In the early morning, the tuna boats return one by one into Boston Bay, escorted by screeching gulls. On the pontoons, dripping crates are unloaded while the waterfront cafés fire up their machines. Port Lincoln lives from the sea and makes no secret of it: the small town on the Eyre Peninsula, in South Australia, claims the title of Australia's seafood capital and has the largest fishing fleet in the country.

A jetty on the doorstep of downtown

Ships dock at Brennan Jetty, next to downtown; depending on the cruise line, a short shuttle or a ten- to fifteen-minute walk along the shore leads to Tasman Terrace, the main street. The bay that opens in front of the town ranks among the largest natural harbours in the world, deep enough to welcome the largest ships and calm enough for the sea farms that dot its waters.

The tuna fisherman's mare

On the esplanade, a bronze statue intrigues passers-by: Makybe Diva, the mare that won the Melbourne Cup, the country's greatest horse race, three times. Her owner, a local tuna fisherman, named her by combining the first letters of the first names of five employees of his company. The story is amusing and sums up the spirit of the place: here, even horse-racing legends are born on the docks.

Australia's pantry

The main business of the port call takes place at the table and on the water. Cruises depart from the dock to the fish farms, accessible almost all year round in the sheltered waters, where you watch the crews at work before tasting the produce. The must-tries of the local seafood bounty include:

• southern bluefin tuna, served as sashimi of absolute freshness;
• yellowtail kingfish, raised in the cold waters of the bay;
• mussels and oysters from the region, including those from Coffin Bay, about 45 minutes away by road, renowned throughout Australia, which some growers even let you taste standing in the water, waders provided;
• rock lobster and king prawns landed by the local fleet.

The waterfront restaurants put together platters that showcase this abundance, paired with wines from the peninsula's vineyards.

Nature on the scale of the bay

Outdoor lovers are spoiled for choice. Lincoln National Park, half an hour away by road, unfurls deserted coves and dunes facing a still-wild ocean; emus and kangaroos cross the tracks unhurriedly, and the coastal lookouts overlook waters of striking clarity. Some excursions offer swimming with sea lions in a nearby bay, a playful, supervised encounter that leaves unforgettable memories. As for cage diving with great white sharks, a world-famous local specialty, it requires a full day at sea and a long enough port call; check with the ship before dreaming about it too much.

The town at dock level

The town can be explored without a car: a modest but heartfelt maritime museum tells the story of the Scandinavian shipwrights who built the first fleets, and galleries and shops cluster around Tasman Terrace. The peninsula's dry climate makes walking pleasant almost all year round, and the sunsets over Boston Bay rank among the most beautiful in southern Australia.

At departure, the sea farms file past the hull, their buoys lined up like rows of vines on the water. You leave Port Lincoln with your palate still marked by the lunchtime sashimi, convinced you have visited a port that feeds a continent without ever taking itself too seriously.