Hassie's Tour - Eyre Peninsula
Even though it's almost two hundred years since Matthew Flinders charted the west coast of Eyre Peninsula, it still has the rugged and untamed quality that no doubt unnerved the crew of The Investigator.
The coastline is peppered with names like Point Avoid and Reef Point, emphasising Flinders' respect for this hazardous stretch of coastline. But now for many travellers the tranquil waters of Coffin Bay offer the opportunity to sample the perfect holiday mix. Here you can take in a spot of fishing, stroll along Oyster Walk which takes in eight kilometers of picturesque foreshore, and late in the day enjoy some of the most amazing sunsets to be seen anywhere.
And by morning it's time to stock up on supplies and head out on one of the most beautiful road trips in the State, on the Flinders Highway from Coffin Bay to Streaky and beyond. First stop is Locks Well and two hundred and seventy steps that take you down to the roaring surf, a beach famous for its salmon fishing and its spectacular cliffs.
As you head north to Elliston, the jagged coast serves as a constant reminder of just how many shipwrecks found their final resting place along the rugged West Coast. And few stretches of water are more treacherous than beautiful Waterloo Bay which sits in the encircling arms of Point Wellington and Point Wellesley.
"As you can see it's pretty hard to get ships in. The first ship that come in was the Spindrift in 1881. And there's been a number of ships that have subsequently gone down because as you can see it really, really is treacherous coming in. But they'd come in to pick up cereal and crops etcetera and just take them away. It's just a beautiful little spot".
"It's an amazing thought to think that ketches came in through just a huge reef between two points?"
"And it's calm today".
The town mural tells the story of a little settlement on the West Coast which was established in 1778. And featured prominently is Miss Ellen Liston, a local pioneering governess after whom the town was named, and which has now become synonymous with great fishing and great surf. At nearby Blackfellows surf break, helmets are the order of the day as the surfers treat these waves with the utmost respect. Flinders called this Anxious Bay and it's not hard to see why. There's plenty to bump into out beyond the breakers, and on a clear day you can pick out nearby Waldegrave and Flinders Island.
Further north and you're into a series of strange coastal land formations like The Tub at Talia Caves with its collapsed limestone crater and a tunnel under the cliff which leads out to the surging sea. And nearby another large cavern known as the Woolshed caused by the relentless pounding of the waves. All of this is a short drive from the Port Kenny pub, a good base from which to explore the mid west as the locals call it. The hotel used to be owned by Craig Haslam. It's what brought him to the Eyre Peninsula seven years ago, but now it's the people, lifestyle and the coastal scenery which have made him a West Coast convert.
"The catch fish here, there's grazing around it and tourism is going to increase. But we didn't know just how good it was, going to be the big thing because we've just got some magnificent coastline s you've seen. From Talia to Streaky Bay is sensational.
The pub is located on the quiet waters of Venus Bay, which by morning offers scenes to delight any impressionist painter. From Port Kenny you rejoin the Flinders Highway and head north with constant sea views on one side and classic rural vistas on the other. But soon you come across yet another strange land form known as Murphy's Haystacks. The constant wind and seaspray have left their mark on these massive granite boulders. They're just some of the intriguing geological features which dot the spectacular journey on the Flinders Highway which makes its way up the West Coast from Port Lincoln to Ceduna.
Hassie's Tour, Flinders Highway, West Coast of Eyre Peninsula, Port Lincoln to Ceduna, 405kms.
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