Bees abound but it was still Bee-autiful at Coffin Bay and Lincoln National Parks

We were looking forward to 2 nights at Coffin Bay National Park, then 3 nights at Lincoln National Park, so we could experience the rugged beauty of both sides of the bottom of the Eyre Peninsula. The weather was predicted to be quite warm so we'd hoped for some great beach days. Unfortunately the warm weather also brought out the bees, who are currently so desperate for fresh water that they have become a real nuisance to campers. We heard reports of people coming back to their caravans to find them inundated with bees (300+) as they'd come up the sullage pipe, following the fresh water. We got caught out at Coffin Bay NP, and we ended up with bees all up the draw bar tap (Daniel actually got bitten when he went to wash his hands and 3 bees flew out). I tried to drink a G&T and had bees dive bombing into it! Once they detect any fresh water at your campsite they call all their mates and suddenly there are bees everywhere and it is very unpleasant to sit outside. We left Coffin Bay after only a night as they were unbearable. We were prepared once we got to Lincoln NP, and we covered the sullage and drawbar taps with gladwrap, kept our drink bottles inside and didn't let any freshwater out on the ground around camp. The bee situation was much better there so we had an enjoyable few days, we still left a day early though as the march flies decided to invade on our 3rd morning - giving us (particularly me who they seem to love) lots of nasty bites. I couldn't handle it anymore so we left early- we felt we'd seen everything we wanted to anyway so no-one was upset to leave early. We still had a good time at both places, and, as you will see from the photos, we still saw lots of incredible things and had some memorable experiences.

Coffin Bay National Park, Eyre Peninsula, SA

Monday 20th- Tuesday 21st February

Highlights of the 24 hours we spent at Coffin Bay National Park were:

• Golden Beach - a beautiful beach with amazing cliffs and rockpools. We explored and swam here on the first day in the late afternoon, then in the morning before we left.
• Sunrise hike along Yangie Bay then through the coastal scrub to see Yangie Island- seeing emus, kangaroos and a black snake along the way
• Swimming and exploring the rocks at Avoid Bay
• Watching the kangaroos around our campsite

We left Elliston super early (well before sunrise) so we could get to Coffin Bay for Daniel to have an online meeting. It was a lovely drive for me as I got to watch the gorgeous colours of the morning sky but it was stressful drive for Daniel as he kept his eyes peeled for any wildlife.

Looking out towards Golden Island- later that day we explored the rocks and rockpools you can see along the beach.

Enjoying Golden Beach

The boys walked out along the rocks to look at the reef but got very sore feet!

The cliff wall - notice the fossilised tree roots near the top, they have created such an interesting effect.

Some of the sand near the rocks was like quicksand- Jackson had fun sinking in and trying to get out.

Checking out the view.

Beginning our early morning walk to see Yangie Island

We stopped to enjoy the sunrise over Yangie Bay.

Balancing over the one mud patch we encountered on the walk.

Enjoying the view and piece of fruit at the end of the walk.

On the way back the kids spotted a black snake- Jackson had already walked past when it started to slither across the track. It took its time crossing and kept turning back looking at us!

Lincoln National Park, Eyre Peninsula, SA

Tuesday 21st- Friday 24th February

After a night at Port Lincoln we headed out to Lincoln National Park - feeling much more prepared for the bees. We camped at Surfleet Cove, and although it wasn't the prettiest or most accessible swimming beach when the tide went out, it was a calm, sheltered bay where we had some wonderful wildlife encounters (kangaroos, emus, dolphins, heaps of jellyfish and even a seal) and saw some spectacular sunrises and sunsets. Here are a few of the highlights of our time at Lincoln National Park:

• Swimming at September Beach and seeing several pods of dolphins swim by.
• Tasting Razor fish - they taste like scallops. Jackson and I really enjoyed them, but they are a lot of effort for a very small piece of meat.
• Jackson and Daniel had a dive at September Beach and found lots of crayfish, although they were all undersize.
• Kayaking and paddleboarding in the calm waters at Surfleet Cove - enjoying both sunsets and sunrises from the water.
• Waiting whilst a family of emus (well Daddy and 6 chicks) wandered along the road before finally deciding to head into the scrub.
• Seeing heaps of jellyfish dance majestically past in the dark water, when Jackson and I had paddleboarding and kayaked out to the deeper water.
• The kids had fun building another huge sandcastle as well as making some very creative sand people.

