Port Augusta to Cowell road trip: Best stops, distance & drive time

The best stops on a Port Augusta to Cowell road trip are Point Lowly, Whyalla and Lucky Bay. By car, the Port Augusta to Cowell drive covers a 182km distance in a driving time of 2h1m.

The Port Augusta to Cowell drive connects a crossroads town at the top of South Australia’s Spencer Gulf to an under-the-radar holiday town on the Eyre Peninsula.

Roadtrippers may pass along the route as part of a longer journey – probably from Adelaide to Port Lincoln.

To fix up your Port Augusta accommodation at the cheapest rates, look over here.

To check out the holiday homes available in Cowell, head here.

This guide is aimed at helping travellers plan their perfect Port Augusta to Cowell road trip itinerary.

If you need to hire a car, find the best rental deals. And don’t forget to do all your pre-road trip shopping.

Port Augusta to Cowell distance and driving time

By car, the distance from Port Augusta to Cowell is 182km. That makes for a driving time of around two hours and one minute.

The best things to do in Port Augusta include the Wadlata Outback Centre, which looks at Aboriginal and outback life, and the Australian Arid Lands Botanic Garden.

Port Augusta accommodation picks

Port Augusta accommodation tends towards the functional. Few people stay here more than one night. Booking site Wotif lists options for from $89, if you’d like to check what’s available.

However, these Port Augusta accommodation choices are particularly worth looking at:

For heritage and character: Pampas Motel.
For green credentials: Crossroads Ecomotel.
For overall quality: Majestic Oasis Apartments.
For cheap rates and a pool: Discovery Parks – Port Augusta.

Port Augusta to Cowell road trip: Port Augusta to Whyalla

From Port Augusta to Whyalla, there’s a relatively short stretch along the Eyre Highway. This goes past Port Augusta Airport and the Port Augusta Free Camping Ground.

At Lincoln Gap, branch south down the Lincoln Highway towards Whyalla.

The main attraction on the Port Augusta to Whyalla drive is the Whyalla Conservation Park, about 10km north of the town.

Here, you can take in the view from Wild Dog Hill or spot both red and grey kangaroos in their natural environment.

However, you can also take a slight detour to Point Lowly, where there’s a beach, a lighthouse, a campground and the opportunity to swim with cuttlefish.

The best things to do in Whyalla include tours of the Whyalla Steelworks and spotting dolphins from the unusually-shaped Whyalla Jetty.

Best Whyalla accommodation choices

The best places to stay in Whyalla are:

For good quality studios and apartments: Quest Whyalla.
For family-friendly facilities: Discovery Parks – Whyalla Foreshore.
For best location: Whyalla Playford Apartments.

Port Augusta to Cowell drive: Whyalla to Cowell

The Whyalla to Cowell leg of the Port Augusta to Cowell drive heads inland, passing the Middleback Range and the Ironstone Hill Conservation Park. The latter, alas, is not set up for visitors and mainly exists to protect the dune ecosystem.

Before reaching Cowell, there’s the turn off for Lucky Bay.

For most people, this is where the Wallaroo Ferry comes in from Wallaroo on the other side of the Spencer Gulf. However, it is a sleepily attractive beach town in its own right.

Top things to do in Cowell include mullet fishing on Franklin Harbour, shopping for jade jewellery, surfing at Poverty Beach and admiring the silo art.

For Cowell accommodation, you’re either looking at caravan parks or holiday homes.