Day 29 - Thursday 26 January - Australia Day - Tunarama in Port Lincoln

 DAY 29

THURSDAY

26 January 2017 –  HAPPY AUSTRALIA DAY!

Coffin Bay – Port Lincoln for Tunarama

The birds! Reminds us of home; the constant squawking of the hundreds of parrots roosting in the trees. They don’t last too long, but long enough to render us from our slumber.

We removed ourselves from bed, dressed and then it was off to the yacht club to participate in the local community Australia Day breakfast. For a donation you could help your self to a lovely cooked breakfast with views to die for. So we did. We found a bench to sit on and rest our plates on our knees and enjoy the eggs, bacon, sausages, baked beans and juice.  Cheers to Coffin Bay community and the volunteers helping to put it all together.

When we had finished we walked along the foreshore and the jetty, checking the boat that had just returned from its night out fishing, then it was back to the van to pack up for the day and head into Port Lincoln, about 50km away.

We found a parking spot easily and then made our way to the foreshore for all of the action of TUNARAMA. This event is held every Australia Day long weekend; this year running from today until Sunday, with a myriad of activities.

We walked the sideshow alley like avenue, where there were food trucks, people selling wares and giving info and of course the customary sideshow games and rides. 

We then made our way towards the jetty where a man was flying a massive tuna kite. We wandered the length of the jetty, watching the fish bubble the water’s surface. Once traversed, we did a walk through the town, taking in the buildings and various shops.

We stopped in at Coles to do some grocery shopping and then returned it all to the car before walking through a different section of the Tunarama event. Knowing what we wanted to see was later on, we grabbed a take away from Squidinc and headed to Puckridge Park lookout. Unfortunately the views were as good as the lunch, very limited.

I plugged in an address to get us to Lincoln Cove and off we drove through the city, passing The Beer Garden Brewery on the way. We made it to Mundy’s Mooring Reserve, located on Porter Bay and went for a quick walk along the front before returning to the car and making it back to the brewery.

photo of newspaper article on the wall of the brewery, unknown copyright

The Beer Garden Brewery has only been open 6 weeks. While it had 10 beers on tap, only 2 were theirs, the rest being sourced from other craft breweries in Adelaide. Paul ordered a 4 glass paddle for $15 and after chatting to the owner, we sat out on the deck while he consumed the brews. From all accounts they were very good and he enjoyed having a chat with the owner once he returned his glasses inside. We hope the place takes off, as Adelaide beers are pretty nondescript and bland and need an injection of body and taste.

Saying our farewells, it was back into town and back to the Tunarama for the main events of the day, firstly the tuna toss. Competitors in the heats are given a large, rubber, full size tuna to toss, hammer throw style as far as they can, without stepping over the line. We watched the ladies try their luck, some were much better than others. The blokes followed with a bit more success. The longest throw was just over 17m, however the record set in 1998 was just over 34m! One of the guys, was a French man who has been following us around the Eyre Peninsula trying to catch fish. It was good to see him make the finals, which happen on Saturday, where they get 2 throws and it is a real tuna.

From here we moved into the alcohol and food section so Paul could grab another glass of Shark Cage IPA, from The Beer Garden Brewery. Then it was on to the jetty to check out the slippery pole contest.  This is for the 13-17 year olds and they basically have to slide themselves along a horizontal tube that has been well greased up, hang on for dear life as they shimmy along, before the inevitable happens and they slip and fall into water below.  It certainly brought in the crowd and the laughs.

We watched the first few competitors before heading on, returning to the car and driving out to the Old Mill Lookout. The mill is bounded by stairs that you can walk up and then check out the view over Port Lincoln and Boston Bay. We made the most of the vista before moving onto our final destination, Winter Hill Lookout.

Tourist brochures are a handy thing, they have pointed us in the right direction a few times, helping us to find hidden away, secret squirrel places that locals know about, but if you aren’t in the know you miss. This lookout, along with The Old Mill are two such places.  The views both of these spots provided were special.

With my photos taken, it was time to head back to the caravan park in Coffin Bay. but not before stopping for 2 dozen more oysters for dinner.

We spent what was left of the afternoon hanging in the van and taking it easy.  I tried ringing home for a Yogi update, but no one would answer, will have to try again tomorrow.

7.30pm rolled around and we figured we should have some dinner. Paul shucked the oysters himself this time and while some were a little difficult, he was up to the challenge.  He also opted to use sweet chilli sauce, Hoi sin Sauce and a Dr Paul’s hot sauce for a little variety. They were delicious; though the hot sauce caught us out a bit.

As has become the custom, it was off for an evening stroll following dinner. This time we completed a little more of the Oyster Trail, starting at the boat ramp and heading west around the bay to a little swimming beach. Along the way we saw a mother dolphin and her calf emerge from the shallows and swim by. We enjoyed the sunset and golden glow given off by the fading sun, before returning along the track to the car and back to the van.

For us it has been a terrific Australia Day, but we know it hasn’t been that way for all; two people in a sea plane died tragically in Perth at the annual fireworks display, after it ditched into the Swan River and broke apart, resulting in the cancelling of the sky show. We also heard that NZ Breakers basketballer Akil Mitchell suffered a horrific eye injury during the game against Cairns today. We await to hear further news on his resulting surgery.