Wildlife & Nature
Where the Wild Things Are
The best wildlife & nature in Eyre Peninsula
Swim with sea lions and dolphins at Baird Bay, watch Australia's largest mainland sea lion colony haul out at Point Labatt, spot wild koalas at Mikkira Station and dive into the world's only mass cuttlefish aggregation at Whyalla. The Eyre Peninsula is one of the great wildlife encounters in Australia.
The Eyre Peninsula is one of the best places in Australia to get genuinely close to wild animals. Off Port Lincoln you can swim with wild sea lions and dolphins, dive in a cage alongside great white sharks, or watch tuna and giant cuttlefish in their natural habitat — the Whyalla cuttlefish aggregation is a globally significant winter spectacle.
On land, the parks teem with life. Emus and kangaroos graze the Gawler Ranges, ospreys and sea eagles nest along the cliffs, and rare southern hairy-nosed wombats burrow inland. At Point Labatt, one of Australia's only mainland Australian sea lion colonies lounges on the rocks below the lookout, while the Head of Bight hosts southern right whales between roughly May and October.
Much of this wildlife is protected within national and conservation parks, so come prepared and keep a respectful distance. Combine sightings with the region's walking trails and beaches for days that move easily between encounters. Winter is prime for whales and cuttlefish; summer suits sea lions and seabirds.
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62 places
Hummock Hill Lookout
A panoramic WWII-era lookout above Whyalla, sweeping over Spencer Gulf, the steel city and the Middleback Ranges.
Kellidie Bay Conservation Park
A sheltered tidal bay and mangrove wetland on the edge of Coffin Bay, rich in birdlife and walking trails.
Kolay Mirica Falls
A series of stepped rock pools and seasonal cascades over volcanic rock in the Gawler Ranges, ringed by ancient ironbark.
Lake Gairdner National Park
A salt lake the size of a small country
Australia's third-largest salt lake — 160 km of blinding white salt ringed by red dunes north of the Gawler Ranges, and the venue for Speed Week land-speed racing.
Lake Gilles Conservation Park
A wild expanse of salt lake, mallee and granite between Cowell and Kimba, with rich arid-country wildlife.
Lake Newland Conservation Park
The Eyre Peninsula's biggest wetland, hidden behind dunes
A 38 km coastal park north of Elliston where a 20 km saline lake — the peninsula's most extensive wetland — hides behind giant dunes, alive with waterbirds.
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.
Memory Cove
A Wilderness Named in Grief
A pristine white-sand cove in a strictly protected wilderness area, named by Matthew Flinders for the crew he lost here in 1802.
Mikkira Station
Wild Koalas Under the Manna Gums
A historic sheep station where wild koalas doze in the manna gums — one of the few places on the Eyre Peninsula to see them in the wild.
Mount Greenly
A rugged granite peak inland from Coffin Bay, rewarding a steep scramble with sweeping coastal views.
Needle Eye Lookout
A dramatic clifftop lookout near Venus Bay where the ocean carves the limestone into arches and stacks.
Organ Pipes Lookout
A wall of ancient volcanic rhyolite columns in Gawler Ranges National Park, formed over 1.5 billion years ago.
Parnkalla Trail
Boston Bay, one footstep at a time
A shoreline walking trail tracing the curve of Boston Bay through Port Lincoln — first landing site, beaches, marina and headlands, with the city never far away.
Pinkawillinie Conservation Park
A large mallee wilderness north-west of Wudinna, one of the peninsula's biggest tracts of untouched scrub.
Point Avoid
A dramatic clifftop lookout in Coffin Bay National Park with views over Golden Island, surf-pounded reefs and frequent whale sightings in season.
Point Labatt Sea Lion Colony
Australia's Largest Mainland Sea Lion Colony
A clifftop lookout above a permanent colony of Australian sea lions — the largest mainland breeding colony of this endangered species.
Point Lowly Lighthouse
A heritage lighthouse and keeper's cottages on a narrow spit east of Whyalla, gateway to the famous cuttlefish snorkelling.
Point Sinclair & Cactus Beach Surf
A world-renowned trio of surf breaks at remote Point Sinclair near Penong, drawing pilgrims to Castles, Caves and Cactus.
Polda Rock
A granite outcrop and historic catchment reserve near Wudinna, with a short walk, spring wildflowers and a heritage rock-water dam.
Port Gibbon
Beach camping where the grain ships once called
A tiny seaside settlement south of Cowell with beachfront camping, the remains of an old jetty, resident dolphins and the occasional sea lion hauled out at the point.
Searcy Bay
A scenic bay near Sceale Bay framed by rugged cliffs and offshore islands, with sweeping coastal views and quiet beaches.
Speeds Point
A sheltered point and tidal flat on the Streaky Bay foreshore, good for calm-water fishing, wading and watching shorebirds.
Stamford Hill Lookout
A summit walk in Lincoln National Park to a Flinders monument, with 360-degree views over Boston Bay and the islands.