Capturing The Eyre Peninsula: A GoPro Adventure

From swimming with sea lions to shucking fresh oysters, the Eyre Peninsula is an intoxicating blend of natural beauty, thrilling activities and delicious flavours. We captured the entire adventure on the GoPro Hero 12.

Day one

From Adelaide, it’s a short flight to Port Lincoln Airport where you’ll embark on a scenic flight with Lincoln Air Charter. Soar over the expansive coastline and soak up the natural beauty of Lincoln National Park and the rural landscape of the southern Eyre Peninsula.

GoPro tip: Use the handler attachment to capture the view from above.

Lincoln Air Charter flight over Eyre Peninsula — Embark on a scenic flight with Lincoln Air Charter. (Image: Anita Jokovich)

Venture northwest to Oyster Farm Tours in Coffin Bay , where you can harvest oysters straight from the ocean. Slip into waterproof waders and make your way to the semi-submerged saltwater pavilion where you’ll shuck your own oysters while sipping on a South Australian riesling, all while soaking in the stunning surroundings.

GoPro tip: Attach the bite mount to capture all the hands-free shucking action.

FRESHLY PICKED OYSTERS from Oyster Farm Tours in Coffin Bay — Harvest oysters straight from the ocean. (Image: Anita Jokovich)

Next stop is Yarnbala, a pristine piece of bushland in Coffin Bay owned by Kane Slater and his family who host nature-based experiences. One of South Australia’s last remaining grassy low sheoak woodlands, this area is now critically endangered. Kane’s desire to share this tranquil haven led to the creation of a thoughtfully designed central gathering area around a fire pit, crafted from locally sourced natural and recycled materials. Experiences include a guided tour, foraging for bush tucker and live performances of the didgeridoo and lap steel guitar. Enjoy with woodfired pizzas and drinks such as local gin, wine and craft beer. A magical experience.

GoPro tip: Capture the live music hands-free by using the attached tripod while you sip on a Yarnbala signature G&T made with Green Ant Gin.

Retreat to the comfort of Port Lincoln Hotel , a four-star resort boasting panoramic views of Boston Bay. It’s the perfect pit stop to unwind and relax, allowing you to recharge for the next day’s activities.

Yarnbala live performance — Watch live performances at Yarnbala. (Image: Anita Jokovich)

GoPro tip: Charge up your GoPro for the next day while editing and downloading images to social media.

Day two

Day two promises the highlight of the Port Lincoln experience: swimming with playful sea lions, affectionally known as the ‘puppies of the ocean’. It’s a 90-minute boat trip from Port Lincoln to Blythe Island, where sea lions can usually be seen basking on the shore. While regulations require visitors to maintain a distance of 50 metres, these curious creatures often approach with excitement. During the hour-long swim, you are likely to encounter about a dozen sea lions, whose enthusiasm will grow as you engage with them in play.

GoPro tip: The GoPro is waterproof to 10 metres and built for rugged conditions. Its hydrophobic lens keeps underwater shots crystal clear, so you can capture footage of these magical sea creatures.

Sea lion in the Eyre Peninsula — Swim with playful sea lions. (Image: Anita Jokovich)

Fuel up at L’Anse French Cafe , known for its flaky French pastries, before embarking on your next adventure.

Make your way to Mikkira Station , a picturesque picnic and camping ground that’s home to a large colony of koalas. Take a stroll through the property to spot koalas in their natural habitat and, if you’re lucky, you might even catch a glimpse of baby joeys nestled in their mothers’ pouches. Indulge in a picnic provided by Australian Coastal Safaris as the sun sets.

GoPro tip: Once the sun has set, you can capture light trails in the night sky with night-lapse videos.

Koala in tree at Mikkira Station in the Eyre Peninsula — Mikkira Station is home to a large colony of koalas. (Image: Anita Jokovich)

On your last day, experience a 4WD and sandboarding adventure with Australian Coastal Safaris in Lincoln National Park. Enjoy the exhilarating thrill of speeding down the dunes on a sandboard or as a passenger four-wheel-driving on the dunes. Capture footage of the towering sand formations and shimmering waters, all while keeping an eye out for native wildlife. With luck, you might even catch a glimpse of an emu roaming the sandy landscape!

GoPro tip: Use HyperSmooth 6.0 and AutoBoost to keep your videos stable when filming your adventurous pursuits. There’s also a built-in Horizon Lock so you can keep the shot level even when your camera is rotating and moving.

Sand dunes in Port Lincoln — Enjoy the exhilarating thrill of speeding down the dunes. (Image: Anita Jokovich)

After tasting the freshest seafood at the Fresh Fish Place , get ready for an e-biking adventure – the perfect way to explore the coastline without exerting too much effort. Set out from Australian Coastal Safaris and make your way to the marina, located about five kilometres from the town centre. The cycle route traces the coast along the picturesque Parnkalla Trail .

