Experience your own World Oceans Day and World Sand Dune Day this month on the Eyre Peninsula!
Have you ever gone 4WDing or sand duning before?
No, but really 4WDing or sandduning?! I’m not talking a rocky bumpy track and small sandy hills…I’m talking sand dune mountains so large and expansive that getting lost or stuck is a real possibility.
On the 25th June it will be the annual World Sand Dune Day and recently, World Oceans Day (8th). So we thought we’d take some time to celebrate the amazing coastline, oceans, waterways and of course - epic sand dunes that we are luck enough to have on our doorstep down here on the Eyre Peninsula. If you’ve ever joined us on an Exceptional Port Lincoln, Seafood and Wildlife Tour, a Coffin Bay Oysters, Ocean and Nature Tour, or our Winter Whale Watching & Wildlife Encounter - you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about. But for those of you who are yet to venture down south - this is a taster of what to expect.
4WDing on the edge of Australia
Wanna go for a real adventure?! During some of our Port Lincoln based tours we visit Wanna Sand Dunes and Wanna Beach. Wanna means ‘sea’ in the local Barngarla language - and what a sea-scape it is! Aqua blue waters, rolling waves, white sandy beaches, limestone cliff edges, rugged cliff tops, and rocky islands that have been slowly eroded away from the shoreline, or found themselves isolated after the last glacial event. And if you’re really loving the remote and rugged aspect of this location - just a few thousand (5,500km) south of Wanna….is Antarctica. So you can imagine - the water here is cool (but not icy), fresh, clean and full of nutrients. Perfect for whale, dolphin, sea lion, seal and eagle spotting. Wanna beach is also well known for good Salmon fishing, but it’s also really hard to get to unless you have the right car, the right gear, and all the idea (always come prepared, unless of course - you’re with us, then you can just sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride and endless views!).
Parallel to wanna beach are the most stunning and expansive sand dunes you’ll ever lay eyes on. Rolling white sand mountains, sharp peaks, sloping hills, vegetation covered dunes, emus strolling between valleys, views of the entire south eastern end of the Thorny Passage Marine Park (perfect for whale spotting in the winter!), and a lot of fun…all wrapped into one!
Join us on a Port Lincoln day tour or Nature and Wildlife half day tour to see it too!
Coffin Bay Oysters - World famous because of our Great Southern Ocean
If you’ve ever tasted Coffin Bay Oysters - you’ll probably know exactly what I’m talking about. The Coffin Bay waterways are renown for their epic oyster growing capacity! Here are a few reasons why…
- the entrance into Coffin Bay is small, so with the ingoing and outgoing tide, the water swirls and creates currents as it is trying to squeeze in and out of the small entry point each time - like a suction effect. this all creates a daily flush of fresh nutrient rich water.
- there are many bays and the whole area is protected from the roaring Southern Ocean - perfect for marine animal nursery grounds, happy dolphins and seals, and easy oyster farming.
- The Southern Ocean currents nearby work together to create nutrient rich waters just outside of the Coffin Bay area - so when it’s time for that ingoing tide to wash in, an influx of fresh oyster food comes with it!
- Not only is Coffin Bay water super fresh and full of food - it stays clean and free of pollutants (and muddy run off) due to the absence of rivers or farm run-off into the bay area. The one up-side of a dry climate…
Join a Coffin Bay tour to experience the oysters, the bays and waterways, and the national park coastline and sand dunes, all in one!
Dunes, blue waters, and the largest marine mammals in the world
How could we forget Fowlers Bay - brimming the north eastern edge of the Great Australian Bight, each year the Southern Right Whales make their journey from Antartica to these calving grounds to have their babies. 95% of the Australian population of Southern Right Whales migrate to the Great Australian Bight, and the other 5% head east to the other side of Australia. It really is a whale hotspot, and the place to be from June to September if you’re wanting an encounter with one of these big beauties.
As well as the ocean, the sand dunes tower over and provide an amazing back drop to the blue fresh Great Australian Bight waters. Once again - you haven’t really seen a sand dune, until you’ve seen a Fowlers bay sand dune. The dunes were created over millions of years - shell grit and particles…
Join us on a Winter Whale Watching tour to experience the beauty of the Great Australian Bight, the coastal sand dunes and the largest marine mammals in the world!
Come and see for yourself!
If you’d like a taste for what this amazing coastline has to offer (it is afterall - world sand dune day coming up…and world oceans day just a few weeks ago!) then give us a call or come on down and see for yourself. Winter Whale Watching tours run between June and August. 4WDing and coastal tours happen all year round.