Best things to do in Eyre Peninsula
From cage-diving with great whites to shucking oysters on the water, here are the experiences that define South Australia's wild west coast.
The Eyre Peninsula is where South Australia turns properly wild. This is a coastline of Southern Ocean surf, sheltered turquoise bays and clifftops that drop straight into the sea, fringing an interior of ancient volcanic ranges and giant granite domes. It is also, quite simply, one of the best places in the country to get close to wildlife - great white sharks, wild sea lions, dozing koalas and tens of thousands of whales and cuttlefish all turn up on cue.
Wildlife and the sea
The region trades on its seafood as much as its scenery. Coffin Bay oysters are world famous, and you can wade into the lease to pull and shuck your own. Offshore, you can dive with sharks at Port Lincoln or swim with sea lions at Baird Bay.
Coast, country and heritage
Beyond the water, you will find dramatic national parks, drive-on family beaches, outback rock formations and a town reinvented as an open-air gallery. Here are the experiences worth building a trip around.
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1
Port Lincoln
Adventure Bay Charters
Cage-dive with great white sharks or slip into the water to swim with wild sea lions and tuna on eco-accredited day trips out of Port Lincoln. It is the headline wildlife adventure of the whole peninsula and one of only a handful of places on earth you can do it.
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2
Coffin BayCoffin Bay National Park
A wild peninsula of windswept dunes, hidden coves and Southern Ocean surf beaches, much of it accessible only by four-wheel drive. The national park is the scenic heart of the region, with sheltered swimming bays at one end and raw ocean coast at the other.
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3
Coffin BayCoffin Bay Oysters
Coffin Bay's pristine, nutrient-rich waters grow oysters regarded as among the finest on earth. Tasting them fresh on the foreshore where they are farmed is one of the essential Eyre Peninsula experiences.
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4
Coffin BayCoffin Bay Oyster Farm Tours
Pull on a pair of waders, walk out onto the lease and shuck a freshly pulled oyster while standing in the water that grew it. It is a hands-on, on-the-water way to understand exactly why Coffin Bay oysters are so prized.
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5
Streaky BayBaird Bay Ocean Eco Experience
A family-run eco tour at Baird Bay that takes you into the water with wild Australian sea lions and bottlenose dolphins. The animals approach on their own terms, making for an unforgettable and genuinely wild encounter.
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6
Streaky BayPoint Labatt Sea Lion Colony
A clifftop lookout above the largest permanent mainland breeding colony of Australian sea lions. You can watch pups, cows and bulls hauled out on the rocks far below without disturbing them - a rare land-based wildlife spectacle.
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7
Port LincolnMikkira Station
A historic sheep station near Wanilla where wild koalas doze in the manna gums. It is one of the few places on the peninsula where you can reliably spot koalas in the wild, set on atmospheric heritage grounds.
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8
CedunaHead of Bight Whale Watching
One of the world's best land-based whale-watching sites, where southern right whales gather to calve and nurse close to the cliffs each winter. Boardwalks and viewing platforms put you almost directly above the action.
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9
WhyallaWhyalla Cuttlefish at Point Lowly
Each winter tens of thousands of giant Australian cuttlefish gather in the shallows at Point Lowly to breed, putting on a kaleidoscopic display of colour and courtship. Snorkellers can watch this globally unique aggregation in chest-deep water.
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10
Port LincolnWhalers Way
A privately owned stretch of spectacular, untamed coastline at the southern tip of the peninsula, with blowholes, sea caves and sheer cliffs pounded by the Southern Ocean. It is the region's most dramatic coastal drive and walk.
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11
Gawler RangesGawler Ranges National Park
An ancient volcanic wilderness of ochre rhyolite domes, arid woodlands and seasonal wildflowers in the peninsula's outback north. It offers a completely different side of the region, with rugged four-wheel-drive tracks and rare wildlife.
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12
Gawler RangesOrgan Pipes Lookout
A wall of ancient volcanic rhyolite columns formed over millions of years, standing in the heart of the Gawler Ranges. The short walk to the lookout delivers one of outback South Australia's most striking geological sights.
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13
WudinnaPildappa Rock
A giant pink granite inselberg near Minnipa with a perfect curling wave formation, often compared to Western Australia's Wave Rock. It makes a fun, free and family-friendly stop on any trip across the peninsula's interior.
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14
Streaky BayPerlubie Beach
A broad, shallow, drive-on beach north of Streaky Bay where families park right on the sand for the day. The calm water and easy access make it one of the most relaxed family beach outings on the west coast.
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15
Tumby BayTumby Bay Murals
An internationally significant collection of large-scale murals painted across the walls of Tumby Bay. Wandering the open-air gallery is a free, family-friendly way to experience the town's creative reinvention.
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The Eyre Peninsula Seafood Trail
Follow the catch across the peninsula: shuck oysters on the lease at Coffin Bay, watch the tuna fleet at Port Lincoln and finish with crab and whiting in calm Franklin Harbour.
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Eyre Peninsula Wildlife Encounters
Cage-dive with great white sharks, swim with wild sea lions at Baird Bay and witness the giant cuttlefish gathering at Whyalla - the peninsula’s greatest wildlife hits.
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The Far West Coast Road Trip
Sea caves, salt lakes, legendary surf and land-based whales on the wild run beyond Streaky Bay to Ceduna and the Head of Bight.
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Big Skies Inland Loop
Swap the coast for the wheat country and arid ranges of the central Eyre Peninsula, where giant granite domes and volcanic cliffs rise from the plains.
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The Southern Tip Wild-Coast Weekend
Where Boston Bay's calm gives way to the full force of the Southern Ocean - dunes, surf beaches and the dramatic cliffs of Whalers Way.
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Inland Rocks & Wilderness
Trade the coast for the ancient interior - climb wave-shaped granite, walk volcanic organ pipes and lose yourself in the mallee and salt-lake country.