How to have an epic road trip to four of Eyre Peninsula’s national parks

South Australia’s Eyre Penin­su­la boasts abun­dant wildlife and rugged coast­line, but it’s best-known for its world-famous aquat­ic activities.

If you’re adven­ture seek­ing, nation­al parks on the Eyre Penin­su­la are for you.

The region boasts the pop­u­lar Lin­coln and Cof­fin Bay nation­al parks at the bot­tom of the penin­su­la, but there’s so much more the region has to offer.

In fact, with so much to see and do, you’ll need to set aside a few days to tru­ly expe­ri­ence the hid­den gems of the fab­u­lous EP.

Local rangers in the region’s nation­al parks have kind­ly put togeth­er an itin­er­ary to help you make the most of your next vis­it. Here are their tips:

Day 1: Begin your Eyre Penin­su­la expe­ri­ence in Whyalla

If you’re trav­el­ling from Ade­laide, Whyal­la is the first point you’ll reach on the Eyre Penin­su­la. It’s about a 4‑and-a-half hour dri­ve to get there.

Whyal­la is brim­ming with wildlife to observe – from both under the sea and above.

One of the most well-known wildlife expe­ri­ences takes place from May to August when giant Aus­tralian cut­tle­fish swarm into rocky areas in the shal­low waters off the coast of Whyal­la to mate and lay their eggs.

It’s the only known loca­tion in the world where this hap­pens, mak­ing it an amaz­ing­ly unique experience.

The region’s Cut­tle­fest pro­gram gives vis­i­tors plen­ty of oppor­tu­ni­ties to see these mag­nif­i­cent crea­tures up close.

If get­ting into the water isn’t your thing, you can still expe­ri­ence the mag­ic of these crea­tures by vis­it­ing the Whyal­la Vis­i­tor Infor­ma­tion Cen­tre and Whyal­la Mar­itime Muse­um, grab­bing a pair of the VR gog­gles and try­ing a vir­tu­al dive. At least you’ll stay dry this way!

Top tip: Read our sto­ries to find out every­thing you need to know about giant cut­tle­fish. And if you can’t get there, expe­ri­ence what it’s like to swim with giant cut­tle­fish from your own home. 

While you’re vis­it­ing Whyal­la, check out Whyal­la Con­ser­va­tion Park and try the Wild Dog Hill hike.

On this short trail, you’ll be reward­ed with expan­sive views over the semi-arid plains of myall trees and blue­bush. Take your binoc­u­lars and spot a euro or Aus­tralian kestrel on the cliffs.

Whyal­la Con­ser­va­tion Park is locat­ed about 10 km north of Whyal­la, and is dom­i­nat­ed by the red and pur­ple sand­stone Wild Dog Hill. The hill plays a sig­nif­i­cant role in the tra­di­tions of Abo­rig­i­nal peo­ple, being part of sto­ries that teach the impor­tance of pro­vid­ing con­stant care for babies and obey­ing instructions.

Day 2: Dri­ve to Gawler Ranges Nation­al Park

After break­fast, jump back into the car and head for Gawler Ranges Nation­al Park. The dri­ve will take you about 4 hours from Whyalla.

If you’re keen to stay in the park, there are 6 camp­grounds you can choose from, oth­er­wise the clos­est accom­mo­da­tion is the Pon­dan­na Out­sta­tion, which has been restored by the Friends of Gawler Ranges vol­un­teer group and is avail­able for short-term stays.

The nation­al park has so much to see and do. Take the time to admire the most dra­mat­ic rock for­ma­tions in the park – the Organ Pipes, which are some of the largest vol­canic rhy­o­lite for­ma­tions in the world.

And make sure you vis­it the Kolay Mir­i­ca Falls at sun­set to see the stun­ning orange-red rocks at their glow­ing best.

For more things to check out at Gawler Ranges Nation­al Park, read our blog: top five things to see in Gawler Ranges Nation­al Park. You might also like to read local ranger Lind­say Brown’s top tips for Gawler Ranges Nation­al Park – make sure you build some of these into your itinerary.

Top tip: If you’ve got a few hours up your sleeve, dri­ve 1 and a half hours south to Pil­dap­pa Rock, a rock with the high­est and longest wave for­ma­tions on the Eyre Peninsula.

Day 3: Dri­ve to Fowlers Bay Con­ser­va­tion Park

On day three, keep head­ing west along Eyre Penin­su­la to Fowlers Bay Con­ser­va­tion Park.

This dri­ve will take you approx­i­mate­ly 5 hours from Gawler Ranges Nation­al Park.

Expe­ri­ence the giant sand dunes and if you’re a keen fish­er, don’t for­get your fish­ing rod as you’ll have a good chance of catch­ing salmon, mul­loway, whit­ing and garfish.

If you’re a keen camper, there are three des­ig­nat­ed bush camp­ing areas with­in Fowlers Bay Con­ser­va­tion Park. Enjoy the tran­quil scrub­land and views of the coastal islands as the surf rolls in.

Oth­er­wise there are some accom­mo­da­tion options avail­able with­in the Fowlers Bay township.

Day 4: Make your way to Head of Bight

Dri­ve 2 hours west to the Head of Bight, which is locat­ed just out­side of Nullar­bor Nation­al Park.

A num­ber of look­outs acces­si­ble from the Eyre High­way offer panoram­ic views of the cliffs and the Great Aus­tralian Bight.

If you vis­it in the cool­er months (May to Sep­tem­ber), keep your eye out for south­ern right whales.

Head to Nullar­bor Nation­al Park next and as you enter the park, check out the spec­tac­u­lar Bun­da Cliffs that form part of the longest unin­ter­rupt­ed sea cliffs in the world.

Top tip: While you’re in the area, check out the famous dog fence. At 5614 km, it’s the world’s longest fence and is used to keep din­goes out of the region to pro­tect the sheep industry.

Day 5: Make your way home

Unfor­tu­nate­ly all good things must come to an end, so unless you have a few extra days to spend here it’s time to pack up and head home.

If you’re head­ing back to Ade­laide, it’s going to be a long dri­ve so make sure you take lots of breaks along the way.

If you’ve got a car full of kids, or you’re just look­ing to pass the time, our ranges have cre­at­ed a bunch of road trip activ­i­ty sheets to keep you busy.

Things to pre­pare before you go

Before you head into the park to start your day of adven­ture, buy your vehi­cle entry pass either online or from one of the book­ing agents on your way.

It’s also a good idea to down­load park and camp­ground maps on your phone while you still have inter­net recep­tion, or get the Aven­za PDF Maps app and down­load the park maps.

When you’re in the park, the app will use your phone’s built-in GPS to plot your real-time loca­tion onto a map – even when you don’t have inter­net reception.

Make sure you pack enough drink­ing water and food. It’s also a good idea to pack sun pro­tec­tion (a hat, sun­glass­es and sun­screen) and insect repellent.

If you’re plan­ning on hik­ing, it’s also essen­tial you wear suit­able footwear and cloth­ing, such as long pants.

There are no bins in nation­al parks, so you’ll also have to think about how you can take your rub­bish home. Find out more about how you can leave no trace.

If you love this region, and want to vis­it oth­ers across the state, check out our blogs4 nation­al parks to vis­it on and around the Yorke Penin­su­laand5 nation­al parks to vis­it on South Australia’s Fleurieu Penin­su­lato get inspired.

(Main image cour­tesy of @aussie_places)