Sunrise yoga in front of our campsite at Port Lincoln- what a view!

Breaking in to the two Razor fish Daniel got - for such a big shell there was only a small edible piece (it tasted pretty good though).

After the tide went out there were heaps of these along the shore - Jackson and Emilia spent hours collecting them and returning them to the water. I have just researched and discovered they are actually jelly sacks (not jellyfish as we'd originally thought) which are full of moon snail eggs! 

Trying out the surf rod at dusk- he reeled it in after a bite but ended up foul hooking (hooking the fish somewhere other than the mouth - in this case it was the eye) a poor little herring- which he then kept as bait.

This family of emus wandered confidently through the campground.

The massive sandcastle that Jackson and Emilia spent several hours making- it was so difficult to dig out the moat as the sand was really compacted and full of tiny shells, they both had really sore arms the next day from all the digging.

On our way to September Beach we stopped on the road for about 10 minutes whilst this daddy emu and his 6 chicks wandered around (after our last encounter with an emu on a road we did not want to risk trying to drive past them!).

Ready for our sunset paddle (we left the kids back in the van with their ipads!).

I didn't want to stand up once we got out deep as I really didn't want to fall off (I had just been told about a fisherman who caught a Great White shark on the other side of the bay). I ended up standing for a photo and....of course a wave got me and I fell off. I absolutely panicked as the paddleboard started to float away. Poor Daniel had his serenity ruined by my hysterics!

Daniel took this beautiful photo - the light coming through the clouds looked so lovely (once I'd calmed down and could appreciate it).

The next morning I went out at first light to watch the sunrise from the water (I took the kayak as the water was a bit choppy and I didn't want to risk falling off the paddleboard in the dark).

The early morning light mixed with the clouds produced some incredible colours.

Cowell, SA

Friday 24th- Sunday 26th February

To break up our drive towards the Flinders Ranges we stopped in at Cowell for 2 nights. Even though we arrived at after 5pm we were lucky enough to get a spot at the RV camp, which is just a 1km out of town and only costs $10 a night. After we'd set up we had a quick look around town before retreating to our van as it was getting stormy. There was a massive storm that night, complete with heaps of thunder and lightning. It had been a hot and humid week so it was actually nice to wake up to a cool morning.

That day we:

- Spent the morning doing school work, work and blogs

- Took the kids in to the foreshore skatepark and splash park (we actually spent about 3 hours there and I still had to drag the kids home)

- Visited the local museum which was chock full of interesting memorabilia from the area.

In the late afternoon Jackson and Daniel fished off the jetty and caught lots of little fish (which they threw back in). With the money we saved on accommodation we treated ourselves to dinner out at one of the pubs- it was delicious (we've hardly eaten out this trip so it always feels like a real treat). Cowell is a really nice country town, we're glad we stopped in.

After a few practice runs (and several times watching her brother) Emilia perfected this section of the Cowell skate park.

The splash park on the foreshore also boasted 2 waterslides - the kids had such a great time.

Dinner at the Commercial Hotel in Cowell- the kids and Daniel all had chicken parmas whilst I had 'surf and turf'- local prawns and squid on top of a huge piece of steak.

The kids enjoyed a sugar overload for dessert.

We stopped to see the impressive silo art on our way out of town. It is of a local identity and his camel.

We left Cowell early and stopped at Whyalla Pier for breakfast- we were lucky enough to encounter one of the resident dolphins in a playful mood.

Streaky Bay and Elliston- exploring the western side of the Eyre Peninsula

Streaky Bay, Eyre Peninsula, SA

Thursday 16th- Saturday 18th February

We spent 2 nights at the lovely beachside town of Streaky Bay, although we arrived late on the Thursday after a big drive completing the Nullarbor, going through quarantine and stocking up on supplies in Ceduna. Even though we only had 1 full day at Streaky Bay we still managed a few of the 'must do' experiences:

• The Cape Bauer loop drive- taking in some picturesque views, stunning cliffs and some loud blowholes.
• Fish and chips on the foreshore, complete with some local, freshly caught oysters.
• Fishing for squid off the jetty at sunset
• Putting our heads in the replica of the huge Great White Shark that was caught off the coast of Streaky Bay
• Walking through the water at low tide, looking out for razor fish

Our first stop on the Cape Bauer drive- the tide was out so the reef was exposed and looked great.

