Setting Off On An Adventure
Back in 2019 BC (Before Covid, as I like to refer to it), my husband and I sold our hospitality and retail business.
(Talk about GREAT timing!)
We'd decided that our lifestyle wasn't making us happy and so, realising that we wanted to spend more time with our kids, we packed up our Trackabout Camper Trailer - that I named "Connie" after my grandmother - and hit the road!
We were literally the world's greenest campers! We had only taken the camper out once before for a quick weekend getting away, but what we didn't know we figured we would learn on the go....and believe me, we did!
The plan was to take 12 months to travel around Oz and if we found somewhere we liked enough, then we would find work and stay there indefinitely. We were open to the prospect that we may even relocate to that destination if the stars aligned for our family.
Dropping Anchor in Port Lincoln
After a few months of travelling, we had our hearts set on revisiting a destination that we'd been to a few years prior. A destination that we could see ourselves spending a long time in.
Introducing a little, not-so-well-known town called Port Lincoln South Australia!
There's certainly a reason why it's known as the "Seafood Capital of Australia".
My friends, if you're anything like my family and LOVE oysters, fishing, long stretches of gorgeous uncrowded beaches, wildlife, adventure, diving, snorkelling, boat activities and of course, DOG FRIENDLY cafes, then YOU MUST add Port Lincoln to your list of places to visit!
Not only did my children dub the fish and chips from The Fresh Fish Place the BEST they'd ever eaten (an assessment I completely agree with), a short drive from Port Lincoln is another seafood hotspot Coffin Bay; an oyster lovers DREAM!
Introducing Lulu to the Pack
We spent a total of 6 months living and working in Port Lincoln. In that time we got to explore so many of the surrounding towns, beaches and National Parks.
This is also the time in our lives where we introduced Lulu to the family! The atmosphere of the dog friendly town and beaches made us feel that it was perfect timing to find a breed of dog that would appreciate the location, would make us even more active and be outdoors.
Aussie Shepherds tick all of those boxes and our girl Lulu was no exception.
Outdoor Adventures in Port Lincoln
There are endless beaches and outdoor activities in Port Lincoln and if you have an adventurous streak like me, then you can even partake in Swimming with Sea Lions or Diving with Great White Sharks!
(Obviously NOT to be done at the same time.....but separately, these are AWESOME activities for the whole family. Even if you don't dare go in the water, but would rather watch from the boat.)
Port Lincoln has excellent tour groups that can help you plan all the fun stuff, including food and wine tours which are also abundant in the area.
I'd personally recommend Tour South Australia, which can organise just about any kind of activity. Whether it be a day of 4WD, photographing wildlife, exploring the surrounding parts of the Eyre Peninsula, or a more personalised adventure within Port Lincoln.
Inspiration for Conservation
Port Lincoln was also the place that helped inspire me to do more for the Ocean. While working at a Great White Shark tour company, I got to meet so many wonderful people that had such a burning passion for Ocean conservation.
Through my job, I helped organise a full month of Beach Clean ups, where we got both local schools and the community involved in helping clean up the coast lines.
It was quite disheartening to see that even in such a pristine and remote location, the amount of plastic and industry waste that was being washed up on shore. We managed to collect trailer loads of rubbish and this is what ignited my passion for reducing single use plastic in my home and now my business.
Port Lincoln and the Eyre Peninsula are my absolute FAVOURITE places to visit for a holiday.
So much so, that we have decided to dust off the old camper and take off to Port Lincoln AGAIN this Christmas holidays with the kids and of course, Lulu!
(Your guess is as good as mine which one will make the most mess in the car on the way there...)
Reasons to Visit Port Lincoln
If you want a place that will fuel your love for the ocean and it's wildlife, a place that has an exceptionally dog friendly community, want to eat the BEST seafood in Australia and get to do activities like Great White Shark Diving, then Port Lincoln is Australia's BEST kept secret.
The people and the town literally changed our families lives for the better.
Here a few more snaps that I took while living in Port Lincoln and around the EP that I know will make you want to pack your bags and hit the road!
Dog Friendly Accomodation at Port Lincoln
Both of the local caravan parks in town are Dog Friendly, affordable, clean and I have stayed at both.
The Port Lincoln Caravan Park is located on your way into town and is right on North Shields Beach. To walk to the main street of town is a bit of a hike, but there are plenty of walkways, or you could always walk along the beach too.
Port Lincoln Tourist Park is the larger caravan park out of the two and slightly closer to the main part of town, whilst also being located on the water. This has great facilities, the staff are helpful and the grounds are well maintained.
With plenty of accomodation options for you and your dog, do I really have to go on about why you should visit Port Lincoln?
Do yourself, your family and fur-baby a favour and find your way to the Eyre Peninsula.
Safe Travels, Melissa & Lulu XXX