regionalstopover
bottlenose dolphins. There's not another boat to be seen
on this blustery day, but in the water we meet Slash and
her offspring, Ash, Sunny and Mariah, as they dive in
the waves with us. Alan and his wife, Trish, talk about
the dolphins like their own children. "I belong to both
worlds: the land and the sea," laughs Trish. While Alan
and Trish have never fed or trained the dolphins (or what
they call the 'lions of the sea'), the creatures choose to
interact with us completely on their own terms.
We motor over to the sea lion colony on Jones Island
and, immediately, a few young pups waddle into the
water. Alan softly calls, "Hello girls, come to play?"
Slipping into the water in our wetsuits with Alan's
assistant, Mick, we watch him dive and roll over and
under with each of the pups, which mimic his every
move. When it's my turn, a pretty 'puppy dog face' with
big, brown eyes is suddenly a whisker away from my
face and I let out a giggle of bubbles. Sheer magic!
There are more oysters to taste and a fascinating oyster
shed tour at Smoky Bay's Angel Oysters, where Isaac and
Kady Halman are exuberantly producing premium oysters;
and abalone and Kinkawooka mussels to buy at Streaky
Bay Marine Products before a final feast on the sun-kissed
waterfront deck of Mocean Cafe Restaurant. Chef Hardy
Weyrauch, who earnt his stripes at the Prairie Hotel in
Parachilna, combines Eyre Peninsula seafood and prime
SA meats with bush seasonings to create splendid dishes
such as pork belly and abalone stir-fry and Portuguese
seafood stew with chorizo and lemon myrtle.
"I just love the rugged and remote beauty here," he
says. "It's the ocean equivalent of the Flinders Ranges,
except now I look at white sand instead of red."
Sensory scientist Heather Smyth sums up our feasting
tour perfectly: "What really struck me about all the Eyre
Peninsula seafood was its complexity and depth of flavour.
There is something about this region that makes the
seafood so spectacular. The French use the term 'terroir'
to describe the combined effects of the local environment
on wine. The concept is key for French champagne,
for instance."
Perhaps we can think of Eyre Peninsula seafood as
'the champagne of the sea'. I'd certainly drink to that!
XXVIII
"A pretty 'puppy dog face' with
big, brown eyes is suddenly
a whisker away from my face."
Above: Go for a
swim with Baird
Bay's playful
resident sea lions.
Round-up
GET THERE
Rex flies daily from Adelaide to Port Lincoln.
13 17 13, www.rex.com.au
STAY
Port Lincoln Hotel
1 Lincoln Highway, Port Lincoln
1300 766 100, www.portlincolnhotel.com.au
Baird Bay Ocean Eco Apartments
08 8626 5017, www.bairdbayoceanecoapartments.com
EAT & DRINK
The Oysterbeds
61 Esplanade, Coffin Bay
08 8685 4000, www.oysterbeds.com.au
Mocean Cafe Restaurant
34B Alfred Terrace, Streaky Bay
08 8626 1775, www.moceanstreakybay.com.au
EXPLORE
Swim with the Tuna
08 8682 6010, www.swimwiththetuna.com.au
Baird Bay Ocean Eco Experience
08 8626 5017, www.bairdbay.com
Calypso Star Charters
08 8682 3939, www.sharkcagediving.com.au
MORE INFO
www.seafoodtrail.com
www.exploreeyrepeninsula.com.au
