South Australia

Eyre Peninsula

The coastline of the Eyre Peninsula, carved out by the full force of the Southern Ocean is unique and diverse with rugged rock transformations, sheltered bays, towering cliffs along the Great Australian Bight, long sandy beaches and arid desert.  It is often referred to the peninsula of parks with nearly half its area set aside as reserves, parks and native bushland.

Far from the rigours of the true Outback, and long appreciated by Adelaidians as an antidote to city stress, the Eyre Peninsula’s broad triangle is protected by the Gawler Ranges from the arid climate further north. The area began to be farmed late last century; fishing communities sprang up at regular intervals and iron ore, discovered at the turn of the century, is still mined around Wyalla. 

The detour around the coast brings you in contact with imposing scenery and superlative surfing and beach fishing, especially where the Great Australian Bight’s elemental weather hammers into the western shore – here there’s a chance to give your senses a workout before dealing with the Nullarbor’s deadening horizons. 

Unfortunately, Stateliner only runs down the east coast to Port Lincoln at the southern tip, so you’ll need your own transport to tackle the west side; major car rental companies have outlets at both Whyalla and Port Lincoln which, if time is limited, are only fifty minutes by air from Adelaide.

Eyre Highway and Gawler Ranges
Taking the Eyre Highway directly across the top of the peninsula ensures an easy, comfortable crossing to Ceduna, speeding past the mines at Iron Knob and a dry scrub populated by green ring-necked parrots. Unusual geology appears around Wudinna in the form of isolated granite mounds (inselbergs) of various shapes and sizes. The largest, Mount Wudinna, 10km to the northeast, is second only to Uluru (Ayers Rock) in monolithic magnitude. This granite monolith stands 261 metres high, and offering panoramic views and wildflowers in spring. The clumps of weathered granite have formed intriguing shapes. such as nearby Turtle Rock. Another 30km southwest you’ll find Ucontichie Hill with curved forms including a wave rock similar to Hyden’s in Western Australia.

Iron Knob can be the start of forays along dirt tracks into the Gawler Ranges, before rejoining the highway at Wirrulla. While you might not need a 4WD, it’s a remote area that requires advance preparation and advice from the NPWS. The ranges are low, rounded volcanic ridges coloured orange by dust, with occasional speckled boulders poking through a thin grass cover; it’s worth frightening the sheep and pink Major Mitchell cockatoos by walking up one of the peaks for a closer look.

The centrally located Mount Ive Homestead  has fuel, information and accommodation in basic rooms or camping space, but don’t turn up unannounced. The track into the ranges passes Lake Gairdner, largest of the Gawler’s salt lakes, with the ruins of Pondanna Homestead on a lonely plain at its southern end.

Acraman meteorite
In the mid-1980s a band of red earth from 600-million-year-old deposits in the Flinders Ranges was bafflingly identified as coming from the Gawler Ranges, 400km away. Investigations and satellite mapping suggested that 35-kilometre-wide Lake Acraman in the Gawler Ranges was an eroded meteorite crater, while Lake Gairdner and fragmented saltpans (such as Lake Torrens) further east were set in ripples caused by the force of the strike. Estimates suggest that to have created such a crater the meteorite must have been 4km across; the mystery band in the Flinders was dust settling after impact.

Climate
Like the land itself, the climate is one of contrasts - from arid in the far west to cool and temperate in the south. On the coast, average maximum temperatures range from 25 - 29oC in summer and 15-18oC in winter. Inland, average maximum temperatures are higher. The warm balmy days of autumn offer excellent touring weather and overall, the Mediterranean-style climate is ideal.

Drinking Water
Locals don’t rate Eyre Peninsual tap water as worth drinking. Bottled water and filters are readily available in supermarkets.

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