Beaches
Wild & Empty Coast
The best beaches in Eyre Peninsula
From the turquoise calm of Coffin Bay to the booming Southern Ocean surf at Locks Well, the Eyre Peninsula has some of the most beautiful and least crowded beaches in the country. Expect squeaky white sand, granite headlands and the very real chance you will have the whole bay to yourself.
Few coastlines in Australia rival the Eyre Peninsula for sheer, uncrowded beauty. Hundreds of kilometres of white sand curve between Whyalla and the Great Australian Bight, ranging from glassy, family-safe bays to wild Southern Ocean surf beaches where you may not see another soul.
The sheltered eastern gulf beaches around Tumby Bay and Cowell offer calm, shallow water ideal for swimming and wading, while the rugged west coast near Elliston and Streaky Bay throws up towering cliffs, granite headlands and powerful breaks. Inside Coffin Bay and Lincoln national parks, four-wheel-drive tracks open onto squeaky-white sand and turquoise shallows.
Many beaches double as fishing, surfing and wildlife spots - sea lions haul out, dolphins patrol the shallows and ospreys nest on the cliffs. Pack supplies, check tides and conditions, and remember that remote beaches have no services. Summer brings warm swimming, while autumn and spring deliver calm, clear days perfect for exploring the coast.
Browse beaches by area
56 places
Almonta Beach
A dazzling white-sand and turquoise beach deep inside Coffin Bay National Park, often ranked among South Australia's most beautiful.
Anxious Bay
A wide, swell-magnet bay at Elliston with a famous surf break and the offshore Waldegrave Islands on the horizon.
Arno Bay Foreshore & Estuary
A laid-back coastal town with a tidal estuary boardwalk, safe swimming beach and a jetty over Spencer Gulf.
Blackfellows
Elliston's premier reef break, a powerful left-hander that draws experienced surfers to the edge of Anxious Bay.
Cactus Beach
A Legendary Surf Pilgrimage
A remote, world-renowned surf break south of Penong, home to the famous Cactus, Castles and Caves waves.
Cape Bauer Loop & Whistling Rocks
Blowholes that whistle, cliffs that roar
A 38 km scenic loop from Streaky Bay out to the cliffs of Cape Bauer, where boardwalks lead to the Whistling Rocks and blowholes above the heaving Southern Ocean.
Ceduna Foreshore & Jetty
The last big jetty before the Nullarbor
Ceduna's foreshore and long jetty front the sheltered waters of Murat Bay - a place to swim, fish and watch the sun drop before (or after) the long drive west.
Coffin Bay National Park
Dunes, Surf Beaches & Sheltered Bays
A wild peninsula of windswept dunes, hidden bays and Southern Ocean surf beaches, much of it accessible only by four-wheel drive.
Cowell Jetty
A long heritage jetty over the calm waters of Franklin Harbour at Cowell, a favourite for fishing and gulf sunsets.
Davenport Creek
Mangroves, white dunes and a creek full of fish
A remote tidal creek 40 km west of Ceduna where the most westerly mangroves in South Australia wind through white dunes - a local secret for fishing, swimming and camping.
Donington Beach
A sheltered, shallow swimming beach near the tip of Lincoln National Park, with calm clear water and granite headlands.
Farm Beach
A working beach near Coffin Bay famous for the line of vintage tractors used to launch fishing boats across the sand.
Fishery Bay
A Southern Surf Stalwart
A long, exposed surf beach near Whalers Way, one of the most consistent and well-loved breaks in the Port Lincoln area.
Fishery Bay Lookout
A clifftop vantage over the wild surf and pale sand of Fishery Bay, south of Port Lincoln.
Fitzgerald Bay
A long, calm beachfront north of Point Lowly lined with shacks and camping spots, popular for fishing and gulf sunsets.
Fowlers Bay
A whaling port being slowly swallowed by sand
A tiny, historic far-west settlement where enormous white dunes tower over the old jetty, and southern right whales cruise the bay through winter.
Greenly Beach
Granite, Swell & Empty Sand
A spectacular west-coast surf beach framed by granite boulders and looking out to Greenly Island, beloved by surfers and photographers.
Gunyah Beach
A vast sweep of dune-backed sand on the ocean side of Coffin Bay National Park, famous for its towering mobile dunes.
Hally Beach & Cape Bauer Loop
A coastal drive loop west of Streaky Bay linking sheltered Hally Beach with the dramatic blowholes and cliffs of Cape Bauer.
Haslam Jetty
A quiet little jetty at the tiny settlement of Haslam, fronting calm water ideal for fishing and sunsets.
Lincoln National Park
Headlands, Bays & Memory Cove
A rugged coastal park just south of Port Lincoln, with sheltered swimming bays, dramatic headlands and the protected Memory Cove Wilderness.
Lipson Cove
A turquoise cove with its own island
A perfect crescent of white sand and turquoise water north of Tumby Bay, with low-cost camping behind the beach and a seabird island you can walk toward at low tide.
Little Douglas Beach
A small, sheltered swimming beach on the edge of Coffin Bay village, with calm water ideal for young families.
Locks Well Beach
Salmon, Surf & 280 Steps
A dramatic surf beach south of Elliston, famous as one of the best beach salmon-fishing spots in the state - reached by a long clifftop staircase.
Beaches in Eyre Peninsula - frequently asked questions
What is the Eyre Peninsula known for when it comes to beaches?
The Eyre Peninsula is known for squeaky white sand, granite headlands and hundreds of kilometres of uncrowded coastline running from the gulf country down to the Great Australian Bight. It spans two distinct moods - sheltered, turquoise, family-safe bays like those around Coffin Bay, and wild Southern Ocean surf beaches such as Locks Well and Anxious Bay where you may not see another soul.
Which are the best beaches to visit on the Eyre Peninsula?
For calm swimming and sheer beauty it is hard to beat Almonta Beach and Gunyah Beach in Coffin Bay National Park, which have some of the whitest sand in the region, while the bays of Lincoln National Park offer crystal-clear, sheltered water. For wild scenery head to Locks Well near Elliston or Woolshed Cave at Talia, and for world-class surf, Cactus Beach at Point Sinclair and Anxious Bay are the standouts.
Do I need to pay to enter the national park beaches like Coffin Bay?
Yes, beaches inside Coffin Bay National Park and Lincoln National Park require a vehicle entry fee, which must be booked online at parks.sa.gov.au before you arrive. The fee is waived if you book a campground in the park, and frequent visitors can buy a single-park or multi-park annual pass. Beaches outside the parks, such as Perlubie and Locks Well, are free to access.
Which Eyre Peninsula beaches are safe for swimming and good for families?
The sheltered eastern gulf beaches and protected bays are the safe choice - Coffin Bay township, Almonta Beach and the northern and eastern bays of Lincoln National Park have calm, shallow, family-friendly water. Take care on the exposed Southern Ocean surf beaches like Locks Well, Anxious Bay and Cactus Beach, which have strong currents and rips and are not patrolled, so several are not safe for swimming.
When is the best time of year to visit the Eyre Peninsula's beaches?
Summer (December to February) brings the warmest weather and the calmest swimming conditions, with sea temperatures peaking around 19 to 21 degrees in late summer and early autumn, though it is also the busiest period during school holidays. Spring and autumn are quieter and still pleasant for walking and exploring, while surfers often favour the winter swells at Cactus Beach and the salmon runs that draw anglers to Locks Well from June to August.