When you think of a coastal holiday, you usually think of relaxing in the sun and swimming in the sea. When it’s time to leave the beach, you stroll up to town and suddenly everything changes. You have to wait in line for your fish and chips and feel like you’re risking your life every time you cross the street. On South Australia’s Eyre Peninsula, you can relax at the beach if you want to, but your trip won’t be ruined by crowds and hassles.
The Eyre Peninsula is relaxing, but not laid back. It is too awesome for that. This peninsula is home to the incredible Nullarbor Plain. You may have heard of the Nullarbor before, but until you have experienced it, you just don’t know what you’ve been missing. The word nullarbor is derived from two Latin words, nullus (or nothing) and arbor (trees). Together, they mean, “no trees.” This doesn’t sound like a very attractive place to visit until you see it up close.
The vast, treeless Nullarbor Plain is, like the Australian outback, a place of primeval beauty. Unlike other outback locations, though, it is unique in that it is on the coast. The sheer cliffs that plunge into the sea are thought to have originally raised from beneath the surface of the ocean some 25 million years ago and have remained largely unchanged since then.
Seeing the Nullarbor from the air is amazing, but exploring it from the ground is nothing short of awe inspiring. On land, the Nullarbor is teeming with wildlife, including emus, wombats and, of course, kangaroos. Beneath the sea, if you dare, you can actually come face to face with Great White sharks from the relative safety of a shark cage, get to know a sea lion at Baird Bay or go whale watching at Head of Bight.
For the truly adventurous, caving expeditions in the Nullarbor are available. Because of the extreme depth of the caves and the genuine dangers associated with them, most of these can only be explored under the supervision of National Parks and Wildlife Officers. A few of them, though, including Murrawijinie Caves (not far from the Nullarbor Roadhouse) and Koonalda Cave are viewable without prior permission.
As amazing as the Nullarbor is, it is not the only attraction on the Eyre Peninsula. There are plenty of more civilised things to do and see there, as well. Port Lincoln is one of the world’s largest natural protected harbours and is renowned for its seafood. You can buy it straight off the boat or enjoy having it cooked for you in a Port Lincoln seafood eatery.
Just 15 minutes away from Port Lincoln is the Glen-Forest Tourist Park. A perfect place for the whole family, it has many attractions for the kids, including a 70 acre animal park. The parents will appreciate the 60 acres of vineyards on the property and the opportunity to sample the local wines.
You can sleep under the stars on the Nullarbor or sleep in a comfortable Port Lincoln accommodation at the water’s edge. Then there are all the other accommodations that are available in the towns and villages that dot the peninsula landscape. For a coastal holiday like no other, visit the Eyre Peninsula.
The toxin-covered tentacles of the Box Jellyfish can stop human cardio-respiratory function in about three minutes. Found around the Great Barrier Reef, jellyfish cause more deaths in Australia than snakes, sharks and salt water crocodiles. 
Found in the shallow waters of Australia’s reefs, the Blue Ring Octopus has a golf-ball sized body, and venom that can cause motor paralysis leading to cardiac arrest and death for which there is no known antidote. The Blue Ring Octopus, so-called for its blue ring markings, is both beautiful and deadly. 
Lurking in the shallow waters of coastal Australia is the brownish-colored Stonefish, which appears to be a rock when in the water. Its thirteen sharp dorsal spines inject venom causing shock, paralysis, and even death. 
Found across Australia, the Red Back Spider hides in common insect spots. Only about 1 centimeter long and recognizable by a red stripe down her back, the female Red Back’s venomous bite causes acute pain, but fortunately deaths by Red Spider bite are rare. 
The Brown Snake, found mainly in Eastern Australia, is famous for its deadly venom. Seeking treatment quickly is vital to survival after a Brown Snake bite. 
In 1802 a British and a French explorer set foot on Kangaroo Island, an island in the south of Australia. They discovered the land, naming areas and mapping it out. The island was full of kangaroos, an animal they had never seen before. At first the men and their crews easily hunted these large, dark animals since the kangaroos were not scared of the humans, using the kangaroo meat regularly for steak and soup. The island’s name comes from the abundance of the animals that were seen on the land.
Most visitors to Australia aren’t expecting to catch a glimpse of a small town that would look more at home in the mountains of Europe, but then again most people visiting Australia aren’t familiar with Hahndorf before they arrive. Tucked into the Adelaide Hills just a half-hour south of Adelaide itself, Hahndorf was settled by Lutherans and bears a strong resemblance to the homeland of Germany.