A PUSH to keep travellers in town for another day or two has paid off, with the Ceduna crab competition growing each year.
The annual competition, run by the Ceduna Business and Tourism Association and in its fifth year, encourages locals and visitors to partake in a Ceduna tradition – crabbing.
Last year there were 120 individual registrations and 400 crabs measured, with the competition won by Shane Pittaway, who caught a 179 millimetre blue swimmer crab.
The competition runs from January 1 to Easter Monday, and up for grabs are fortnightly and monthly prizes, as well as a grand prize that includes accommodation in Ceduna and vouchers for products and experiences such as a swimming with sharks.
Tourism and events officer Annette Plane said local businesses had supported the event by encouraging visitors to have a go at crabbing.
“Most accommodation places have crab pots that visitors can borrow, and it’s pretty easy to catch crabs from the Ceduna and Denial Bay jetties,” she said.
While crabbing is a popular pastime, the area is better known as the oyster capital of Australia, and Ceduna celebrates the oyster industry with the annual Ceduna Oysterfest.
The event, held from September 28 to 30, is an Eyre Peninsula institution which incorporates local seafood and produce with food stalls, cooking demonstrations, live music, kids activities, competitions and markets.