Sand in the coffin

Sand. I'm not sure who invented it but it gets everywhere right? I can remember times I've spent no more than a few moments on the sand and then, days or weeks later, have found sand still on me, in the most obscure of locations upon my body. It seems to just work its way into every crack and crevice doesn't it? It's a problem; Sand. I don't like it.

So...What could possibly cause me to actually seek it out yesterday, and drive my four wheel drive on it? Madness? A momentary loss of my faculties? The promise of donuts and coffee at the other end of the beach...Or just the thought of getting to places that most will never have the chance to see and experience. Well, the latter of course!

Coffin Bay National Park

Driving on sand in the National Park is unavoidable if one wants to get to the best spots; I mean camping, surfing, fishing or just the best views.

Of course, driving on sand requires a four wheel drive and some preparation. Fortunately I have one, and am prepared so...Onto the sand I went after airing-down my tyres to 18psi [from 40psi]. That's done to increase the tyres' footprint on the sand to help spread the vehicles load and allow the car to sort of float on the surface rather than cut down into the sand as fully-aired tyres do- That's impedes momentum and a vehicle can dig in.

I have had extensive experience driving on sand, understand the concepts and know what to do in certain circumstances, different types of sand and all. Getting bogged in sand can be soul-destroying and when the tide comes in? Yeah, well there goes a lot of money...I also have recovery tracks on board and a long-handled shovel in the advent of getting bogged. Still, I've seen people lose their vehicles to the ocean and so driving on sand needs to be done with extreme caution; I give it plenty of caution.

Below you can see what happens when a vehicle travels through soft sand - It digs in...High range second or third gear and momentum is the key...No brakes and no hard acceleration is what wins the day. Onward I went, my vehicle making easy work of the sand and once on the more compacted sand, nearer the waterline, it was easy-going.

The shot below is cool I think as I captured a little rainbow in the centre of shot which you may just be able to make out. Unfortunately the tide was out to there's not a lot of lovely blue water to photograph, although that made it easier to run on the sand. In the shot below you can actually see that the ocean comes right up to the shrubs so on high tide it would be impassable to vehicles.

Remote coastal scenery is the order of the day in the park and there's plenty of it if one has the means to get there. Of course, those with two-wheel drive vehicles can also visit the National Park, they are just a little more limited to only certain locations.

Yangie Bay, at the southern end of the park is one spot they can go to get a pretty good taste of the rugged and beautiful coastline - It's easily reached without a four wheel drive as the roads there are all paved. There's some decent bushwalking to be had there and it's a great lunchtime picnic spot. There's also a couple of lookouts, Point Avoid and Golden Island and the views are pretty special.

A high-clearance four wheel drive like mine is required to get to the northern beaches of the park where one will find amazingly pristine beaches, high cliffs, small sheltered bays, high sand dunes and surf beaches where the ocean pounds ashore with all its might.

This is where you'll find the hard core surfers and those who like a fishing challenge...It's also a well-renowned spot for bird watching and with some really nicely secluded campsites it's a popular spot for those wanting a little more adventure and who have the means to get there and back safely.

I only had the day in the park and so wasn't able to get around to all of it, it's just so vast and beach driving isn't like driving on the blacktop; It takes a lot more time to do it right and getting it wrong isn't something I was keen on. There was still plenty to see though and I stopped to take a walk now and then. The breeze, the ocean...No people. Perfect.

There's something nice about wandering on a beach looking for things that have washed up...I was hoping to find a treasure but it wasn't to be...Just sand and various sea creatures left high and dry by the tide. There were no mermaids either.

The weather was reasonably cool being only about 19°C with a bit of a breeze but the sun had some warmth in it. The rain held off except for a shower just after lunch - It didn't bother me though, it's all part of the adventure right? I went deeper into the park, further away from the more easily-reached places and then...Yep, no people! Glorious.

Having said the no people thing I still found creatures! I found this little dude just siting out on a rock catching some rays and taking in the view. I stopped for a chat, asked the little dude what's up but he wasn't in the talking mood...Because he was actually dead, the poor little bugger. I left him to his contemplations.

Before long it was time to turn around and make my way back to civilisation. Beach driving is something that has to be planned out generally - It's those tides you know. Getting caught in the wrong place at the wrong time will almost always prove costly, either in a lost vehicle or in time and I wanted neither. So back towards Coffin Bay I went.

I was pretty happy with the way the day worked out...Even despite the sand...I had to ignore the little bit that got into the footwell of my Landcruiser...But, yeah I'll be honest, the moment I had the chance I stopped off at a car wash and vacuumed it out. Come on, did you expect anything else? I mean, my OCD would never let me leave it in there for a moment longer than it had to be.

That done it was back to camp for a late afternoon snack of bacon and egg toasted sandwiches...Come on folks, sand driving brings a man-sized hunger you know!

Oh, just in case you're wondering...A little later during a shower sand was found in the most unlikely of places...It was dealt with though and I'm hoping not to find anymore.

_{Coffin Bay is 687 kilometres from Adelaide, the capital city of South Australia, just on the eastern edge of the Great Australian Bight. It has a population of only 612 people and is notable for its oysters and beaches. Coffin Bay National Park is a couple of kilometres from the small town.}