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- Coffin Bay National Park — Wide, low dunes, turquoise shallow bays and a culture built around oysters make Coffin Bay feel island-like without leaving the peninsula. You can 4WD the sand, camp near deserted beaches, and follow it up with fresh oysters straight from the local lease — a seafood-and-scenery combo that’s very much Eyre Peninsula.
- Lincoln National Park & Whalers Way (including Memory Cove) — Rugged sea-cliffs, hidden coves and the dramatic Whalers Way coastline are as raw as it gets; Memory Cove carries the tidy bit of European exploration history (Flinders’ crew) too. Walk the clifftops, watch seals and whales offshore, or book a boat into Memory Cove for a proper remote-bay feel you won’t easily find elsewhere.
- Port Lincoln’s seafood scene & big-game charters — Port Lincoln
- Coffin Bay National Park — Wide, low dunes, turquoise shallow bays and a culture built around oysters make Coffin Bay feel island-like without leaving the peninsula. You can 4WD the sand, camp near deserted beaches, and follow it up with fresh oysters straight from the local lease — a seafood-and-scenery combo that’s very much Eyre Peninsula.
- Lincoln National Park & Whalers Way (including Memory Cove) — Rugged sea-cliffs, hidden coves and the dramatic Whalers Way coastline are as raw as it gets; Memory Cove carries the tidy bit of European exploration history (Flinders’ crew) too. Walk the clifftops, watch seals and whales offshore, or book a boat into Memory Cove for a proper remote-bay feel you won’t easily find elsewhere.
- Port Lincoln’s seafood scene & big-game charters — Port Lincoln is Australia’s tuna and cray capital: you can go out on bluefin/tuna charters, try cage-diving with great whites, or simply eat unbelievably fresh seafood in town. That mix of commercial fishing culture, cage-diving operators and fish markets gives a salty, working-coast vibe unique to this corner of SA.
- Mikkira Station koala colony — Hidden gem: a surprisingly tame patch of wild koalas living in river gums along the road into Mikkira Station near Port Lincoln. It’s not a zoo — just a quiet place locals stop to watch koalas lazing in the trees, especially good at dawn or dusk.
- Murphy’s Haystacks — Hidden gem: strange, pink-granite “haystack” boulders standing on a flat wheat plain near Minnipa; they look like props from a fantasy film and are ancient inselbergs with a weird, photogenic quality. It’s a compact, offbeat stop that feels utterly different from the coast and is perfect for a detour.
- Baird Bay wildlife swims — Hidden gem: a small, low-key operator lets you swim with wild sea lions and dolphins in intimate groups, off the quieter west coast. It’s not a huge tourist factory — this is raw, close-up wildlife time in clear water, and the operators are local fishers who know the animals.
- Lake MacDonnell (the pink lake) — A vivid, photogenic salt lake west of Penong/Ceduna that turns a strong pink under the right light and salinity; the contrasting white salt pan and rust-red shoreline are perfect for dramatic photos. It’s part natural wonder, part working salt operation — a reminder of how industrial and beautiful landscapes can blend on the peninsula.
- Point Labatt Conservation Park — Home to one of the largest mainland colonies of Australian sea lions, with a dedicated boardwalk/viewing platform so you can watch them haul out without disturbing them. It’s a rare chance to see these cheeky, endangered pinnipeds on land and is strictly a conservation-focused visit — very special and local.
- Gawler Ranges National Park — Inland, wild and volcanic-looking: the ancient rhyolite domes, granite outcrops and wide plains host emus, kangaroos and the odd yellow-footed rock-wallaby. The landscape, sunrise colours and relative solitude feel very unlike the coast — a proper outback counterpoint to the beaches.
- Elliston coastline and blowholes — A stretch of dramatic sea cliffs, clean surf beaches, and working fishing communities; look for coastal blowholes, long white beaches and Aboriginal middens that mark centuries of coastal use. It’s a quieter coastal town-scape with real local character and excellent sunset spots.
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Hi, I’m Johan (Netherlands 🇳🇱), the creator of TakeYourBackpack. Over the past decade, I’ve backpacked through 80+ countries across six continents, gaining extensive experience with independent travel, long-term trips, and overland routes.