We spent 5 days exploring the Eyre Peninsula from Port Neil, to Tumby Bay to Port Lincoln to Coffin Bay In February. We finished off the north west part of the peninsula, just north of Coffin Bay, from Elliston to Ceduna in April on the first leg of our Big Lap around Oz. Read about what to see in this part here.
Port Neil – crumbly cliffs and pearly white beaches.
White sand bliss
Our entree to the Eyre Peninsula was around the Spencer gulf through Port Augusta and then down the east coast. We passed through more small, abandoned or half shut towns (Arno Bay, Port Gibbon) with the only sign of life at the pub. We stayed at the Carrow Well campground, a free clifftop dry rocky area just south of Port Neill. The campground puts on a lovely sunset overlooking the clear waves lapping the white sand beach. Port Neil itself has a nice curved white sand beach and a few beach shacks but not a lot more.
Tumby Bay Murals and Magic beaches
Tumby Bay Jetty 
Tumby Bay Murals 
Sunset drinks, Redcliffe campground
45 mins down the road from Port Neil is Tumby Bay. More lovely white sands and clear water and a really nice walk along the curved bay . Once again most of the stores were shut post Covid although there was a bit of life out the long pier where there were some adventures girls climbing the rails and doing backflips off, groups of teenage boys spear fishing and families picnicking. Late afternoon we crawled along some very rough corrugated dirt roads out to the Redcliffe church campground a small waterfront campground with power, loos and yep, a lovely white sand curving bay beach. There were a lot of young families there so we took our chairs and table down to the beach for dinner and boules on the sand with the Pelicans.
Coffin Bay – paradise for Oyster lovers!
Oyster lovers tucking in on Oyster Bay
Sunset walk along to Oyster Way 
Dinner at the Coffin Bay Yacht club
We drove down to Coffin bay, via Port Lincoln. Port Lincoln is a big, yep, Port town where lots of ships come in. More lovely big limestone buildings and big wheat silos and a long pier. There was a nice walkway taking you past a great bronze statue of the horse Maykbe Diva who won three Melbourne Cups – the trainers are from Port L. Also a bronze of a Tuna Fisherman who resembled Dean Lukin the olympic gold medal weightlifter from the town. We pushed on in the heat down to Coffin Bay as we were keen to get to the incredibly beautiful Coffin Bay National Park for a swim at Almonta Beach, which is possibly the most incredible white sand, clear turquoise water beach in South Australia. It was v hot and were were relieved to find the water crispy cold. It is a fairly rough exposed ocean beach so best to stay near the shore. The beach at Golden Island lookout is also amazing. Back in Oyster Bay, the highlight is the Oyster Walk that hugs the shoreline of Coffin Bay past little shady beaches, jetty’s and Oyster stations where you stand waist deep in the bay and shuck your own freshly plucked Oysters while sipping champagne! The Yacht Club is the pick of the crop when it comes to dinner with a view – and value in Coffin Bay! They only have 3 items on the menu and are only open Friday and Sunday nights then Wednesday for fish and chips. It is run by volunteers and super well priced with wine $5 or $7 a glass, $25 a bottle and surprisingly good food.I had the whiting and Jamie the steak – he got three eye fillet tournedos and I got three pieces of whiting. Both melt in your mouth delicious. The third dish was lamb chops (of course)!
