Lucky Bay

Shack life

Lucky Bay is what South Australian summer holidays used to look like everywhere: about 135 shacks strung along a three-kilometre sand spit on the western shore of Spencer Gulf, a short drive north-east of Cowell. Generations of families have decamped here every January for the same unhurried routine — swim, fish, crab, repeat.

Calm water

The beach is the drawcard. The bay shelves gently and the water is calm, clear and safe for children, with fine white sand underfoot. In the warmer months the shallows produce blue swimmer crabs for anyone with a rake and a bucket, and boats launch easily for whiting and snapper grounds further out. A vehicle ferry across the gulf to Wallaroo has operated from a purpose-built terminal here at various times, though the service is currently suspended.

Slow down

There is a campground and a handful of shacks available to rent, but no shops to speak of — stock up in Cowell, 16 km away, where the town jetty and bakery round out the classic east-coast itinerary. Lucky Bay is not a place you do things; it is a place you stop doing them.