South Australia
TRAVEL. OUR WAY. DISCOVER YOUR WILD SIDE!
Your adventure begins in Adelaide, one of Australia’s most elegant and laid-back cities. It’s also a city with a serious soft spot for great food and wine, and barely an hour outside of the city you’ll discover why: the Barossa and Clare Valley are right on the doorstep.
Follow the sun west and you’ll discover Yorke Peninsula – a holiday destination for generations of families who indulge in its beaches – and then you’re on the road to the fabled Eyre Peninsula.
Eyre is a region of untamed beauty that extends from Whyalla to Port Lincoln and Ceduna. From Ceduna you enter the Far West and the official start of the Nullarbor. The Eyre and Far West region is a beguiling mix of rugged beaches, coastal cliffs, ancient geological formations, epic wildlife and more than 100 National Parks – including the Nullarbor Wilderness Protection Area.
Don’t miss Eyre’s many hidden treasures. Stretch the legs with a hike at Carappee Hill, The Roora Trail and Hiltaba Nature Reserve. Discover ancient monoliths including Murphy’s Haystacks and Pildappa Rock with its wave formation. And for lovers of the Outback, the Gawler Ranges, with its vast landscapes, is a place to reconnect with nature – and yourself.
Eyre Peninsula is famous for its seafood, producing some of Australia’s finest. Take a detour along the Seafood Frontier Touring Route from Whyalla to Port Lincoln and Ceduna for the ultimate seafood safari – a mix of astonishing scenery and premium produce, including King George whiting, oysters, tuna, prawns, calamari, kingfish, lobster, abalone and mussels.
Wildlife? Of course! The region is teeming with all the Aussie classics – kangaroos, koalas, emus and wombats – while twitchers are spoiled for rare birdlife and large raptors including wedge tailed eagles and white bellied sea eagles.
Marine wildlife viewing is among the world’s best. Swim with dolphins, leafy sea dragons, sea lions and giant Australian cuttlefish (during winter). The Neptune Islands (off Port Lincoln) are famous for cage diving encounters with great white sharks; and during winter, whales are known to travel to the Nullarbor; they can be seen from Fowlers Bay, Head of Bight and off the Bunda Cliffs.
TOWN BY TOWN
- ADELAIDE TO PORT AUGUSTA:
- DETOUR: WHYALLA:
- DETOUR: SEAFOOD FRONTIER TOURING ROUTE:
Continue to Port Lincoln, the seafood capital of Australia. Swim with sea lions and cage-dive with great white sharks. Shuck oysters at Coffin Bay and dine on the world’s premium seafood. Follow the purple lollypop signs for the ultimate seafood safari. Continue to Ceduna and rejoin the Eyre Highway.
- NUTTBUSH RETREAT – PANDURRA STATION:
Located 40 kilometres west of Port Augusta, Pandurra Station has been owned by the Nutt family since 1895. They offer various styles of accommodation.
- THE GAWLER RANGES:
- IRON KNOB:
Iron Knob is synonymous with the early development of BHP and the birth of the Australian steel industry. Iron ore was discovered at Iron Knob in 1894.
- Mining Museum and mine lookout tours
- Gateway to the Gawler Ranges including Mt Ive Station and Lake Gairdner
- KIMBA:
Admire the amazing artwork on the local silos, browse the historical museum and camp at the award-winning Kimba recreational reserve.
- Kimba and the Gawler Ranges Historical Museum
- Silo Art
- The Big Galah and Halfway Across Australia Sign
- Workshop 26
- WUDINNA:
Wudinna has a relaxed Outback feel and good general services. The huge granite formations of Mount Wudinna and Turtle Rock are nearby.
- Australian Farmer Granite Sculpture
- Gawler Ranges Wilderness Safari tour
- Apex Park, Splash Pad and Jumping Pillow
- Wudinna Rocks Scenic Trail
- MINNIPA:
At Minnipa you’ll find plenty more rocky outcrops to explore. With its spectacular wave formation, Pildappa is great for a hike and sunsets. Continue along the Gawler Ranges scenic route, or onto Hiltaba Nature Reserve – a little known Outback paradise with abundant wildlife.
