Sunshine and a chance of seafood

A waterfront wander is the perfect prelude to a Port Lincoln feast.

The dock in Port Lincoln normally sees far more fishing charter boats than cruise ships. The waters surrounding this laid-back South Australian town on the Eyre Peninsula are teeming with tuna, abalone, yellowtail kingfish and rock lobster, a bonanza for professional fishermen and daytrippers.

It's been said there are more millionaires per capita in Port Lincoln - population 14,500 - than anywhere else in Australia, thanks to the abundance of world's best seafood caught right here in its waters and destined for plates in Australia, Asia and beyond. The sea creatures attract plenty of great white sharks, who in turn attract tourists brave (or crazy) enough to sign up for shark cage diving tours, a popular once-in-a-lifetime thrill.

Today, there's a bigger vessel in the harbour. P&O Cruises' Pacific Explorer is on a Southern Explorer jaunt from Adelaide to Kangaroo Island, first stop Port Lincoln. The ship's 1500 passengers almost outnumber the locals at the town's waterfront area, several of whom give us a warm welcome as we disembark on a gorgeous sunny day.

Volunteers direct some passengers to wildlife, wine-tasting and sightseeing excursions, but for those of us with no plans, the advice is simple.

"Just head over to the yacht club," says one young woman. "They've got fresh Coffin Bay oysters, caught this morning."

It's as good a reason as any to start walking towards town. A wander along the waterfront reveals bright-coloured holiday cottages and a pub with white Adirondack chairs set out for patrons' use on a lawn facing Boston Bay. Local artisans have set up an outdoor makers' market in the garden of Hotel Boston, tempting us with original landscape photos, lavender pillows, smudge sticks and wooden jewellery.

We continue walking, this time past the statue of champion thoroughbred Makybe Diva on the harbour foreshore. The only horse to win three Melbourne Cups, the mare was owned by Port Lincoln tuna fisherman Tony Santic. He erected a life-size monument to the champion that brought home $14 million in prize winnings.

Working up an appetite for our seafood lunch, we next make a pitstop at Port Lincoln's Maritime Museum. It's dedicated to the life and workmanship of Axel Stenross, a Finnish ship's carpenter who arrived in Port Lincoln in 1927 to load grain for Europe and decided to stay.

The museum is run by volunteers and affords an interesting glimpse into life a century ago. Restored boats and maritime relics make it clear the conditions were tough - and the fishermen even tougher - for those first pioneers who arrived here to make a living, and in some cases, made a fortune.

P&O Cruises can take you to Port Lincoln from Adelaide as part of a four-night itinerary, or from Melbourne on a five-night cruise. See pocruises.com.au

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