Coffin Bay

The Coffin Bay caravan park is nearly full (we booked ahead to secure a powered site), buzzing with a full variety of four wheel drives plus van plus tinnie on top. Many of the tenants here have obviously settled in for some time. The sites are not as level as we expect in caravan parks, but with leveling ramps and chocks we set Matilda as level as a billiard table. (Well, almost).

We get the info on oyster buying and head off to Pure Coffin Bay Oysters before closing time, meeting Chris with his shed full of recently harvested oysters. Ordering twelve plus an oyster knife, we are quick to confirm the order is one dozen, not twelve dozen. Chris provides instruction on how to use the knife to open oysters in an OH&S manner, repeating the demonstration so that we each get a free tasting. What doesn’t sell today is returned to the oyster beds to keep these wonderful bivalve molluscs alive. After all, Coffin Bay must be synonymous with oysters.

Off to the jetty for fishing, and the oysters entrée precedes a feed of freshly caught tommy ruffs, weber fried chips, and salad.

With Matilda disconnected, we explore the area around Coffin Bay. Farm Beach (where Gallipoli was filmed) with its ‘tractor park’ the result of pulling together a number of old tractors that were once along the beach, has a camping ground with evident popularity where you can stay for up to four weeks on unpowered sites for $10 per day (although some of the setups appear to have been there much longer). Mount Dutton Bay, with its Woolshed  Museum, has a camping area with unpowered sites for $15 that resembles a gravel car park, but with showers at an extra charge and fire places - bring your own wood - it is only for the enthusiastic camper or fisherman, even though there is plenty of room for the largest van or motorhome.

We cruise down to Port Lincoln (which we briefly by-passed on our way to Coffin Bay) checking out the caravan park on Boston Bay where we stayed in the 80’s when touring with our Jayco Dove and two young children, and follow up with a bit of shopping and lunch in the park.

Back at Coffin Bay, we get together with Brenton and Wendy on the neighbouring site. Brenton has a fridge full of squid, and also has squid rings stored in jars with Italian dressing once he has cooked the squid (in boiling water for only two minutes). Beautiful !!

Another attraction in Coffin Bay is the meat store run for a long time by Ray (wearing his faded St.Kilda football club cap) where there is a wonderful assortment of locally smoked ham, bacon and other meat products. Unfortunately, life has caught up with this gentleman and the business will close before the end of the month.

An extended chat with Brenton and Wendy followed by a late cooked dinner brings another fine day and evening to a close.

That’s it. Time for a bourbon.