Your guide to national parks on the Eyre Peninsula

Your guide to national parks on the Eyre Peninsula



While the 8‑hour, 680-kilo­me­tre dri­ve from Ade­laide might seem daunt­ing, the stun­ning scenery and pris­tine beach­es make it well worth the jour­ney (even with a few are we there yet?’ moments from the back­seat). For those short on time, a quick 50-minute flight from Ade­laide to Port Lin­coln makes the trip even more accessible.

Cof­fin Bay Nation­al Park

Cof­fin Bay Nation­al Park is a trea­sure trove of nat­ur­al beau­ty. Known for its dra­mat­ic lime­stone cliffs, sweep­ing sand dunes, and crys­tal-clear waters, the park is per­fect for those look­ing to immerse them­selves in a pris­tine coastal environment.

Top things to do:

Explore Almonta Beach: Take it slow along the 2WD access road as you dis­cov­er the breath­tak­ing views from the look­out area. Almonta Beach is a must-vis­it for its serene atmos­phere and stun­ning views. It’s a great spot for a pic­nic or a leisure­ly beach walk, and you might even spot kan­ga­roos or emus nearby.

Image courtesy of John White.
Image cour­tesy of John White.

Sen­sa­tion Beach: For those with a 4WD, Sen­sa­tion Beach is a hid­den gem. Its white sands and aqua waters make it an idyl­lic spot for swim­ming or fish­ing. Dri­ving on the beach can be tricky, so if you’re unsure, park before the sand dunes and walk to the beach. 

Fun fact: Despite its beau­ty, the beach is actu­al­ly named after a tuna fish­ing boat named Sen­sa­tion’ that ran ashore in 1969.

Yang­ie Look­out Walk: This short 1 km trail is ide­al for vis­i­tors of all fit­ness lev­els. The walk takes you through diverse veg­e­ta­tion and rewards you with sweep­ing views over Yang­ie Bay.

Camp­ing:Yang­ie Bay Camp­ground is per­fect for all vehi­cles and camp­ing styles, while those seek­ing more soli­tude can head to the 4WD-only camp­grounds fur­ther north. Wher­ev­er you stay, the star­ry night skies are a highlight.

Impor­tant tip: Mobile phone cov­er­age is lim­it­ed in Cof­fin Bay Nation­al Park. Be sure to book your vehi­cle entry and camp­ing fees online before head­ing out.

Lin­coln Nation­al Park

Locat­ed on the south-east­ern edge of the Eyre Penin­su­la, Lin­coln Nation­al Park com­bines dra­mat­ic ocean vis­tas, shel­tered bays, and lush coastal veg­e­ta­tion. Over­look­ing Boston Bay, one of Aus­trali­a’s largest nat­ur­al har­bours, this park is a haven for wildlife and a play­ground for out­door enthusiasts.

Top things to do:

Sep­tem­ber Beach: Locat­ed on the Don­ing­ton Penin­su­la on the north-east­ern tip of the park, this beach fea­tures pris­tine sands and calm waters, per­fect for relax­ing. Dol­phins are some­times spot­ted off­shore, adding to the charm. The near­by Sep­tem­ber Beach Camp­ground pro­vides a peace­ful stay close to the beach, ide­al for those want­i­ng to wake up sur­round­ed by coastal beauty.

Mem­o­ry Cove Wilder­ness Pro­tec­tion Area: Acces­si­ble by 4WD and lim­it­ed to 15 vehi­cles per day, this seclud­ed bay offers a unique wilder­ness expe­ri­ence. It’s pure white sandy beach is sur­round­ed by dense coastal veg­e­ta­tion, cre­at­ing a tran­quil and pic­turesque set­ting. Book­ings are essen­tial, and the gate key must be col­lect­ed upon con­fir­ma­tion, with details pro­vid­ed dur­ing the book­ing process.

Bird and wildlife watch­ing: The park is teem­ing with native wildlife, includ­ing west­ern grey kan­ga­roos, emus, and a vari­ety of bird species such as bush stone-curlews and west­ern whip­birds. Dur­ing win­ter, keep an eye on the waters off­shore for south­ern right whales and dol­phins pass­ing by.

Camp­ing: Lin­coln Nation­al Park pro­vides a range of camp­ing options, from basic camp­sites to unique coastal stays. Sep­tem­ber Beach Camp­ground is ide­al for fam­i­lies, offer­ing unpow­ered sites near the beach, while Mem­o­ry Cove Camp­ground pro­vides an exclu­sive wilder­ness expe­ri­ence with sites over­look­ing the bay.

Image courtesy of Brad Griffin Photography
Image cour­tesy of Brad Grif­fin Photography

Plan Your Visit

Whether you’re relax­ing on a seclud­ed beach, explor­ing rugged cliffs, or camp­ing under the stars, Cof­fin Bay and Lin­coln Nation­al Parks promise an unfor­get­table week­end away. Remem­ber to pre­pare for your trip by book­ing vehi­cle entry and camp­ing sites online and pack­ing every­thing you need, as mobile cov­er­age is limited.

While you’re in the area, why not check out Sir Joseph Banks Group Marine Park?

Image courtesy of www.emsau.org
Image cour­tesy of www​.emsau​.org

Sir Joseph Banks Group Marine Park

Nes­tled off the coast of Spencer Gulf near Tum­by Bay, Sir Joseph Banks Group Marine Park is haven of nat­ur­al beau­ty and eco­log­i­cal sig­nif­i­cance. The park is close­ly linked to a wet­land of nation­al impor­tance and boasts an impres­sive diver­si­ty of habi­tats, includ­ing sea­grass mead­ows, salt­marsh­es, rare pop­corn coral, and thriv­ing sponge and inver­te­brate reefs.

Things to do:

Snorkelling
Dive into an under­wa­ter world rich with life. The Tum­by Bay jet­ty offers a fan­tas­tic snorkel and dive site. Keep an eye out for the icon­ic leafy sead­rag­on, sea­hors­es, cow­fish and rich jet­ty pylon life, or bet­ter yet, down­load the Beach Explorer’s Guide or Under­wa­ter Guideto learn about the fas­ci­nat­ing plants and ani­mals you might dis­cov­er on the beach or beneath the waves.

Fish­ing
With over 70 fish species call­ing the Marine Park home, it’s a hotspot for recre­ation­al and com­mer­cial fish­ers. Whether you’re cast­ing a line from the shore or ven­tur­ing out by boat, the park promis­es an abun­dance of fish­ing oppor­tu­ni­ties in a stun­ning set­ting. Just be sure to check the pro­tect­ed sanc­tu­ary zone loca­tions pri­or to head­ing out to ensure you are abid­ing by the marine park rules.

Kayak­ing and Bird Watching

The shel­tered waters of Sec­ond Creek, includ­ing Sec­ond Creek Sanc­tu­ary Zone, offer an easy access and safe kayak site.

Being an impor­tant nurs­ery for many fish, ray and inver­te­brate species, Sec­ond Creek is also rich in bird life. Take the binoc­u­lars and a bird guide and see how many species you can identify.

Marine Mam­mal viewing

Sir Joseph Banks Group Marine Park is a crit­i­cal­ly impor­tant loca­tion for the Endan­gered Aus­tralian sea lion.

Dol­phins, whales and long nosed fur seals are also com­mon­ly seen in the park.

Please make sure to abide by the Marine Mam­mal Reg­u­la­tions when view­ing these species to ensure a sus­tain­able inter­ac­tion. Marine Parks | View­ing marine mammals

You can also book a tour with a local tour oper­a­tor to have a clos­er experience.


This con­tent was pro­duced in part­ner­ship with  Good Living