Port Augusta to Port Lincoln drive: Distance, time & best stops

The Port Augusta to Port Lincoln drive down South Australia’s Eyre Peninsula is 341km long. Best stops on the 3h42m road trip include Cowell, Arno Bay and Tumby Bay.

The Port Augusta to Port Lincoln drive covers the eastern side of South Australia’s Eyre Peninsula. Port Lincoln is the peninsula’s main tourism hub, and it is much easier to fly there from Adelaide. But if you’re driving from Adelaide to Port Lincoln, there’s no avoiding Port Augusta unless you cut across the Spencer Gulf on the Wallaroo ferry.

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Port Augusta to Port Lincoln distance and driving time

The Port Augusta to Port Lincoln drive is 341km in distance, with a driving time of around three hours and 42 minutes.

This, of course, can be tackled in one stint behind the wheel, but there are a few interesting stops along the way.

The Port Augusta to Whyalla leg of the journey takes just under an hour. It’s an industrial city, but there are a few things to do in Whyalla. The Maritime Museum and the Whyalla steelworks tours are the best uses of your time.

From Whyalla to Port Lincoln, there are no sizable towns. But there are some places that are worth a look.

Port Augusta to Port Lincoln drive: Cowell, Arno Bay and Tumby Bay

Cowell is near Lucky Bay, where the Wallaroo ferry arrives. It has a few good beaches, plus good mullet-fishing and a nice line in jade jewellery. There’s also some impressive silo art in Cowell.

Further south, Arno Bay’s main attractions are Red Banks Beach and the Arno Bay Mangrove Boardwalk.

Continue south on the Port Augusta to Port Lincoln drive, and you reach Tumby Bay. Again, there’s some cool silo art here. Salt Beach is the spot for a swim, and you can stretch your legs along the mangrove boardwalk.

What to do in Port Lincoln

There’s plenty to do near Port Lincoln. Australia’s only shark cage dives leave from here. The Coffin Bay National Park and Coffin Bay oyster sheds are a short drive away.

Otherwise, Mikkira Station is a good place to see koalas, Glen-Forest Tourist Park combines wildlife and wine-tasting and Whalers Way offers incredible coastal scenery.