If you ask someone why they want to visit the Eyre Peninsula, our wild landscapes are probably one of the main reasons! It’s big nature out here, from the pristine beaches to the rough-around-the-edges outback. It’s a rich and varied environment, and it gets wilder the further you roam.
Venture beyond the tourist trail and discover private islands and hidden gems or visit some of the well-loved locations.
Some of our national parks are well-known – like the stunning Coffin Bay National Park, with its sandy white beaches (we’re looking at you, Almonta), 4WD tracks, walking trails and windswept cliffs. With some sealed roads, parts of it are also easily accessible. Nearby, the Lincoln National Park has its own sand dunes at Wanna, and Memory Cove with its limited daily capacity is a special place to visit. Inland you’ll find the ancient Gawler Ranges, with its unique rock formations caused by volcanic activity millions of years ago and early pioneer history. Explore the Organ Pipes and chase waterfalls at Kolay Mirica Falls, when the rains have been. Lake Gairdner, the epic salt lake surrounded by red earth north of the Gawlers, is a pretty surreal experience when you stand in the lake’s centre and the horizon seems to disappear!
Some of the lesser-known parks are worth a visit as well, though. The Lake Newland Conservation Park near Elliston is the most extensive wetland on the Eyre Peninsula and is surrounded by coastal dunes. It’s also near Walker’s Rock beach! Fowler’s Bay Conservation Park boasts some great remote surf fishing, as well as plenty of bird watching opportunities. Spy sea lions at Point Labatt Conservation Park, follow the walk around ‘the Point’ in the Venus Bay Conservation Park, or take a tour out to the Neptune Islands Conservation Park to cage-dive with sharks.
There’s so much to see and explore outside of the parks too – and plenty of great places for the kids to run around and discover. Whaler’s Way near Port Lincoln can be accessed via a permit (online or via the Port Lincoln Visitor Information Centre) and is definitely on the wild side. Rugged cliffs, spectacular views and beautiful rock pools (beware the waves and tides) make for an excellent day out.
Rock hop your way around Wudinna on the Eyre Highway, making stops at Pildappa with its impressive wave formation and climbing to the top of Mount Wudinna for views to the ranges. Keep with the rock theme and visit the amusingly named Murphy’s Haystacks near Streaky Bay – named after a Scottish visitor thought they were haystacks in a paddock! It’s just a gold coin donation.
And we can’t talk about natural wonders without mentioning Lake MacDonnell, our (usually) pink lake near Penong, the many, many rock pools dotted along the coast (Greenly Beach and Point Brown are two notable ones) and the breath-taking Talia Cave. Be careful at this location, especially if you’re planning on walking to the back of the cave – we don’t recommend it.
If you really want to get away from it all, you can always stay at Flinders Island and pretend you’re the owner of your very own private island.
