Eyre Peninsular - Part 2

Welcome back to the second part of our Eyre Peninsular blog where we are continuing our way and travelling up along the west coast of the peninsular. If you didn’t catch our first part of the blog, you can read that here.

Our next destination is Coffin Bay – famed for its oysters.  It’s a very popular holiday spot, and we’d recommend if you are travelling at peak times, that you will need to book ahead to stay in the campground.  Coffin Bay welcomes you with stunning views as you drive over the hill before going into the town itself.  Of course we partake in more beautiful oysters while enjoying the vistas of the bay – we can imagine how popular the area would be for swimming in summer when the temperatures were a little warmer.  There are some great tourist drives around this area which are a great way to spend the afternoon.

The next morning, we head north towards Venus Bay.  We spend the day checking out beautiful lookouts, flicking out the fishing rod a few times and generally just enjoying the scenery on offer.  Talia Beach, near Ellison was also a worthy stop with good beach and rock fishing.  The nearby Talia Caves are also great for exploring if you are feeling adventurous.

We had heard about the Colton Bakery, which operates with an honesty box system. We’ve been told the bread is delicious. Unfortunately, it was closed when we passed, but if the sign says open, it’s apparently a worthy stop.

Venus Bay is one of those places that you can’t help but stay the night.  The campground is right on the beach and a perfect location to watch the sun come up.  A short drive or walk up behind the campground at the end of the peninsular offers stunning views of the Great Australian Bight.  There’s also a walkway along the edge of the cliffs which provide spectacular views as well as the opportunity to see the Southern Right Whales migrating (June – Oct).

Back on the road, we have a slight detour to see Murphy’s Haystacks which is a unique outcrop of granite boulders which look amazing against the green grass.  These rocks are apparently over 1500 million years old.  We have a nice chat with the farmer, whose mother was a Murphy – he shares tales of the history of the area with us, which was very interesting.  He also allows freedom camping in the car park area beside the farm, which, of itself, is a lovely location.  There’s a gold coin donation to enter the Haystacks.

Continuing on our way, we stopped at Streaky Bay to pick up a few supplies and enjoy more beautiful scenery.  Even though we’re travelling with our own kitchen we decide we can’t drive past the café right next to the jetty with its stunning views out of the bay – and great coffee too.  Streaky Bay is well known for its seafood, its only right to try a little more, isn’t it?

We also stop at Smoky Bay – again it has a fantastic campground right on the beach which is a great place to spend the night.  This last town we visited on the Eyre Peninsular (before heading across the Nullarbor) was Ceduna.

Ceduna is a beautiful spot, with a nice foreshore which is great for picnics and a jetty which is popular for fishing – it’s another opportunity to get the fishing rod out.  As you’re leaving Ceduna (towards the Nullarbor), you’ll find the Ceduna Oyster Bar which has freshly shucked oysters which are not disappointing at all.  In town, we’ve heard the Ceduna Aboriginal Arts and Cultural Centre is definitely worth looking at, celebrating Ceduna’s strong Aboriginal culture.  We were in Ceduna on a public holiday, so unfortunately it was closed.

Finally, if you are heading across the Nullarbor after your time in the Eyre Peninsular, you should stock up in Ceduna.  Please remember though, no fresh fruit and vegetables when you’re travelling across the border into WA.

After our visit to the Eyre Peninsular we had fond memories of stunning and varied scenery, fishing, seafood, and beautiful sunrises.  There were so many nooks and crannies to explore with what seems to be a new delight around each corner.  We would have loved to have more time as there is so much wildlife in the area to appreciate like sea lions, cuttlefish, kangaroos, native birds and of course hours or even days could be spent casting the fishing rod.

For us though, the next stop is to continuing heading west across the Nullarbor, but Ceduna is most likely where you’d head back to Adelaide if you were on a shorter adventure.

We really enjoyed our time exploring the Eyre Peninsula.  These days, there is really nothing stopping anyone from having their own adventure in Australian and hiring a campervan or motorhome is the perfect way to do it.

For more information on campervan hire in Australia get in touch or check out your options with our campervan hire.