- Pildappa and Tcharkulda Rocks Scenic Route
- Guided tours of the Minnipa Agricultural Centre
- Gawler Ranges Scenic Route
- Camp and hike in Hiltaba Nature Reserve (also accessed from Wirrulla)
- DETOUR: WEST COAST BAYS:
A detour will allow you to explore beautiful bays of the Eyre Peninsula’s West Coast. Swim with sea lions at Baird Bay, enjoy the coastal vistas and drives around Venus Bay and Streaky Bay, and taste oysters at Smoky Bay.
- Murphy’s Haystacks
- Talia Caves and rock pools
- Swim with sea lions and dolphins at Baird Bay and visit Point Labatt
- The Westall Way and Cape Bauer driving loops
- Book an oyster farm tour with SA Premium Oysters at Smoky Bay
- CEDUNA:
The name Ceduna is a derivative of the Aboriginal word ‘Chedoona’ meaning ‘resting place’. Visit Ceduna Arts to purchase a masterpiece from some of Australia’s most talented Aboriginal artists and learn about the spiritual connection Aboriginal peoples have with the land. View deserttosea.com.au for Aboriginal tours and experiences. Visit the Ceduna Visitor Information Centre to pick up your Nullarbor links score card (and rent some clubs). This is your last major commercial hub so stock up on supplies.
- Ceduna Arts
- Pinky Point Lookout
- Ceduna National Trust Museum
- Goog’s Track (4WD only)
- PENONG:
Penong is home to dozens of working windmills, including ‘Bruce’, Australia’s biggest! Take a detour to visit the surf mecca of Cactus Beach and Lake MacDonnell (which turns pink when algae conditions are right). West of Penong, pull in at Scotesco to see the big wombat.
- Windmills of Penong
- Lake MacDonnell, Point Sinclair and Cactus Beach
- Scotesco big wombat
- FOWLERS BAY:
A former whaling station until 1843, Fowlers Bay is historic, picturesque and surrounded by sandhills. The stunning bay is a fantastic fishing spot and offers some of the best whale watching in Australia.
- Whale watching boat tours – (July to October)
- Sandboarding (BYO board)
- Jetty fishing and surf fishing (Mexican Hat and Scott’s Beach – 4WD access)
- DETOUR: MARALINGA:
In the 1950s the Aboriginal peoples who occupied the Western Desert Areas were forcibly removed when Maralinga became an atomic bomb testing site. Tours of Maralinga operate between April and October; advance booking required. Visit maralingatours.com.au
- Two Day/One Night – Self Drive and Camp Tour. From the Eyre Highway turn onto the Jacinth Ambrosia Mine Access Road. (Arrive the day before the tour)
- Full Day Maralinga Mysteries flying tour with Chinta Air Safaris
- YALATA:
After Fowlers Bay you’ll pass Yalata Indigenous Protection Area spanning over 458,000 hectares. The Yalata Community is closed to the public, a permit is required if venturing off the highway. The region has several (very popular) 4WD coastal camps with fantastic fishing. Campsites must be booked in advance. Visit yalata.com.au
- Camp and fish along the Yalata coast (advance permit required)
- Camp or Stay at the Yalata Caravan Park (cabins and campsites available)
- Buy Aboriginal art at the Yalata Roadhouse
- ‘Look out for camels, wombats and kangaroos’ sign, just past Yalata Roadhouse
- HEAD OF BIGHT:
- NULLARBOR ROADHOUSE:
From Head of Bight, you’ll enter the Nullarbor Wilderness Protection Area and the start of the Treeless Plain. Stay and play at the Nullarbor Roadhouse, explore the Murrawijinie Caves and take a scenic flight over Head of Bight and Bunda Cliffs.
- Scenic flight with Chinta Air Safaris
- Murrawijinie Caves
- Old Nullarbor Station
- THE NULLARBOR WILDERNESS PROTECTION AREA (WPA):
- WA/SA BORDER VILLAGE:
- Border Village International Signpost and ‘Rooey II’ statue
- Look for the dotted SA/WA border lines
- Wilson’s Bluff Lookout
- Plaque commemorating Eyre’s and Wylie’s Nullarbor crossing in 1840–41
