The Eyre Peninsula is a triangular-shaped peninsula jutting southwards into the Great Australian Bight in South Australia. It's situated between Adelaide and the Nullarbor and is, in my opinion, an area that isn't talked about nearly enough on Australian itineraries and totally should be.
We're currently living full-time in our campervan, a 2018 Mercedes Sprinter, and exploring Australia, with a plan of "driving the lap" (completing the entire perimeter of the country). I first visited Australia in 2019, following the classic backpacker route, mostly visiting big cities, staying in hostels and traveling by public transport. This time, with the freedom of our campervan, we're trying to hit the lesser known spots and go slower.
We explored the Eyre Peninsula after crossing the Nullarbor and greatly enjoyed the slow pace, the gorgeous beaches, the wildlife (including our first wild koala!) and the good food.
For thousands of years, the Nauo, Barngarla, Wirangu, Mirning and Kokatha people have lived on the Eyre Peninsula, long before the first Europeans (the Dutch) arrived in 1627. The next European contact was in 1802 when Matthew Flinders mapped and named many parts of this coastline in the HMS Investigator, including Port Lincoln named for his home county of Lincolnshire, England.
In the 1800s, the area was a popular whaling, sealing and fishing area but did not last long due to over-fishing. Port Lincoln was considered in 1836 for the capital of South Australia but Adelaide was chosen for its better water supply. Permanent settlers arrived in Port Lincoln in 1839 and the peninsula was opened for farming and iron mining, especially at Hummock Hill, which would supply most of the Australian steel used in the Second World War.
Today, the Eyre Peninsula is home to about 60,000 people working primarily in agriculture, fishing and mining.
We first visited the Eyre Peninsula in December 2025 and returned in March 2026 and updated the original post with all the new things we did. This post was first published on 7 December 2025; last updated 24 March 2026.
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Below is some useful information for preparing for your trip to the Eyre Peninsula. In all cases, please be sure to check with the relevant local authorities for the latest and accurate information.
Language: The official language of Australia is English. In the Eyre Peninsula, the traditional language of the Nauo, Barngarla, Wirangu, Mirning and Kokatha people is primarily Barngarla, although Wirangu and Nawu are also spoken.
→ Learn more about the language of the Eyre Peninsula Aboriginals.
Currency: The currency used in Australia is the Australian dollar, denoted as AUD $. I use a Wise account when I travel which allows me to have a single, free account with multiple currencies. I only have to pay once to convert my money in the app and then I can pay in AUD $!
→ Check the latest currency conversion between AUD $ and your local currency.
Data/WiFi: Before you arrive, I recommend purchasing an eSim on your phone so that you can access data the moment you land. eSims are much more convenient as it means you don't have to put a separate physical Sim into your phone. AirAlo offers great deals for eSims of various data sizes and time lengths with Optus.
→ Load an international eSim on your phone with AirAlo.
If you are visiting Australia long term, you might wish to put a physical Sim in your phone as AirAlo is geared more towards short term visitors on holiday. This way you can access a local phone plan. There are three main mobile phone network providers in Australia: Telstra, Optus and Vodafone. Telstra has the best coverage across the country whereas Optus and Vodafone are good within cities. I recommend Telstra as it means you have the best coverage while you travel around the country, especially in rural areas.
There are free WiFi hotspots across the Eyre Peninsula supported by the South Australian Tourism Commission in partnership with Telstra.
Visa: All passport holders except New Zealand require a visa to visit Australia. All arrivals must fill out an Australian arrival card before landing.
→ Check which visa you need for Australia.
Time of year to visit: Australia can be visited all year-round. The Eyre Peninsula, located between the Nullarbor and Adelaide in South Australia, can get very hot in the summer and cool in the winter months. I recommend visiting in spring (September-November) or autumn (March-May) for pleasant, sunny days. Winter is best for whale watching season (June-September).
Length of stay: Across two visits, we spent a week in the Eyre Peninsula exploring Port Lincoln, checking out the beautiful beaches, eating good food and spotting wildlife.
By flight: The closest major airport is in Adelaide, a seven-hour drive from Port Lincoln.
COMING SOON → Check out my complete guide to visiting Adelaide!
