Coffin Bay - SA ... brief review
Howdy Folks!
Spent 8 days camping at Coffin Bay (between 26th Dec-3rd Jan) and drove all over the place, so thought I'd add some tips :)
So - the national park is good. It's $10 entry for the day - but the freeby pass that's doing the rounds will get you in for free.
Once you start getting into the park, you'll wanna get your tyres down.
Gunyahs beach is def worth a drive - stunning white sand and we caught some salmon there too, but the sea was way to rough to swim, with the waves coming in fast making all the parents pretty nervous watching the kids.
The sand getting to Gunyahs is pretty soft, and we spent nearly 3 hours saving a BT50 who managed to get right along the beach, with no recovery gear, no tyre pressure gauge, road tyres and no knowledge. With 10-15 people helping, we eventually got him out, with snatching, plus maxtrax and a lot of digging!
Another day we drove to Seven Mile Beach - it was pretty stunning, and a lot better for the kids. The drive around Coffin Bay NP varies from soft sand to rocky - we were running about 18 PSI the whole time, and didn't get stuck once, but met some others running road tyres and they were struggling, especially those towing boats/campers around.
We also checked out:
- farm beach, which was a bit busier
- gallipoli beach (near farm beach) - steep walk down to the beach, but we were the only ones there, so was worth it!
- kellidie bay - drove round to the point which was a nice scenic drive. We fished off the rocks, but the beach at the end wasn't too bad either
- Little Dutton - stunning bay, which was shallow enough to walk across (with a few metres of swimming) from the inland to the outside bit of land. Beach was pretty soft to drive on, but only a short drive from the boat ramp. This was def the non-NP highlight! The Bay is sheltered, so on at 42degree day we were very comfortable sitting in our own shade or playing in the water.
The caravan park is pretty nice too - if you are going unpowered tents, try get spots 9-12, as they are on the end, with a big open area behind you. We had 4 families in those spots, and they were perfect for the kids to play cricket etc behind the tents, but they are a bit of a walk to the toilets. The showers & toilets are kept clean, although they have keys for M and F toilet blocks .... which can be annoying when kids/adults are sharing one key (e.g. girl and mum or boy and dad). You also get a great view of all the kangaroos in the evening. There are soon many of them - be prepared to hear them jumping past your tent at night, or eating grass etc. Didn't have any issues with them - but the park has clear instructions not to feed or approach. Also, if you are going powered - avoid the sites further up the park - aim for the bottom end near the unpowered sites, as the birds are noisy and messy near the top - with most people opting to buy a tarp to cover their tent/camper to avoid the damage.
The pub is pretty good and provides a 'booze bus' to pickup and drop off - win! The staff were pretty friendly, and the steak was fab, so was the satay sauce! So good we went back a couple of nights later & all had the same food hahaha.
