Port Augusta to Streaky Bay: Road trip stops, distance & time

The best stops on a Port Augusta to Streaky Bay road trip are Iron Knob, Kimba and Wudinna. The distance from Port Augusta to Streaky Bay is 391km, with a driving time of around 4h12m.

The drive from Port Augusta to Streaky Bay crosses the top of South Australia’s Eyre Peninsula. Many will tackle this drive as part of a longer road trip from Adelaide to Perth or Canberra to Perth.

Port Augusta is the archetypal crossroads town at the top of the Spencer Gulf in South Australia. To fix up your Port Augusta accommodation at the cheapest rates, look over here.

Streaky Bay, meanwhile, is an attractive holiday town on the west coast of the Eyre Peninsula. To investigate Streaky Bay accommodation options, head here.

This guide should help you plan a Port Augusta to Streaky Bay road trip itinerary.

Port Augusta to Streaky Bay distance and driving time

By car, the distance from Port Augusta to Streaky Bay is 391km. That makes for a driving time of around four hours and 12 minutes.

The best stops on the Port Augusta to Streaky Bay drive are Iron Knob, Kimba and Wudinna.

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 Streaky Bay road trip: Port Augusta to Iron Knob

Leaving Port Augusta on the Eyre Highway, you’ll reaching the junction with the Lincoln Highway at Lincoln Gap shortly after the Tanks Rest Area. If you were heading to Whyalla or Port Lincoln, you’d branch off here.

The next notable stop is Iron Knob, which bills itself as the birthplace of the Australian steel industry. The iron mine here closed in 1998, but it is still open for surprisingly fascinating tours. These mine tours have to be booked in advance, however.

The town still, just about, lives on and you’ll almost certainly see emus strutting through it.

Port Augusta to Streaky Bay drive: Iron Knob to Kimba

The Port Augusta to Streaky Bay driving route then passes south of Lake Gilles. There are 4WD tracks up to the edge of this stark salt lake if you have the right vehicle.

Otherwise, the next stop is quirky Kimba. Here you can admire the colossal scale mural on the grain silos and see the statues of Edward Eyre and Wylie at the Whites Knob Scenic Lookout. For cheesy photos, there are also the Big Galah and the Halfway Across Australia Sign.

There are a few Kimba accommodation options if you want to break your journey for the night here, with the Kimba Units and Chrissie’s Dongara the best bets.

Kimba to Wudinna

The Eyre Highway then passes Kyancutta and Lake Wannamana on the way to Wudinna, which is the main base for exploring the Gawler Ranges to the north.

Gawler Ranges Wilderness Safaris runs day tours from Wudinna. If you’re shorter on time, the wave-like Pildappa Rock makes for a quicker diversion.

For Wudinna accommodation, choose between the more practical Wudinna Gawler Ranges Motel and Caravan Park and the more personal Wudinna Farm View.

Port Augusta to Streaky Bay road trip: Wudinna to Streaky Bay

Otherwise, keep going towards Minnipa, where Tcharkuldu Rock – a big outcrop covered in boulders – is both near the highway and easily accessible in a 2WD vehicle. Then, at Poochera, take the turn off down the Streaky Bay Road. It’s a 62km drive into Streaky Bay from here.

Things to do in Streaky Bay include seeing the Australian sea lions at Point Labatt, enjoying the beaches on Sceale Bay and admiring the giant pink granite boulders of Murphy’s Haystacks.