There is also a smaller regional airport in Port Lincoln which connects to Adelaide. You could fly into Adelaide and transfer to a smaller flight to Port Lincoln, the ideal base for exploring the Eyre Peninsula.
By car: If you're driving around the country as we are in our campervan, then the easiest way to get to the Eyre Peninsula is with your own wheels. This gives you the freedom to explore at your own pace, stopping whenever and wherever you like.
→ If you don't have your own car, you can rent one in Adelaide or Port Lincoln.
You might want to start in Adelaide as your base for renting a campervan to explore Australia.
→ Rent a campervan in Adelaide with Apollo, Camplify, Indie or Juicy.
By bus: Stateliner runs an extensive coach route between Adelaide, Port Pirie, Port Augusta, Whyalla, Port Lincoln and Ceduna, with multiple smaller stops in between.
By guided tour: Once you reach Port Lincoln, there are a number of guided tours available to help you explore the peninsula.
Eyre Highway, near Port Augusta
The Eyre Peninsula is located in South Australia, between the Nullarbor and Adelaide.
By car: Of course, the easiest way to explore is with your own wheels. We are traveling around the entire country in our campervan for a year and it gives so much freedom to get around.
→ If you don't have your own car, you can rent one in Adelaide or Port Lincoln.
If you don't have a car, my best recommendation would be to base yourself in Port Lincoln, the main town of the region, and do day trips from there. You could take a Stateliner coach which runs between Adelaide, Port Pirie, Port Augusta, Whyalla, Port Lincoln and Ceduna, with multiple smaller stops in between, making it a great way to explore the peninsula with public transport.
By guided tour: From Port Lincoln, there are a number of guided tours available to help you explore the peninsula.
Stateliner coach route on the Eyre Peninsula
Hotel: Not traveling by campervan? Visiting from nearby Adelaide? Driving in a car? Whatever your reason for needing a place to stay, there are some great accommodation options in the Eyre Peninsula.
→ Check out places to stay to suit your budget and accommodation type.
Camping: We are driving "the lap" around Australia, exploring the country in our campervan. As with the rest of Australia, South Australia permits freedom camping on designated sites. These sites can vary greatly; some offer a variety of facilities such as toilets, trash bins, picnic tables, outdoor cooking stations and others have none of this and might simply be a pull-out on the side of the road.
The best way to find legal freedom camping spots is to use an app. We use Wikicamps Australia, a cheap app that has every single amenity listed (both free and paid) that you might need on the road. This includes things like where to fill up fresh water, where to dump grey water, where to empty toilets, where to stay, gas stations, information points and also has suggestions for things to do as you go.
→ Download the Wikicamps Australia app.
There are a few spots for freedom camping in the Eyre Peninsula, as well as a number of paid options. We visited the Eyre Peninsula on two different visits and stayed about a week in the area and found a few fantastic free campgrounds to stay at.
Free campsites on the Eyre Peninsula
In Ceduna, at the top left of the triangle, we stayed at Thick Trees free campground before starting the Nullarbor.
Thick Trees Camp
Sunset over Ceduna
In Port Lincoln, on the bottom of the triangle and the main city on the Eyre Peninsula, we stayed at two different free campgrounds: the Wheatsheaf Hotel, where you can park for free on the grass out back in exchange for a meal, and at Moonlight Bay, a beautiful free spot right on the beach at the end of a dirt road.
Wheatsheaf Hotel
Moonlight Bay
Sunrise from the van
Near Whyalla, on the top right of the triangle, we stayed at Fitzgerald Bay, right on the beach. Drive carefully between former Australian defence grounds where big signs warn of possible unexploded bombs in the grounds to the peaceful Fitzgerald Bay. Kangaroos abound, gorgeous sunsets await and the water is bright blue and warm for swimming.
Fitzgerald Bay
We had some really yummy meals throughout our time in the Eyre Peninsula. I've put them in geographical order from the top left of the triangle in Ceduna, down to the bottom of the triangle in Port Lincoln, to the top right of the triangle in Port Augusta.
Ceduna
I am vegetarian, but my boyfriend says these are some of the best oysters and fish'n'chips he's EVER had. A fantastic start or end to the Nullarbor crossing.
