Whyalla to Port Lincoln drive: Distance, time & road trip stops
The Whyalla to Port Lincoln drive on South Australia’s Eyre Peninsula is 267km in distance, with a driving time of around two hours and 48 minutes.
The two main towns on South Australia’s Eyre Peninsula are Whyalla and Port Lincoln. Both are on the east coast butting onto the Spencer Gulf. But Whyalla is nearer the top, and Port Lincoln is further south near the tip of the peninsula.
For Whyalla accommodation deals, hunt here.
Book in advance for the best prices on Port Lincoln accommodation.
Whyalla to Port Lincoln drive
The drive from Whyalla to Port Lincoln down the Lincoln Highway is 267km in distance. The Whyalla to Port Lincoln drive should take around two hours and 48 minutes, as long as you aren’t stopping for breaks.
By the standards of Australian driving times, this is pretty short.
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 Lincoln experiences to book in advance
- Coffin Bay day tour, with oyster tasting.
- Eyre Peninsula scenery, food and wine-tasting trip.
- Sunset sand dunes photography tour.
- Electric mountain bike rental.
- Wildlife-focused full day tour.
Port Lincoln vs Whyalla
It’s fair to say that Port Lincoln is the most appealing of the two towns to visitors. Australia’s only shark cage dives depart from here, while the Coffin Bay National Park and Coffin Bay oyster sheds are a short drive away.
Heavily industrial Whyalla has much less going for it, unless you feel like taking a strangely entrancing tour of the Whyalla steelworks. However, the drive from Adelaide to Port Lincoln via Port Pirie, Mambray Creek and Port Augusta is long and punishing. It takes around seven hours. And, if you want an overnight stop on the way, Whyalla is in a fairly logical position. Be warned, though – the Whyalla weather can be punishingly hot.
Cowell, Arno Bay and Tumby Bay
If you’re going to drive from Whyalla to Port Lincoln, there are a few decent stops along the way. Cowell, Arno Bay and Tumby Bay are the most appealing small towns on the Whyalla to Port Lincoln drive. Both Cowell and Tumby Bay have fabulous examples of silo art – giant murals painted onto grain silos. Cowell, near to Lucky Bay where the Wallaroo ferry arrives from Wallaroo on the Yorke Peninsula, is also a great place to shop for jade jewellery and fish for mullet.
The best things to do in Arno Bay are swimming at Red Banks Beach and walking along the Arno Bay Mangrove Boardwalk.
Tumby Bay also offers a mangrove boardwalk, near the Tumby Bay caravan park and Tumby Bay Lookout. If you want a swim and sunbathe here, then beeline it to Salt Creek Beach.
Port Lincoln accommodation picks
Port Lincoln is a wealthy town, and the accommodation options here are perhaps surprisingly strong. Top choices include…
- For waterfront location: Marina Hotel.
- For low prices and decent quality: Grand Tasman Hotel.
- For central convenience and high quality: Port Lincoln Hotel.
- For families: Port Lincoln Cabin Park.
More South Australia travel
Stay at the Oceanview Eco Villas on Kangaroo Island.
When is the best time to see Kangaroo Island wildlife?
Visit the oldest lighthouse in South Australia.
Caravan parks in South Australia.
Go clothing-optional at Maslin Beach.