Augusta Westside-Attractions

Port Augusta to the Flinders Ranges & Outback is what Broome is to the Kimberly & Outback!Port Augusta & the region has for years been overlooked generally due to outdated stigmas from persons who have never been to the region or never taken the time to explore.
Come & see why more people are staying longer for a better look in the region. Follow the links to find some world class experiences. Port Augusta is shedding its industrial image with its Seaside, Flinders Ranges & Outback overtones now being recognised.

Wadlata

The Wadlata Outback Centre is the winner of six South Australian Tourism Awards is proudly owned and operated by the Port Augusta City Council.

Wadlata is a multi functional tourist attraction that includes;

* a nationally accredited Visitor Information Centre
* a Gift Shop
* the Outback Tuckerbox
* world class outback interpretive centre called the "Outback's Tunnel of Time".

Wadlata is recognised as a must see and do for all visitors travelling to the Flinders Ranges and the Outback Region or those en-route to the Northern Territory, Eyre Peninsula, Western Australia or to the southern areas of South Australia.

The Outbacks "Tunnel of Time" has a huge number of interpretive, interactive, three dimentional displays that provide a fun learning experience for the whole family.

The award winning exhibition will give you a taste and a better understanding of the Flinders Ranges and Outback Region, while providing you with samples of places to visit and things you could see and do on your visit to our Region.
For more information go to the Wadlata Website.

Australian Arid Lands Botanic Park

Commanding superb views of the spectacular Flinders Ranges, the Australian Arid Lands Botanic Garden showcases a range of arid zone environments within an area of 20 hectares.

Also featured are special conservation areas where the natural flora can be enjoyed, an extensive network of meandering tracks and an Eremophila garden which may well be the world's largest!
For more information visit the Arid Lands Website.

Renowned local Artist Georgie Sharp has an amazing on line photo book of the Australian Arid Lands Botanic Park click here to view...

Port Augusta

Port Augusta is fast becoming the holiday play ground of Northern South Australia. With the calm scenic waters of the upper Spencer gulf & at the foot of the magnificent Flinders Ranges it is an ideal base for further exploration of the surrounding area.

You can now take the Pichi Richi Steam Railway between Port Augusta and Quorn through the Flinders Ranges and the trip is a delight. One of the best ways to see Port Augusta or the Flinders Ranges is taking a tour with Wallaby Tracks Adventure Tours

Visit the Wadlata Outback Centre and learn all about the area, its origins, the local aboriginal culture, and the geographical formation of the Flinders Ranges.

Just north of the city the Arid Lands Botanic Park offering fascinating insights into how flora and fauna survive in the harsh conditions.
Take a short walk from the motel to the water-tower lookout to get exceptional views over the city and the ranges.

As Port Augusta is a major service centre for Nothern South Australia we have a vast array of shopping options from major chain retailers to smaller independant retailers.

You should begin your explorations with a trip to the Wadlata Outback Centre which has all the information you need to make your stop-over informative and enjoyable. For more information on the Flinders Ranges & Outback go to www.flindersoutback.com/ or www.flindersrangescouncil.sa.gov.au

Port Augusta is a major service centre for Northern South Australia complete with a full spectrum of service & shopping facilities from national chains to local retailers. Whether its groceries, clothing, camping, banking, repairs or fuel Port Augusta can fill your needs.

Flinders Ranges

Port Augusta is positioned at the foot of the magnificent Flinders Ranges, making it an excellent staging point for exploring this world renowned icon. With the top of Spencers Gulf at the base of the Flinders Ranges this region offers some extrordinary contrasts to the traditional Flinders Ranges experience. One way to get a very unique Flinders Ranges experience is to take a cruise along this scenic ranges lined waterway.
For more information visit www.flindersoutback.com/ or go to the Quorn Adventure Group Website

Self Drive

With Port Augusta's location at the junction of the Flinders Ranges, Outback, Yorke & Eyre Peninsulas it makes it ideal as a base to do short self drive tours. Follow the links to some suggestions

Please note these above suggestions for self drive tours should not be done without seeking further directions & information. All times are approximations & you should always drive to the prevailing conditions.

Kangaroos as well as other wildlife are common occourances in the area especially around dawn & dusk always drive with caution.

Yorkey's Crossing

Tour around the top of the gulf, this very scenic drive only takes around 40 minutes & takes in a diverse range of scenery including Flinders Ranges, Outback & a very unique coastal aspect. Technically if you start on the Western side you travel along the last of the Eyre Peninsula around the top of Spencer's Gulf then down the Yorke Peninsula.

The Western or Eyre Peninsula side has an outback setting with long relatively flats & views to the Baxter Ranges to the west as shown below.

Then you get to the top of the gulf & Yorkeys Crossing as it is known. You can see from the below photos the very tip of Spencers Gulf & the salt plains that it turns into.

As you head down the Eastern side or Yorke Penninsula the outback rises into Flinders Ranges & sandy wooded country.

This road is unsealed but usually fairly good being the Port Augusta heavey vehicle bypass, please seek further information especially after rain. As it has low traffic numbers its also a good idea to let someone you are doing the drive.

Whyalla & Point Lowly

Whyalla & Point Lowly are only 50 minutes drive South of Port Augusta along the Eyre Peninsula. A great idea is to travel to Whyalla check out the visitor information centre, then visit the adjoining maritime musuem & take a walk around the HMAS Whyalla(pictured below). After that travel to Point Lowly to travel along the scenic coastal Freycinet Trail to Fitzgerald Bay. This is one of the most scenic drives around giving views of Spencer Gulf & Flinders Ranges.

Whyalla like Port Augusta is quiet often not regarded for its tourism aspect yet boasts some great attractions. Including beaches, monster Snapper, giant Cuttlefish, steelworks, views of the Flinders Range & Outback. I highly recomend taking a time to explore this area for more information visit Tourism Eyre Penninsula's website or Whyalla's website.

Shack Road

The Blanche Harbour shacks is Port Augusta's Playground. First settled as fishermans shacks, then transformed into holiday homes. Now with the sealing of the road many Port Augusta residents have made a sea change to make this there permanent residence.

This drive has goes down the Eyre peninsula along the Baxter Ranges with views across Spencer Gulf to the majestic Flinders Ranges.

The road is currently sealed down to around the 15km mark. Whilst there is no beach access you can stop along the side of the road to take in the views of the Flinders Ranges & Baxter Ranges. Sunset is the best time to watch the Flinders Ranges go through a spectacular colour spectrum also watching the sun come up over the Flinders Ranges is another marvel of the area for those who get up early.

Coffee in Quorn

Quorn is only 30min drive into the Flinders Ranges through the winding Quorn Pass, making it an ideal drive for lunch, morning or afternoon tea. Whilst Quorn is a small country town it has a range of Hotels & cafes you can choose from. For more information on things to do in Quorn visit the Quorn Adventure Group Website.

Pichi Richi Railway

Quorn is also the home of the Pichi Richi Railway please contact Pichi Richi to see if the train is running.

Port Augusta Fishing

Port Augusta is Australia's Big Kingfish Capital!

Each year MASSIVE Kingfish are caught in Port Augusta waters. To see one of the biggest Kingfish caught & released Click on the following link to Adventure Bound it can also be bought on DVD via the website. Click here...

Robin Sharp from 'Top O Gulf Marine' has all the inside gossip plus all your needs to catch the big one Click Here...