Coffin Bay
Continuing on with the seafood trend as it's definitely the thing to do while you're in the Eyre Peninsula, we visited Oyster HQ for their oysters which they farm right out front of their oceanfront deck. They also have a fantastic vegetarian menu available which was great for me and I dug into all sorts of yummy things.
The view from the restaurant overlooking their oysters
Port Lincoln
Just outside Port Lincoln is the stunning Teakle Wines vineyard which has an in-house restaurant. The Line & Label was one of the most delicious meals we had in Australia, featuring a set menu of local produce, much of which is grown in their own garden, alongside wine pairings from their label. The best part in my opinion? They offered a full vegetarian set menu with non-alcoholic pairings; we both agreed some of my drinks were even better than their wines, especially the lavender mocktail!
Port Augusta
Port Augusta is the meeting point of Australia; to the west you reach Perth, to the north you reach Uluru and Darwin, to the east you reach Sydney and to the south, Adelaide. It's the perfect city to crossover from one adventure to the next.
Make sure to fuel up here and also have a delicious Indian meal at Curries by Beard Brothers. The service was excellent and I can highly recommend the paneer butter masala, their fluffy butter naan and their creamy mango lassi. Yum!
Across two visits, we spent a week in the Eyre Peninsula exploring Port Lincoln, checking out the beautiful beaches, eating good food and spotting wildlife. There is so much to do in the peninsula, so here is everything we did to get you started.
I have written about them in geographical order from Ceduna in the top left, down to Port Lincoln on the bottom of the triangle, up to Whyalla and Port Augusta on the top right and then back across the top of the triangle to complete the loop.
Wander through Murphy's Haystacks
Murphy's Haystack is a field of powerful, pink granite inselberg (German for "island mountain") rock formations. They have stood here for more than 100,00 years and hold deep cultural significance for the Wirangu people of the land. It's especially beautiful here at golden hour and at sunset, when it feels like time stands still.
They are located on the Murphy family farm, but they allow visitors to come and enjoy the rocks, picnic in the fields and even camp here for a minimal fee. Entry is just $2 per person, payable in their honesty box at the entrance.
→ Check out the reel I made about visiting Murphy's Haystacks!
Watch the sunset from Cummings Monument Lookout
The Cummings Monument Lookout is an outstanding, wild part of the west side of the Eyre Peninsula. Overlooking dramatic cliffs onto the Southern Ocean, standing here with your hair whipping in the wind is incredible.
I can highly recommend it at sunset; there is a short walk up the hill from the car park to the cliff tops.
→ Check out the reel I made about watching sunset at Cummings Monument Lookout!
Take in the view (or swim!) at Drummond Swimming Rockpool
We didn't swim at here but we can definitely recommend the outstanding views overlooking Point Drummond. Concrete steps lead down off one side to a sheltered rockpool, perfect for swimming on a hot day.
It's a dirt road to get here but totally fine for 2WD (we managed very easily in our Mercedes Sprinter!).
The road to Drummond
Catch golden hour over Greenly Beach
Greenly Beach is a huge beach stretching softly around a curved bay. At the far end, you'll find pretty rock pools to swim in. From the parking lot, you can get a panoramic view over the whole bay, watching the waves gently lapping the golden sand. I can especially recommend visiting Greenly Beach at golden hour for gorgeous light.
See South Australia's prettiest beach
Okay, I haven't been to every beach in South Australia, but I can definitely say that Almonta Beach in Coffin Bay National Park is one of the most beautiful I have laid eyes on. Extraordinarily white sand stretches off around the bay while crystal clear green-blue water rolls over a shore lined with rock pools. I couldn't stop taking photos!
The best viewpoint of Almonta Beach is from Golden Island Lookout on the right side of the beach.
Spot a wild koala
If you're lucky, there is a spot in the far south of the Eyre Peninsula near Sleaford where wild koalas tend to hang out in the gum trees. This isn't guaranteed of course, because there are only a few hundred thousand koalas left in the wild and so seeing one is so special.
→ Check out the reel I made about spotting a wild koala in the Eyre Peninsula!
See Fishery Bay from Pelamis Point
Fishery Bay is such a photogenic, peaceful beach located on the very southern tip of the Eyre Peninsula. Popular with surfing, you can also drive a 4WD straight onto the beach.
