound confidence in sand driving to the
test in the dunes that make the region famous.
Turning off the main road and heading
towards Point Fowler felt as though we were
stepping off the edge of the world.
Up top of the dunes, before we could
navigate down to the Point, we sampled the
latest Maxtrax, the Xtreme. An update on the
leading recovery aid, this has replaceable
teeth designed to give before your tyres doname of this trip was The Great Australian
Bight Expedition or GABE, not GABE plus
thousands of kilometres from Brisbane via
the Strzelecki and Adelaide.THE STARTING LINE
Port Lincoln is a proper regional centre with
an airport, seaport, plenty of vehicle and RV
repair specialists and tourist attractions. We
only stopped for fuel, fish and chips and a
quick briefing; testing times were ahead.
A short drive south is Sleaford, a dune
paradise where we practiced sand driving
plus checked out the headland known as
Whalers Way, the western point of the Bight.
Do yourself a favour and find your wayCLOCKWISE FROM RIGHT A rare night in
civilisation with the Zones in tow, the Redarc
vehicle tackles Streaky Bay; Steve from Redarc
enjoying snack time at the Sleaford Dunes; a
friendly Baird Bay local