GoPro tip: Consider the chest mount accessory to film video while you’re riding your bike for added safety.

Sand dunes and ocean in Port Lincoln, Eyre Peninsula — Take in the stunning views with your GoPro. (Image: Anita Jokovich)

Designed to capture high-quality photos and videos, the GoPro Hero 12 has advanced features such as image stabilisation and enhanced image quality. Download the GoPro Quik app as a tool for editing and sharing footage on the go.

Makers, bakers, artists, chefs, crafters – Ballarat and its surrounds are overflowing with creative spirits. All dedicated to keeping traditional skills alive for a city that is humming with artful energy.

Modern makers: a new generation of artists and artisans

“Keeping craft alive is a noble cause,” says Jess Cameron-Wootten, a charming and passionate master leathercrafter and cordwainer, who handmakes traditional leather boots and shoes in Ballarat’s old Gun Cotton Goods Store.

Ballarat was recognised in 2019 as a UNESCO Creative City of Craft and Folk Art, and today it’s a place where craft traditions converge with contemporary needs. Nothing quite captures this convergence as a visit to Wootten , the workshop and store of Jess Cameron-Wootten and his partner Krystina Menegazzo.

heritage buildings in Ballarat — Ballarat’s streets are lined with heritage buildings. (Image: Matt Dunne)

Jess’s father was an artisan bootmaker, or cordwainer. Now Jess and Krys and their small team of artisans continue the tradition, but with a modern spin. The company’s boots and shoes, made completely from scratch, are renowned for their quality and longevity. Wootten also craft shoes, bags, belts, leather aprons, wallets and more.

Cosy beanies, gloves, alpaca socks, “unbreakable” shoelaces and various other goods – many from local craftspeople and small-scale makers – fill the shop’s shelves. “We’re always happy to support a mate,” says Jess. “People love to see the workshop and where things are made. Our clients care about quality and sustainability,” Krys comments. The company slogan ‘Made for generations’ says it all.

Ruby Pilven’s ceramics at Ross Creek Gallery. (Image: Tara Moore)

For Ruby Pilven, craft is also in the DNA – both her parents were potters and with her latest porcelain ceramics, Ruby’s young daughter has been helping add colour to the glazes. “I grew up watching my parents in the workshop – I’ve always been doing ceramics,” she says, although her Visual Arts degree was in printmaking. That printmaking training comes through particularly in the rich layering of pattern. Her audacious colour, unexpected shapes and sudden pops of 12-carat gold are contemporary, quirky – and joyful.

You can see Ruby’s handcrafted ceramics, and work by other local and regional artists, at Ross Creek Gallery , a light-filled space surrounded by serene bushland, across from the mudbrick house her parents built in the 1980s. A 10-minute drive from Ballarat, it’s a tangible link to the region’s well-established craft traditions.

How Ballarat is preserving the past

artisans making crafts at the Centre for Rare Arts and Forgotten Trades, Ballarat — The Centre for Rare Arts & Forgotten Trades holds workshops to preserve crafts and skills.

While tradition is ongoing, there’s a danger that many of these specific type of skills and knowledge are fading as an older generation passes on. Step forward the Centre for Rare Arts and Forgotten Trades .

The seven purpose-built studios occupy a fabulous modern building adjacent to Sovereign Hill, with state-of-the-art facilities, enormous windows and landscape views across to Warrenheip and Wadawurrung Country.

artisanal works at the Centre for Rare Arts and Forgotten Trades, Ballarat — Check out artisanal works at the Centre for Rare Arts and Forgotten Trades.

Practising artisans run hands-on workshops. Fancy making your own medieval armour? Or trying your hand at blacksmithing, spinning wool, plaiting leather, weaving cane or craft a knife? Book a class and learn how. “It’s about creating awareness and also sharing knowledge and skills before they are lost,” explains Deborah Klein, the centre manager.

A city steeped in food and flavours

Chef José Fernandez preparing American streetfood at Pancho — Chef José Fernandez creates vibrant South American street food at Pancho. (Image: Ballarat Tourism)

One skill that hasn’t been lost is that of cooking. Ballarat’s burgeoning gastronomy scene runs the gamut from an artisan bakery (the atmospheric 1816 Bakehouse) to cool coffee shops, speakeasy cocktail bars and distilleries to fine-dining venues. But I’m still surprised to find Pancho , José Fernandez’s South American street food restaurant, serving fried cheese tequeños, fiery fish tacos, Argentinian grilled chicken.

