Wallaroo to Port Lincoln
This driving route takes in a vast sweep of South Australia's coastline, from Wallaroo in Yorke Peninsula through to Port Lincoln on Eyre Peninsula.
An hour north of Wallaroo is the city of Port Pirie, the first of the three upper Spencer Gulf towns linked to the mining and agricultural industries in the north of South Australia. Port Pirie's art gallery is part of the visitor centre and presents touring exhibitions from Australian major galleries as well as showcasing art of the region.
Continuing your drive, grab some fresh air on Port Germein's jetty, at one time the longest wooden jetty in the southern hemisphere at 1.3 kilometres.
Forty-five minutes north lies Port Augusta, a major crossroads for travellers heading to the Outback and Alice Springs. You'll find the Wadlata Outback Centre and the Arid Lands Botanic Garden here.
Some 90 minutes further north is the seaside and mining town of Whyalla. The lookout of Hummock Hill, first noted by Captain Matthew Flinders while navigating Spencer Gulf in 1802, is a useful place to get your bearings. It also provides a good view of Whyalla, the seaside surrounds of which enjoys 300 days of sunshine each year.
Whyalla is also home to one of South Australia'smost intriguing phenomena. Between May and August each year, hundreds of thousands of giant cuttlefish gather to spawn in and around a small area along the rocky shores of Black Point and Point Lowly, providing a spectacle for scuba divers.
The fishing mecca of Cowell lies on the shores of a large lagoon, 111 kilometres south-west of Whyalla along the Lincoln Highway. Cowell boasts one of the world's largest deposits of jade, discovered in 1965 in the nearby Minbrie Ranges. Oysters are one of Cowell's other local drawcards, with several leased oyster farms producing oysters on a commercial basis.
Children who grew up with the Gumnut Babies stories of May Gibb can stop at a memorial marking her childhood home, 10 kilometres from Cowell on the road to Cleve.
Tumby Bay, Port Neill and Arno Bay are all sheltered bays and are an ideal base for exploring the lower Eyre Peninsula.
Further down the coast is Port Lincoln, set on the enormous natural harbour of Boston Bay. It's three and a half times the size of Sydney Harbour. Port Lincoln's fishing is some of the best in the state, and its nearby marine park surrounding the Sir Joseph Banks Group of Islands is developing a reputation for sport fishing.
Giant tuna pens product high quality southern blue fin tuna and have made many a fortune for fisherman. Homage is paid to this lucrative local industry durng the annual Tunarama Festival, which features a tuna-tossing competition.
Maps
Download a Yorke Peninsula or Eyre Peninsula map for an overview of these regions. You'll also find interactive Google maps of Yorke Peninsula and Eyre Peninsula on their home pages on SouthAustralia.com.