My favourite viewpoint of the beach is just a bit further of a drive down to Pelamis Point where a super aesthetic wooden staircase takes you a little bit down the coast for amazing photo opportunities.
Check out Surfleet Cove
Surfleet Cove is a peaceful little beach in Lincoln National Park. We visited on a day when it was a bit overcast but when the weather is sunny, this place is the perfect spot for a quiet beach day.
It's also the starting point of the popular Stamford Hill hike, a 45-minute return trip overlooking Boston Bay and Port Lincoln.
Cuddle and feed animals at Glen Forest
After our incredible experience feeding and cuddling rescued animals in Western Australia, we kept our eyes open for more opportunities as we continued our travels.
Glen Forest Animal Park is just north of Port Lincoln home to some of Australia's most well-loved wildlife including kangaroos, emus, wombats, peacocks and koalas. Cuddling koalas and getting to hand-feed kangaroos was such a special memory. I can also highly recommend spending time in the aviary where the friendly birds might even land on your head or hands in search of treats!
I made a number of reels about our visit to Glen Forest:
Walk on the jetty in Tumby Bay
Walking on a jetty is such a classic thing to do in Australia - like in Busselton which is the longest jetty in the southern hemisphere.
Tumby Bay is a pretty little beach town with a long stretch of sand ideal for snorkeling and fishing off the wooden jetty.
Check out the Point Gibbon Sand Dunes
The Point Gibbon Sand Dunes are right on the water so not only are they a great photo spot and a place to go sandboarding, but also you can get right in the water and swim. You might get lucky and spot sea lions here, too.
See the view from Hummock Hill Lookout
The majority of steel produced by Australia for the Second World War came from Whyalla, so it's an important place in history! Hummock Hill Lookout offers great views over the steelworks and the jetty, as well as the ocean, and you can see the historical fortification defence guns, too.
Approximately 1.2 million tons of raw steel is still produced in the steelworks each year.
→ Book a tour through the Visitor's Centre to visit the operations and learn more.
Drive to the historic Point Lowly Lighthouse
First lit in 1883, this lighthouse stands at the end of Point Lowly just north of Whyalla with its own lighthouse keeper's cottage. It was made taller in 1902 to increase its range of light. In 1973, it became electric and no longer needed a keeper. There was a short period of time in 1993 when the light was turned off as the Australian Maritime Safety Authority did not see its necessity any longer, but the Whyalla City Council purchased it and turned it back on.
→ Book the lighthouse keeper's cottages for a peaceful escape on the coast.
See the view from Matthew Flinders Lookout
Port Augusta is known as the Crossroads of Australia as it the point where both the north-south highway connecting Adelaide to Darwin and the east-west highway connecting Sydney to Perth all intersect. It's a port city but also the gateway to the Flinders Rangers and Australia's infamous outback.
The Matthew Flinders Red Cliff Lookout is just north of Port Augusta inside the Australian Arid Lands Botanic Garden.
Matthew Flinders was a British Royal Navy Officer. Of course, far and away from being the first to "discover" Australia (the Aboriginals have been around for over 21,000 years and are the world's oldest culture), he was one of the first Europeans to circumnavigate the country and to use the name "Australia". He also sighted and documented the Flinders Ranges, a gorgeous red mountain range in South Australia, in 1802. This lookout looks straight over towards them.
You can simply enjoy the lookout at the parking lot or you can do the entire 1.4km easy loop for all the views. You can also stop in to visit the Botanic Garden, opened in 1996 and spread across more than 600 acres. Visiting the lookout is free and there is free parking, as well.
Make it Halfway Across Australia and see the Big Galah
Finishing the triangle of the Eyre Peninsula crosses from Port Augusta to Ceduna. Along this route is a sign marking the halfway point across the country, a fun photo stop in Kimba.
Make sure to stop at the roadhouse for a photo with a giant statue of a big galah, a pink and grey parrot, one of Australia's best birds. There is also a cafe and restaurant here if you're in need of a pick-me-up on the long drive.
Halfway Across Australia
The Big Galah
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Hi! I’m Jana, a Dutch-German-British-Canadian with a dream of seeing every country in the world. I am a storyteller, photographer and adventurer passionate about documenting and sharing my travels.
