A BREATH OF FRESH EYRE
CRAVING SALTY AIR, NATURAL BEAUTY, ABUNDANT SEAFOOD, AND BIG SKIES? SOUTH AUSTRALIA’S EYRE PENINSULA IS THE IDEAL GETAWAY.
THERE’S A PARTICULAR KIND OF WIND-WHIPPED, salt-stung, sun-bleached feeling that the Eyre Peninsula specialises in. It comes from spending endless days eating oysters fresh from the cool, clear waters of Coffin Bay; watching emus and kangaroos frolic on the long, white beaches; and scudding across the waves on an adventure boat in search of sea life.
It’s the ocean that drew Ben Catterall to the Peninsula. “I’ve always had an affinity with the water,” says the builder turned oyster farmer, who opened Coffin Bay Oyster Farm Tours six years ago. “I’d been building my whole life and I wanted to do something different before I got too old.”
After spending 15 years building remote housing for Indigenous people in the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) lands of South Australia, he decided to swap the desert for the ocean. “Oyster farming is one of those jobs where you spend a lot of time in the water,” Ben says of the thought process that led him to change careers.
And having previously been based in Adelaide when not working on the APY lands, he decided the Eyre Peninsula was the perfect spot for his sea change. “Coffin Bay is such a famous destination for its oysters, and once I got there, it was a beautiful place that sealed the deal,” he adds.
It’s not hard to see the appeal. Coffin Bay is the oyster capital of Australia, with a bustling wharf full of fishing boats returning with ocean-fresh catches. It’s also a pretty little town with a relaxed vacation vibe. Backed by the pristine Coffin Bay National Park, beloved by bushwalkers, picnickers, surfers, anglers, sailors, divers and birdwatchers, the town is the perfect base for a couple of weeks exploring the Peninsula, sustained by the world’s freshest seafood. As Ben says, “A beautiful day on the oyster lease is hard to beat.”
But Coffin Bay isn’t the only town of note: Port Lincoln, which dates back to 1839, is a much bigger settlement, so offers some lovely coastal shopping and still more excellent restaurants. The eateries draw from the catch of the fleet of fishing vessels that live in Boston Bay, Australia’s biggest natural harbour (astonishingly, it’s three times bigger than Sydney Harbour).
French natives Grace Nsimba and Marvin Lattrez, who moved to Melbourne to take advantage of its thriving food scene, then opened L’anse Cafe in Tumby Bay three years ago, love their maritime home. “We moved to the Eyre Peninsula because we saw an opportunity to open a cafe,” says Grace, L’anse’s business manager and >
“The coastline is simply beautiful and we love the pristine waters, the sense of community you get, and the great seafood.”
occasional barista, while husband Marvin is the chef who turns out the dishes for which L’anse has become locally famous. “There was a cafe for sale at a very affordable price. While we were visiting the Peninsula to meet the landlord, we were amazed by the beauty of this place, instantly fell in love with the Eyre Peninsula and bought the business.”
After a break in 2021 due to becoming too-busy victims of their own success, Marvin and Grace are reopening in mid-september in a new location at Port Lincoln, with more space and more staff to cater for the hungry Francophile hordes. “There are so many things to love here,” says Grace. “The coastline is simply beautiful and we love the pristine waters, the sense of community you get, the great seafood.”
With full bellies, it’s time to explore the nearby Lincoln National Park, with the secluded Memory Cove Wilderness Protection Area, which is packed with wildlife, and more beautiful beaches and dramatic cliffs than you could wish for. Wander along Donington Beach at low tide to discover the Aboriginal fish traps, explore all the park’s hidden beaches and hike up Stamford Hill for spectacular views.
With all this talk of ocean splendour, it’s easy to forget inland Eyre Peninsula. But that would be a mistake: the extraordinary rock formations of Gawler Ranges National Park, which is teeming with wildlife and rare ecosystems, are well worth a visit, as is Lake Gairdner National Park, which centres around the titular salt lake and is a perfect study in contrasts, with the white salt stark against blue skies and red earth.
But it’s hard to resist the pull of the ever-present ocean in the Eyre Peninsula, and you’ll find you’ll return there again and again, drawn to the invigorating salt air, soft sand and endless waves.