Modern-day travellers increasingly choose where to stay, play and holiday based on where to eat and drink. Life in Port MacDonnell revolves around the Southern Ocean and its most prized local catch: lobster. Spend your morning doing a bit of physical graft – building sandcastles or checking out the little penguin colony – before settling in for lunch at Salt Cafe & Bar. Select a lobster live from the tank from Five Star Seafoods open during lobster season (October to May). Make the most of Port MacDonnell’s prime location and have breakfast seaside at Tide Espresso Bar.

Robe is a great starting point for your Southern Rock lobster pilgrimage along the Limestone Coast. Get your fix at The Dock at Sky Seafoods where, after taking a tour of the live lobster processing facility, you can select your own specimen and have it cooked to order. You can also join locals strolling in from the tanning salon (Long Beach) to inhale a prawn and crayfish sando on thick-cut milk bread at Drift Café. The drive to Robe from Adelaide is its own special pleasure: reward yourself with a leisurely lunch at Sails at Robe.

Coffin Bay oysters are famed around the world. Head to the Coffin Bay Oyster Farm for a wading tour and oyster-tasting experience while wading in the waters of Coffin Bay, glass of bubbly in hand. Coffin Bay Marron won a delicious. Produce Award for the quality of its freshwater crayfish. You can try this seasonal delicacy at Oyster HQ. Meanwhile, Coffin Bay Yacht Club wows for its whiting and chips.

Road-trippers with a penchant for fresh seafood will always factor in a pit stop in Port Lincoln. But the coastal town is now on the map for pastries worth crossing the Eyre Peninsula for. Michelin-trained French-born chef Marvin Lattrez and his wife Grace opened L’Anse French Patisserie in 2018 and it went on to win Best Croissant in Australia. The pâtisserie also showcases a slew of French-influenced pastries and serves a cracking bottomless brunch.

Visit a few of South Australia’s best winery restaurants before rolling toward Aldinga Beach, less than an hour from Adelaide. Spend the morning snorkelling in the Aldinga Reef Aquatic Reserve before returning for a bowl of spicy udon noodles at Southeast Asian kitchen and bar The Little Rickshaw. Those chasing ocean views and future-friendly seafood should plump for dinner at Pearl Restaurant, before knocking on coastal cellar door Big Easy Radio for boutique wine and local music.

Port Willunga Beach features in Lonely Planet’s Best Beaches Australia for its rugged headlands, honeyed cliffs and hidden fishermen’s caves sheltered from the howling southerlies. The Star of Greece restaurant is named in honour of the SS Star of Greece, wrecked in a storm off Port Willunga in 1888. Enjoy a lazy stroll along the beach at low tide to see the bony ribs of the three-masted iron ship before tucking into local Szechuan pepper squid and crispy battered whiting and chips.

Road-trippers chasing the quiet of a coastal town should plant themselves in the Fleurieu Peninsula for a few days. The South Australian beach town of Victor Harbor draws visitors to its shores during the annual whale-watching season. But Victor Harbor is more than just a destination for day-trippers; it’s also one of the best regional towns for eating and drinking in South Australia. Hang out at Planted Coffee House to feel the pulse of the local community; head to The Original Fish and Chip Shop for crumbed butterfish in a bun; the Anchorage for a pub feed; and Nino’s for crowd-pleasing pizzas and pasta.

Goolwa PipiCo in Port Elliott is at the forefront of the pipi industry in Australia. Pick up a kilogram of hand-harvested pipis from Santass Seafoods or pop into Kuti Shack for pipis served with sourdough and housemade chilli jam. Head to Crisp for pizza and Salt at the Elliott where the menu is peppered with locally sourced produce. Port Elliott Bakery is prized for its flaky pies. And The Flying Fish is our pick for fresh seafood with a view.

The Eyre Peninsula is known as Australia’s seafood frontier. Enjoy the best of seafood and sea views while bouncing along the renowned Eyre Peninsula Seafood Frontier Road Trip until you land in Streaky Bay. Linger over lunch at Drift, anchored to the Streaky Bay waterfront, with the signature Beach Bum Seafood Platter. And indulge in oysters plucked from the pristine waters off Streaky Bay at Evans Oysters.

Here’s a great idea: grab some of your mates and travel in convoy along the South Australian coast from Henley Beach, Adelaide, until you reach the charming seaside town of Kingston. Home to Larry, The Big Lobster, Kingston SE is one of the best towns to visit over summer in Australia. Lacepede Seafood is the perfect spot to enjoy fish and chips in the salty air. The Royal Mail Hotel also pushes the envelope with elite pub classics like salt and pepper squid and Thai duck leg red curry.