Eyre Peninsula - a road trip where memories are made

THE stunning Eyre Peninsula, located in the west quarter of South Australia on the west coast of the Spencer Gulf, is a place where real memories are made once you reach it after picking up your a campervan in Adelaide. But most people miss it - too excited to be heading onto the Nullabor Plain, they don’t deviate or are tired from months on the road and after completing the Nullabor they just want to get home. But in reality, they are missing one of the most amazing parts of Australia. It's an easy drive for any big rig, too, and in no time we started seeing the sign posts for Steaky Bay.

The Streaky Bay Foreshore Family Park yet again is absolute beachfront. Again, we couldn't get any closer to the water. The inlet at Streaky Bay is just gorgeous with calm water and no waves, which is perfect for the kids. If you have a Quintrex tinny, it's also perfect for fishing. No need to take your boat in and out every day, just pull it up on the beach in front of your powered site. How on earth could life get any better? And how do I get a job there?! Our first day of exploration saw us doing the Westall Way Tourist drive. Taking in the Murphys Haystacs, Seal Colony at Point Labatt, Sandhills, Cliffs and the Rock Pools, it's a full day of activities and sightseeing so pack lots of food and water. Also keep in mind it's easy driving but it is unsealed.

The Murphys Haystacs (below left) are those massive granite Inselbergs plonked in the middle of a hayfield which actually do look exactly like the old fashioned haystacs. Its quite eery but also amazing to wonder how on earth these rock formations came to be here!

Only a few minutes up the roadd is the turn off to the Seal Colony down at Point Labatt. All the lookouts and viewing platforms on the Westall Way drive are easily accessible. The seal colony is located directly below the platform and they are there in their hundreds! The juvenile seals play and frolic in the rock pools while the older ones sun themselves on the rocks. A good tip is to take your binoculars or zoom lens on your camera to get up close and personal.

Continuing along there are many stops to be had. A swim at the ocean beach, the views from the cliff-tops or a splash in the rockpools with the enormous ocean waves breaking out on the reef in the background. Again, this is a haven for kids and something they will talk about for a very long time. Collecting shells, sea urchins and knick-knacks along the way all makes for great conversation around the campfire later that night.

Streaky Bay is renowned for its year round fishing, especially for Snapper and King Whiting. It is a place you will not want to leave and is a place where a few days is most definitely nowhere near enough.

The township of Streaky Bay has every service you will need, even great restaurants for those nights where you are sick of eating beautiful, fresh snapper (wink, nudge). PETER "SPIDA" EVERITT For info about Spida's TV show, the Great Australian Doorstep, visit www.greataustraliandoorstep.com

DriveNow Team

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