Kayaking on Coffin Bay: In the West Coast region of South Australia

From the Coffin Bay lookout you take in a myriad of bays and inlets framed by Mount Dutton and the Mount Greenly. From up here, the options for boaties are plain to see in a system of waterways named after Sir Isaac Coffin, a key patron of the navigator Matthew Flinders. He was the first European to chart this part of the South Australian coastline. But he never ventured this far into the tricky maze of coves and shifting currents, which sustained generations of the Nao aboriginal people.

In holiday season - it's now home to about two and a half thousand residents and "shackies" with views to die for. But to really experience the wonder of Coffin Bay you need to get on it and that's where Anne Bailey enters the story.

Anne regularly takes tours for people of all ages through the calm blue waters. "They reckon the Coffin Bay system is bigger than Sydney Harbour," said Anne as we got into rhythm.

Ever since Flinders found the opening to this handful of protected bays, fishermen have been singing its praises. By the 1840s, just a few years after Adelaide's official settlement, Oyster Town was up and running.

Back then they were dredging for native oysters and by the 1870s thirty cutters were out sending 60-thousand bushels a year for export. Soon the native oyster industry collapsed and what you see in Kellidie Bay today are the original leases established to farm pacific oysters back in the late nineteen sixties.

That industry's still going strong - a bit like us as we plough through what's just a tiny portion of this massive waterway. Along the way you learn that the fishing industry continues to evolve and adapt as new markets are found.

"The boat, Ulterama is used for trapping the fish called Leather Jackets. They trap them in square cages similar rock lobster pots. They put a bait inside and the fish swims in and then they're trapped."

Soon we pass one of the landmarks of Kellidie Bay. More than twenty years ago an osprey made its nest in a craypot on a boat moored here during the off season. The crayfishermen moved mum and her eggs to a post in the bay. They hatched and mum's been coming back ever since.

"That fact that the waterway is so big means you're not going run out of water to explore. In fact some people take these kayaks out for days on end," said Anne.

Anne's company, 'Out There Kayaking', lives up to its name with enthusiasts often loading their sleeping bags, cookers, tents and everything they need to explore the numerous national parks at the tip of Eyre Peninsula.

There is a range of kayaks to choose from to ensure the amazing experience is available to most of us. The Coffin Bay and Port Lincoln National Parks offer the potential for days of kayaking fun. Out There Kayaking and Walking Tours will look after all your needs.

Out There Kayaking & Walking Tours
Ph 0427 826 853