I loved this rock just out from the Cape Bauer lookout. There are heaps of these rocky islands along this part of the coast- they seem to be home to many different sea birds.

Testing out their balancing skills on the boardwalk on the way to the Blowholes

The Blowholes - water shot up from the holes in the flat rock - it made a thunderous noise and sent sea mist flying all over us.

A model of a White Pointer (Great White) Shark that was caught in the local area in 1990- it was 16-18 years old, more than 5m long and weighed 1520kgs! It is sad that such a big creature was killed, but thankfully these sharks are now protected (not that I'd even want to see one this size in real life!).

Streaky Bay (and all along the Eyre Peninsula) is known for fresh, delectable oysters- I had a 1/2 dozen for lunch, whilst the others had fish and chips.

Jackson wanted to try an oyster- it was in his mouth for about 2 seconds before it came hurtling out!!

We spent an evening at Streaky Bay jetty - the boys fished whilst Emilia and I took advantage of the great evening light to take photos.

The long Streaky Bay jetty - we both think this looks like a fake backdrop.

The boys tried for some squid, but unfortunately were not in luck.

The tide was out so far that we were able to walk across to the rocky island out the front of the caravan park on the morning we left.

Jackson tried again to catch some squid, but instead of squid he found a blue ringed octopus. He managed to pick it up using a shell and put it in the fishing bucket - they kids are studying it intently.

It was so interesting watching the octopus move around the bucket. Before we left, Jackson carefully lowered the creature back into the ocean and we watched him swim away to the safety of a seaweed patch.

Murphy's Haystacks and Tahlia Cave (aka Woolshed Caves)

Saturday 18th February

We stopped off to see these iconic rocks, and the impressive Tahlia Caves, on our way down the coast.

Some of the inselbergs (translated this means 'island mountains') that make up Murphy's Haystacks. The granite they are made up from is around 1500 million years old, with their current shape formed at least 100,000 years ago!

Jackson attempted to run up this one, but it was way too steep.

We loved the colour and design of this one.

He finally made it to the top!

The channel that funnels the sea water into the rock- over time it has eroded the granite and formed Tahlia Cave (also known as Woolshed Cave).

Of course Jackson needed to climb along the steep edges and get into the cave.

Random roadside bakery in the middle of nowhere - Daniel and the kids said the sticky fruit buns they got were to die for. (I just watched enviously as they devoured the fresh, sweet smelling buns, silently bemoaning my gluten intolerant stomach!)

Elliston, Eyre Peninsula, SA

Saturday 18th- Monday 20th February

We'd only passed through this cute town last trip, so decided to spend a few nights here this time. We had a great time and filled our time with the following:

• walking along the coastal track looking out at some of the many small rocky islands that are along this stretch of coast, 
• enjoying Town Beach and Little Bay, 
• doing the Elliston Coastal Drive looking at all the different sculptures along the way, 
• watching the sunset over Waterloo Bay, 

But by far our favourite experience at Elliston was watching a playful sea lion frolic along in the water as we ran along watching it pop its head up before quickly diving back down. We certainly didn't expect to see a sea lion that close to shore, lucky us!

The sea lion we followed along the beach - we walked/ran for about a 1km along the shore watching as it jumped out of the water every 10 seconds or so.

After a beer at the pub and a play in the playground, we walked back to camp via the wetlands, where there were literally hundreds of pigeons. Jackson couldn't resist running out to set them off flying - the noise of their wings all flapping in unison was deafening (it felt like we were under attack!). Cool to see though, once I got over the initial shock.

One of the sculptures on the Coastal Drive - a seahorse made with metal from old farming machinery.

Art and ocean views - it was a great afternoon drive.

The kids spent a few hours building and decorating this epic sandcastle.

The boys went for a quick dive at Little Bay (the water was freezing). It was teeming with whiting, so Daniel got his speargun, but whiting are particularly hard to get with a speargun so they only got one (it was still delicious though!).

Sandcastle number two - they are loving building sandcastles at the moment.

A bit of fun whilst watching the sunset over Waterloo Bay (not sure about Jackson's cartwheeling style, but I was pretty impressed that Daniel managed to do a half decent one).