The room is as lively as the food – a whirl of colour filled with gifted and thrifted paintings, photos, tchotchkes (trinkets), plants. There’s a Mexican abuela aesthetic going on here. Even before the music and mezcal kick in, it’s fun. Heads up on the drinks menu – an authentic selection of mezcal, tequila, South American wines and Mexican cerveza.

a cocktail at Itinerant Spirits, Ballarat — Enjoy a cocktail at Itinerant Spirits. (Image: Ballarat Tourism)

The spirit is willing, so after lunch we head towards the gold rush-era Ballarat train station and across the line to the old 1860s Goods Shed for Itinerant Spirits . At one end, a massive German copper still looms behind a wall of glass. The fit-out embraces deep olive-green tones, original bluestone walls, steamer trunks as coffee tables, heritage timber floors, oversized lamp shades and cognac-hued modernist leather seating.

the Itinerant Spirits Distillery & Cocktail Bar, Ballarat — The distillery operates from an old goods shed. (Image: Ballarat Tourism)

Gallivanter Gin, Vansetter Vodka and Wayfarer Whiskey – the key spirits distilled – star at the bar. The spirits are crafted using grains from the Wimmera Mallee region, and native botanicals foraged in the Grampians. Seasonal cocktails are inspired by local people and places (I loved The Headland, inspired by Sovereign Hill and flavoured with old-fashioned raspberry drops). Sample the spirits, and join a cocktail masterclass or a distillery tour. It’s a seductive setting – you’ll likely find yourself ordering a charcuterie platter or pizza as the evening progresses.

The Ballarat stay combining history and luxury

one of the rooms at Hotel Vera, Ballarat — The rooms at Hotel Vera have a contemporary style. (Image: Ballarat Tourism)

New lives for old buildings keeps history alive. Vera, Ballarat’s boutique five-star hotel, has taken it to the next level: it’s a palimpsest, a subtle layering of early 1900s and 1930s Art Deco architecture with a sleek new wing. There are seven spacious suites, each a dramatically different colour, with designer chairs, blissful bathrooms. High-end pottery and hand-picked artworks imbue the spaces with personality.

Vera’s intimate, award-winning restaurant, Babae, is subtly theatrical with sheer drapes and gallery lighting, its bespoke timber furniture and brass-edged marble bench setting the stage for food with a sharp regional focus. “We have goat’s cheese from a local supplier, handmade granola from local Vegas & Rose, truffles from nearby Black Cat Truffles, fresh food from our garden, and regional wines,” says joint owner David Cook-Doulton.

Celebrating the local makers, bakers, growers and producers, and the master chefs who work their magic is all part of the rich tapestry that links Ballarat’s history to its vibrant present.

A traveller’s checklist

Getting there

It’s 90 minutes from Melbourne, either on the Western Freeway, or hop on a V/Line train from Southern Cross Station.

Staying there

Hotel Vera is a centrally located Art Deco boutique hotel. Consider Hotel Provincial , which feels like a sleek country house, but with its own restaurant, Lola.

a contemporary room at Hotel Provincial, Ballarat — Hotel Provincial has country house vibes.

Eating there

dining at Mr Jones, Ballarat — The table is set at Mr Jones. (Image: Tony Evans/ Visit Victoria)

Culinary whiz Damien Jones helms Chef’s Hat winner Mr Jones Dining with quiet assurance. His modern Asian food is deceptively simple with deep, intense flavours. Low-key, laid-back ambience, lovely staff, thoughtful wine list.

Cocktails are definitely a thing in Ballarat. Reynard (fox in French) is foxy indeed, a clubby space with top-notch cocktails and small bites. Grainery Lane is extravagantly OTT with its massive 1880s bar, myriad chandeliers, brass gin still, Asian-inspired food and lavish cocktails.

dining at Grainery Lane, Ballarat — Dining at Grainery Lane.

Playing there

a laneway filled with artworks in Ballarat — An artful laneway in the city. (Image: Ballarat Tourism)

Check out local design legend Travis Price’s wall murals in Hop Lane with its colourful canopy of brollies, or in Main Street. The Art Gallery of Ballarat’s off-site Backspace Gallery showcases early-career artists in a stylish, contemporary space. First Nations-owned and run Perridak Arts connects people to place, bringing together art and crafts in this gallery/shop.

a woman admiring artworks at Perridak Arts Gallery — Perridak Arts is a First Nations-run gallery. (Image: Tony Evans)

The wineries of the Pyrenees are close at hand with their welcoming cellar doors and robust reds. Join a behind-the-scenes tour at the Centre for Gold Rush Collections .

Don’t forget the giant bluestone Kryal Castle , ‘the land of adventure’, for a little medieval magic, and not just for the kids: get ready for Highland-style feasting, jousting, even overnight stays.

Capturing the Eyre Peninsula: A GoPro adventure