Visiting the Matthew Flinders Lookout in Port Augusta, Australia

jana meerman matthew flinders lookout australia-04

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.

As we passed across South Australia, heading towards the infamous Nullarbor region, we stopped at the Matthew Flinders Red Cliff Lookout just north of Port Augusta.

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.

How to Get to the Matthew Flinders Lookout

The Matthew Flinders Red Cliff Lookout is just north of Port Augusta inside the Australian Arid Lands Botanic Garden.

By car: The easiest way - as with everything in Australia - to reach the lookout is with your own wheels. Visiting the lookout is free and there is free parking, as well. This is the exact location of the lookout on Google Maps. You might even spot kangaroos on the drive up to the lookout through the Botanic Garden.

By public transport: There is currently no public transport all the way to the lookout. Port Adelaide is serviced by Greyhound buses from Adelaide, a journey of about four hours. From the truck stop where the Greyhound stops, it's about an hour and 15 minutes on foot or ten minutes by car.

By guided tour: There are no day trips or guided tours to the lookout, but it is included as a stop on this multi-day tour from Uluru down to Adelaide!

Visiting the Matthew Flinders Lookout

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.

→ This is the exact location of the lookout on Google Maps.

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Jana Meerman

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.

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