Streaky Bay to Port Lincoln via Point Labatt and Coffin Bay

 With another reasonable days driving ahead of us, and a desire to not miss much along the way, we leave Streaky Bay at 8.30 am, heading for Point Labatt ( not the shortest way to Port Lincoln but we want to see the sea lion colony). Initially we are on good bitumen roads, but to get to the best places, you have to take on the unpaved roads. There are lots of carwashes down here.

The road to Point Labatt is not too bad, and as we approach the conservation area where the sea lion community hide, it is very windy.

From the car park, there is a walkway to the lookout where we hope to see the sea lions

It is a pretty wild part of the coast and the wind today is blowing hard, however, the sea lions are pretty smart, and there is a beach just below the lookout where they seem to be resting in relative shelter,

A far view showing the ring of sea lions on the sand, and the harshness of the surrounding seas

From here we backtracked a little on the unpaved road until we found the turnoff that would take us along another unpaved road, past another tourist attraction called the Haystacks that would eventually put us back on the bitumen highway to Port Lincoln.

The road conditions were actually pretty good, more corrugations than you would like, but generally in good condition. Just before reaching the highway, we turn off to see the Haystacks. These are bizarre granite outcrops in the middle of hay growing country. Known as Murphy's Haystacks after the owner of the property. They have done a good job setting up a walking trail through the outcrops, put in picnic facilities and toilets (allow free camping), and ask for a modest donation through an honesty box.

There is a storyboard explaining the origin of these structures

We left a donation in the honesty box and headed for the bitumen. We figured the most likely place to get our morning cup of coffee would be Elliston. the next town we pass through is Port  Kenny, but there is nothing there other than a caravan park and service station. At Elliston we find a bakery, which seems to guarantee a decent coffee.

But first we stop to look at the jetty, as all of the towns along this coast of any size, had jetties to allow supplies to arrive by coastal shipping. As you can see from this photo there is a substantial reef break offshore and the gap between that break pretty narrow, so it must have been quite a challenge to get in here to discharge cargo.

The coffee at the bakery in town was good, and after a bit of a search we found a public toilet, so we were in good shape to press on to Coffin Bay, on our way to Port Lincoln.

We arrived at Coffin Bay just in time for lunch, and after a drive through "town" we stopped at the Coffin Bay Hotel, being sure they would offer the finest local produce. 

Coffin Bay Hotel

Our attention went immediately to the menu, and it was no contest when we saw they had fresh Coffin Bay Oysters and a seafood platter on offer. Sharing a dozen oysters and a platter seemed a no brainer.

A perfect lunch

We might as well have a look around the small village of Coffin bay whilst we are here, and park near the Yacht Club to wander along a waterside path/boardwalk they call the Oyster Walk.

The Yacht Club is undergoing some major renovations

The locals seem completely uninterested

The path took us along the waterfront to a pier where a few boats were berthed.

and further along the waterfront

It was also comforting to see that they have provided charging facilities for electric vehicles, which whilst not in use at the moment, shows great vision.

It is time to head to our final destination, Port Lincoln. It is only about another 25 km.

We arrive in time to check in, settle in to our room at The Port Lincoln Hotel, our first hi -rise accommodation on this trip, with our ocean view room on the 5th floor.

Port Lincoln Hotel

View from our room

After check in, it is time to stretch our legs, so we set out for a walk along the water front. Naturally, there is a town jetty.

with an enclosed swimming pool, protected by wave breakers, at the end of the jetty

There is a large port facility also, used for bulk loading wheat shipments.

Near the grain loading terminal is the Yacht Club

Along the waterfront is a shopping strip with restaurants and shops, and a Visitor Information Centre that we take the opportunity to call in to. There girl there was very helpful and we now have a list of potential activities tomorrow. They are expecting rain, so we will see. We were also given a good restaurant recommendation and have made a booking for tomorrow night.

Just near the Visitors Centre is a monument to Matthew Flinders, who discovered and named Port Lincoln after his native county of Lincolnshire, in 1802.

Still catching up on our lack of walking over the past few days, we walked back along the waterfront past our hotel until the path ran out out. 

A very docile watchdog resting under a lemon tree at the end of the path

We were back out our hotel by 5.15pm, having got a bit of exercise and some advice on what to see and do in Port Lincoln. Dinner at the hotel was pretty ordinary, so hopefully our restaurant choice tomorrow night will be better.