Streaky Bay is beachside holiday destination on the Eyre Peninsula, right up on the north-west coast, around 75 kms past Venus Bay.
Come here to relax is the beautiful, sleepy township that’s perfect for taking it slow on the calm family-friendly beach, right beside some fishing spots that have an abundance of Whiting and Flathead.
Surrounding Streaky Bay is a rugged coastline where you’ll find plenty of wildlife and sandy swimming and surf beaches between rocky headlands and huge cliffs.
Streaky Bay is a great destination to stay for a while or an ideal location to stop by before or after crossing the Nullarbor.
Exploring around Streaky Bay
The town itself is a nice place to relax and take it slow. Try some of the fresh fish that can be bought in town to take away and cook up, get it in a meal from the Streaky Bay Hotel or catch some yourself from the jetty!
Beside the jetty is a calm, family friendly beach with a grass picnic area, you’ll have to head out of the bay for some bigger waves.
There are two main drives that will take you past most Streaky Bay’s attractions. You could spent multiple days taking a look at the amazing coastline around Straky Bay, although if you’ve only got a day or afternoon to spare, there’s still plenty of great places to visit nearby.
Dotted between all of the main places of interest are loads of beaches and lookouts, be sure to stop into a few, especially on a hot day!
The main tourist drive from Streaky Bay
The main route will keep you busy for a full day, but could be done in half the time if you keep things brief. You can make the trip shorter by figuring out what you want to see most, then skipping some other places, on the other hand, there are a bunch of great beaches and vantage points that you could add to your list and to call into on your loop.
If you end up finishing early but want to keep exploring the area, the Cape Bauer Loop Drive is a lot shorter and you’ll drive past the start of it on your way back to Streaky Bay.
Murphy's Haystacks
Murphy’s Haystacks are a whole heap of pink and orange Granite bounders that stick out of the ground.
Allegedly, they’re some of the oldest rocks in the country but the current formation of the exposed rocks is from more recent times, when the wind has slowly carved them into interesting shapes that are great to wander around and get a photo in front of.
It’s a good first stop on the itinerary and chance to stretch the legs. You’ll find toilets and a large grass area that’s perfect for a picnic.
There’s a small group of the rocks that aren’t too far from the car park. Here’s the best place to get a photo as they seem much more exposed with the grass mowed around them and lack of shrubs. Over the back is a much larger bunch of the rocks sitting among the trees and bush.
After visiting the haystacks, the road heads straight for the coast and you’ll wind around it for most of the rest of the drive until you make it back to Streaky Bay.
Point Labatt Sea Lion Colony
Around 50 or so Sea Lions call Point Labatt home all year round, making a great place to visit if you love spotting marine wildlife, as you’re pretty much guaranteed to see a whole heap of them sleeping or playing on the beach.
The Sea Lions can be found at the bottom of a large cliff and observed from a look at directly above. The weather can get pretty windy and wild down there, but no matter what the conditions are, Point Labatt should still make it onto the itinerary.
Putting the wildlife aside, the views from the Point Labatt lookout are incredible and well worth the drive for just that alone.
The Yarnabie Sand Dunes are just near the start of the Westall Way Loop. Although it’s the next main place to see after visiting the Sea Lions, there a several turn offs that can made to check out other beaches and parts of the coastline.
Yanerbie Sand Dunes
Once you’ve made it out to the centre of the Yarnabie Sand Dunes, when you’re between the dunes, it feels as though the place is endless.
The sand feels like powder and it’s a great place to take off your socks and have a stroll when the weathers nice, but still not hot enough to take a dip at one of the nearby beaches. It’s a great place to include on your itinerary for a sunny winter’s day.
Bring a long a boogie board or take the trucks and wheels of a skateboard and have a shot at cruising down one of the hills!
The Granites
As you make your way around the Westall Way Loop, there are several places to turn into and take a look at, we recommend that if you’re only going to head to one, make it The Granites.
The view from the Granites car park is of a rugged and rocky coastline where you can see the huge swell smashing into the cliffs in the distance. If you’re up for it (depending on how far you walked through the dunes) and the conditions allow it, head down the timber stairs to rock that sit by the shore.
When it’s hot and if the tide’s out, relex in the rock pools that’ll gradually warm up during a day below the sun. Otherwise, it’s a stunning and interesting piece of coastline to walk along.
Cape Bauer Loop Drive
If you’ve finished up the Westall Way loop and still have some fuel in the tank or are looking for a smaller drive when you’re exploring around Streaky Bay, the Cape Bauer Loop Drive might be exactly what you’re looking for.
Not much guidance is needed as everything to visit is just a short drive off the main loop road. You could spend half a day visiting the different sites, including the Whistling Rocks, Cape Bauer Lookout, all of the beaches and lookouts in between, then drive out to “The Split” at Point Gibson, where you’ll get panoramic coastal views, some of which look right back into Streaky Bay.
In the case that you’ve spent a lot of time outside of the car already, even just a drive around the loop, ignoring the track out to Point Gibson and back to town is a great way to finish your day of exploring around Streaky Bay.
Camping & Accommodation at Streaky Bay
Streaky Bay has plenty of camping and accommodation options. It’s a bit larger than the surrounding towns and a popular tourist destination, making it easy to find anything from campsites to a hotels.
The Streaky Bay Hotel-motel is right in the centre of town, just behind the jetty with views out to the bay. This is a good, central spot where you can grab a beer and dinner, although there are other accommodation options with-in walking distance.
For something a bit newer with an increased holiday feel, there are newly built villas with stunning views out at the Islands Streaky Bay Caravan Park, which is about 5 minutes out of town but well worth it – you can see across the bay and into town with one view, then look out past the heads in the other direction.
Campgrounds can be found in Streaky Bay and there are plenty nearby too. For a central location to set up a tent or the caravan at a low cost, there’s the Streaky Bay RV Camping Site for $10 per night, right next to the footy oval which has a large open space and toilets but no showers. In town is the old Streaky Bay Caravan Park, but it doesn’t even come close to the Islands, which would be one of the best caravan parks in the state.
The Islands is a great place to stay and highly recommended when you visit Streaky Bay, whether it be to set up a tent, caravan or stay in a cabin.