Eyre Peninsula SA Road Trip

On an anonymous piece of coastline in Whyalla, hundreds of people swarm in the shallows: some are snorkelling, others kayaking, still more climb aboard a glass-bottomed boat. But this human migration is nothing compared to what is going on under the surface of the water.

Every winter tens of thousands of giant cuttlefish head into the shallows around Stony Point, 20 kilometres north-east of Whyalla, to mate and they provide an incredible show for visitors. These marine creatures, that grow up to 50cm long, are bioluminescent and can change colour to match their surrounding; the result is a colour and light show that can be viewed from a variety of angles.

We climb about Cuttys Glass Bottom Boat Tours that leave from the shore throughout the day and we all slide around the railing protecting the glass bottom – a huge rectangular window into the ocean world. With Cuttys’ expert commentary we learn that the giant cuttlefish put on this show to attract a mate, we see mating pairs with their long tentacles intertwined and even see a whale breaching in the distance.

After the boat ride we switch to glass-bottom kayaks from Whyalla Fishing Charters, this is a more intimate way to see the cuttlefish and we spend ages floating over this world-renowned natural wonder as the marine creatures glow beneath us; nearby you can also snorkel in amongst the mass migration for an even closer look.

The mobile home away from home

We are taking a weeklong tour of the Eyre Penininsula, South Australia’s “Seafood Frontier” and our home for this trip is a Polaris 6 from Star RV. This idea of bringing your accommodation with you works particularly well in remote areas like this because tourist accommodation can be a bit more sparsely located and knowing you are never far from a bed allows for much greater spontaneity.

With the Star RV you don’t have book ahead, you don’t even need power every night and you can get amazing access to remote adventures. We discover six-foot-long handmade pepperoni at Harry Homemade Gourmet roadside store, paddle with the aforementioned cuttlefish and sleep metres from one of the longest jetties in Australia at Port Germein.

Port Germein is the perfect destination for RVing. Without a mobile home you would likely just keep driving but pulling into the Port Germein Caravan Park you can stroll the jetty at sunset, make the local pub your own for the night, and wake up to the sounds of the seaside just a few metres from your doorstep.  

Quirky dining in Coffin Bay

Leaving Port Germein we drive across to a seafood Mecca for oyster lovers: Coffin Bay. Our destination is Oyster Farm Tours, Coffin Bay which is one of the most fun and interactive ways to sample their world-renowned seafood. We are presented with our waders – waterproof leggings that end in a bib and brace – and we splash our way out to steel-and-wood platform where the group all sits at a communal table.

I am presented with my pre-ordered Bloody Mary oyster shot, while others have Champagne and soft drinks and we all get a handful of Coffin Bay oysters straight from the water we are all marinating in. We get a chain-mail glove and a very sharp knife and are taught to shuck (with varying degrees of success) then you quickly rinse the oyster in the the famous waters and get the freshest, briniest bivalve experience of your life.

Ultimate luxury at Camel Beach House

As fun as the RV is, we are dropping in for a couple of nights at Camel Beach House, one of the most starkly beautiful stays in the whole of Australia.

Camel Beach House, or simply CBH, is located all alone in a stretch of wild sand dunes that face the churning Southern Ocean. The stay itself is an eclectic living space that is a local fishing shack meets California desert chic. The décor is all mystical Joshua Tree vibes with colourful Aztec gods, louche leather couches and potted Palm Springs-inspired cacti. There are two simple bedrooms bookending the living space and a deck that stretches the full length of the house so you can sit and watch whales, dolphins and white-bellied sea eagles.

At night it is time for the best star-gazing you will ever do, accompanied by tunes from a killer Marshall speaker that you crank as loud as you like, because you have no neighbours whatsoever.