Day 179 – Elliston to Coffin Bay

It had rained overnight, which wasn’t great for the washing that I had drying outside, but you can’t let these things get to you. While we quickly packed up, the girls found some pedal carts and did a few laps around the park. Jazzy’s feet were definitely not long enough, but she was determined to finish her lap by herself.

We decided to do the scenic drive loop around Elliston to check out some of the sculptures by the sea. Of course we had to get a photo of Chris with the thongs! The girls loved the head carvings and the cliff top views around were breathtaking… if only it had been a bit warmer – sigh!

Next stop was Greenly beach, which came highly recommended as a stop with its beautiful rock pools. Alas the weather didn’t want to play along and as we started walking down there, it started raining. The view of the escarpment and the beach was still gorgeous, but I can only imagine how nice it would be to stop there for an swim and camp there on a sunny day. So on we went to the next stop.

We made it to Coffin Bay, one of my favourite places from our last trip (partly due to the oysters, I won’t lie) and as we couldn’t get into the park yet, we grabbed lunch nearby. The seafood platter for two was even too big to feed four, but we did our best and it was delicious! Izzy is starting to get a taste for oysters now…

After we were all set up in the caravan park, I ducked out across the road for an oyster farm tour while Chris and the girls stayed at camp. My 40th celebrations continue!

We got given some fetching waders and a young Argentinian man, Juan, took us through the history of the area and some of the principles of oyster farming. It’s incredible how much innovation exists in this space and how far the industry has come!

The baskets on lines allow oyster farmers to move the oysters in and out of the water to ensure adequate growth. First oysters focus on growing the shell and once this reaches the right size it will focus on growing the meat inside. Coffin bay being enclosed, means that oysters here tend to mature in about 18 months compared to other areas.

We waded out through the water to the pontoon and got taught how to shuck oysters properly – I’m not afraid to say that I have been doing it wrong (and cut my hand more than once) when I have done it in the past! With the right tools and technique, I am now self sufficient and proficient- it was wonderful getting to taste fresh oysters direct from the sea with a glass of wine in peace!

Then we learnt a bit more about how you grow oysters and that the baby shells that start off from fragile shells can be cultivated and grown with the right sorting by size into delicious oysters. The size of the holes in the baskets determine what size shell can go into them and as the oysters grow through their stages there are fewer and fewer in each basket to encourage growth. Oh and the freshest place to eat oysters outside of Coffin Bay, is Hong Kong! Their government has invested a lot of money into direct flights for delivering seafood in 48 hours, mind you it will set you back $12 an oyster. Sydney is pretty lucky in that we get Coffin Bay oysters within 72 hours, so not too bad… it was a really interesting tour!

Back at camp the gangs were playing nicely and enjoying the afternoon. Just before dinner a local called us in for more oyster talks and showed us some of the biggest oysters they have caught in Coffin Bay. We also couldn’t resist getting another dozen for the family. Izzy was right in there giving us some competition in eating the most…

A great day for the tastebuds!