Coffin Bay National Park is only a short drive from Port Lincoln, and we were nervous it would be busy. We had been advised that Lincoln National Park would be packed for the long weekend, and expected that the crowds would overflow to Coffin Bay also.
The trick to avoid the crowds is to go a little further than everyone else. The National Park advises 4WD only past Yangie Bay – and I was a little nervous (and excited) as I let the tyres down. And am I glad I did. Almost immediately past the Yangie Bay campground we found ourselves in soft sand. Towing a trailer in these conditions adds an element of excitement as you really must keep the momentum up, but still have to be prepared to meet someone coming the opposite way on the single lane tracks.
We made it through the sand, and over the rocky limestone ledges without a drama (and without meeting anyone) and set up camp at Black Springs. We had a great campsite – again overlooking a pristine beach, with nice shade and shelter – and caught up with some friends we had met a few nights earlier.
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| The view from Black Springs Camp |
The road continues past Black Springs and onto Seven Mile Beach, before returning inland for the western most part of the Park. I was glad we had left the camper behind as we went for a little drive out onto the beach – and the boys loved the massive sand dunes that came right up to the beach.
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| Seven Mile Beach |
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| Boys loved climbing the dunes. |
We decided to camp a night on the west coast – and not being super comfortable towing the camper out there on our own, we decided to leave it at Black Springs and spend the night in the tent. In hindsight we could have towed the camper out to Coffin Bay Peninsula relatively easily – but it sure was nice not towing it on the beach.
I couldn't believe how few people were out there. There were three cars on the whole peninsula past the beach – for the first night of a long weekend! It was quiet, peaceful and we enjoyed watching the sun set over the Southern Ocean.
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| Great spot for sundowners |
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| And the boys were happy to make a fort against the rising tide |
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| Glorious day for a drive |
The following day we returned to Black Springs and our ‘home’ – Matilda, before we packed up and headed out of the park. We decided to take a few more photos of driving on the sand this time – and it was to be my undoing. I slowed just a little too much on a patch of soft sand – and before I knew it, we had ground ourselves to a stop. Reverse didn’t get far, and I didn’t want to dig ourselves any further into the sand.
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| Stuck |
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| Just checking it all out |
The main reason for visiting this part of the coast was not the Great White Shark replica, nor Murphys Haystacks - for fans of the book "Are We There Yet", nor was it to visit the Powerhouse Museum with its display of 452 working engines from all ages and sizes. These were all fantastic - but no, we had come to visit a small community called Baird Bay, and their fantastic eco-tour swim with Sea Lions and Dolphins.
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| The largest Great White Shark caught on a rod and reel... gulp! |
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| The Blowholes and Whistling Rocks near Streaky Bay... Awesome listening to the power of the ocean |
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| 452 engines - all working, lovingly cared for by fellas as old or indeed older than many of them, |
All I can say is that swimming with the Sea Lions at Baird Bay was a simply mind blowing experience. The Sea Lions are like the puppies of the ocean, keen to play and interact with us. The more we played with them, the more they seemed to love it. It was simply a wonderful experience - and we all loved it.
I am no expert on the GoPro - but this is just one of the spectacular videos I captured. I spent far more time simply enjoying these magnificent powerful mammals and laughing (with them I hope) in the water.
Being in a sheltered rock pool, we felt incredibly safe - more so than for the swim with dolphins. If the Sea Lion is the puppy of the ocean, then the Dolphin is the cat. They came for a look, got quickly bored and headed off again - and being in a far more open part of the bay, it didn't feel too comfortable either. It was still simply amazing - but I must admit that the Sea Lions have stolen my heart as my favourite sea mammal.
From Baird Bay, we left buzzing with excitement. It was time to start our journey west - and we thought we would knock some of it over that afternoon. We fuelled up Rocky, checked our food and water supplies and commenced our journey onto the Nullarbor Plain. We took a slightly different route to most and discovered some absolute hidden gems on our way - but that of course is another story.
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