Coffin Bay Caravan Park review | SA’s Great Travel Planner

Like all good caravan parks, however, the one at Coffin Bay is all about providing a launching pad from which to discover the wonders of its surrounding district.

Let’s start with an admission. We’re a river family, not a beach family.

We’ve got nothing against beaches, the ocean, sand or surf (love it, in fact), it’s just that … well … we’re a river family.

Our kids, all teens now, have grown up spending weekends away on the mighty Murray and are far more comfortable on a kneeboard behind a speedboat at Morgan than on a surfboard in the swell off Middleton.

It wasn’t really a conscious thing. It just sort of happened.

So we decided it was time to broaden our horizons. We hooked up the camper trailer and headed to Coffin Bay Caravan Park.

More than seven hours later we arrived, cracked a beer and started developing a gameplan to exploring the southern Eyre Peninsula.

It was almost dusk as we made our deliberations, which were interrupted by a visiting troop of kangaroos which wandered over to say hello.

There’s plenty to explore near Coffin Bay Caravan Park.

These kangaroos would become regular companions over the next few days, especially at night, when their munching on the well-watered grass of the park was clearly audible from inside the camper. We quickly learned to wear thongs when walking around the park, though, such was the prevalence of their droppings.

The caravan park itself boasts large sites and a clean amenities block. There’s plenty of trees for shade, a good playground and more than enough room for the kids to ride around on their bikes.

Flocks of galahs and lorikeets which call the park home provide a natural alarm clock.

Like all of Coffin Bay, the beach is only a stone’s throw away, as is the town’s Oyster Walk – a 10km trail which meanders along the foreshore – and a small cove opposite the park is perfect for launching kayaks or tinnies.

The town jetty is within walking distance, and provided a great location for the kids to make their angling debut and catch their first fish.

Like all good caravan parks, however, the one at Coffin Bay is all about providing a launching pad from which to discover the wonders of its surrounding district. And boy are there some wonders around Coffin Bay.

Putting car and driver through their paces.

Just out of town is the entrance to Coffin Bay National Park, which is a mecca for anyone who enjoys swimming, surfing, snorkelling, fishing, boating, camping or four-wheel driving.

If you’re the off-road type, the options are limitless, but a sealed road from town to Point Avoid and Almonta Beach means even those driving a two-wheel buzz-box can appreciate one of the most pristine, beautiful stretches of beach imaginable.

Those in the know reckon Almonta is a haven for salmon and tommy ruffs, but these fish must have been on a day off when we threw our lines in.

We also visited the popular Farm Beach, north of Coffins, where locals back their boats into the ocean straight off the sand. Once again, the fish were scant, but a drive to nearby Gallipoli beach, where much of the 1981 movie was filmed, was worth the effort.

We spent the better part of a day relaxing, catching waves and playing cricket at Coles Point on Greenly Beech, and another day we drove even further north to check out Elliston, Venus Bay and the nearby Talia Caves.

Everywhere we turned there was another beach boasting either spectacular views, rolling waves, pristine sand or a sheltered bay where the water was smooth as glass.

By the time we hit the road and headed back home, we all agreed that Coffin Bay and the southern Eyre Peninsula is one of the must-see locations in South Australia.

Even for a river family.

Reviews are unannounced and paid for by SAWeekend

This review was first printed in February 2019 and had details updated in March 2021.

• 91 Esplanade, Coffin Bay
• 8685 4170
• [e-mail]

LOCATION Southern Eyre Peninsula, about seven and a half hours drive from Adelaide.

ACCOMMODATION Holiday villas, cabins, three-bedroom cottage, powered sites, non-powered sites.

FACILITIES 130 sites over 12ha; modern amenities block with disabled facilities;

indoor camp kitchen with freezer; TV and dining; laundry; playground; BBQ areas and gazebos.

PRICE Powered sites from $34 per night, (off-peak, two people), cabins from $80 per night (off-peak, two people). Ensuite cabins from $100 per night (off-peak, two people). Holiday Villas from $120 per night (off-peak, two people).