Driving the 75km from Adelaide to the Barossa Valley takes only 55 minutes via the M2 highway.

That was my meeting point with a friend who resides in the Southern Flinders Ranges to start our road trip.

With time to spare, I booked a day tour with Taste the Barossa that collects me near my hotel, the Adina Adelaide Treasury. This small-group tour visited a handful of well-known South Australian wineries, like Peter Lehmann and the lesser-known ones – family-owned Lambert Estate and Chateau Yaldara.

I left the tour at Wolf Blass winery and caught a lift to my overnight bed and breakfast accommodation, Barossa House, overlooking rows of grapevines hemmed by blooming red roses.

The next day my friend arrived and we drove for two hours on the Goyder Highway to Laura, a rural town on the eastern slopes of the lower Flinders Ranges and home to South Australia’s popular icecream Golden North.

I tasted my first ‘home-grown’ icecream in Laura’s main street near the statue of CJ Dennis, the Australian poet who spent some of his childhood in the town.

We detoured past the Old Brewery building, an iconic Laura landmark built in 1874 and now a residential home, before taking a scenic drive through a landscape framed by ancient rocky mountain ranges.

From the foreshore of Whyalla we admired the colourful mosaic cuttlefish sculpture at the entrance of the uniquely shaped circular jetty.

Lincoln National Park.

Between May and August, at nearby Point Lowly, the migration of the giant cuttlefish – the largest cuttlefish in the world – occurs. Males measure up to 50cm long and weigh about 10kg.

We followed the Lincoln Highway for 106km to the coastal town of Cowell and pulled up at Franklin Harbour.

The 48 sq.km landlocked bay with sheltered waters is one of the best fishing spots in South Australia. With no fishing rods on board, we sought out the silo mural at 33 North Terrace.

The subjects are local character Lionel Deer, his camel Diamantina and a Port Lincoln parrot.

It celebrates the 30-plus years Lionel brought his camels to the local Christmas pageant.

At nearby Minbrie Range in 1965, a local farmer discovered one of the world’s largest deposits of nephrite jade.

Cowell jade is now exported all over the world. You can purchase jade jewellery at the Cowell Jade Motel (a blue building on the Lincoln Highway).

On the pine tree-lined foreshore of Tumby Bay, we passed the small hospital where my father was born.

Artwork on a Tumby Bay mural.

We stayed at the Tumby Bay Hotel, not far from the wooden jetty my father jumped off to swim in the bay.

The jetty’s pylons and ocean weed beds are home to many marine creatures, including the leafy sea dragon.

They’re elusive – the only one we saw was on a mural. But on our evening stroll we came across an unexpected sight – a baby sea lion relaxing on the jetty.

Tumby Bay’s silo mural by Argentinian artist Martin Ron is a magical impression of the seaside town.

The calm water of Boston Bay greeted us as we arrived in Port Lincoln.

On the foreshore stands a life-sized bronze statue of Melbourne Cup winner Makybe Diva (owned by a Port Lincoln tuna fisherman). The town’s lucrative tuna fishing industry is acknowledged by the ‘Tuna Poler’ statue.

We visited the Port Lincoln Visitor Information Centre for outdoor recommendations and there’s plenty – Lincoln Cove, Thorny Passage Marine Park and Mikkira Station.

We drove to the 17,226ha Lincoln National Park in the afternoon and hiked 1.6km up Stamford Hill. We were the only souls on September Beach.

The following day we drove to the southernmost tip of South Australia, Whalers Way. A pass is required to enter this privately owned land.

Enjoying oysters at Coffin Bay's Oyster HQ.

The craggy coastline in this wilderness sanctuary harbours limestone cliffs, caves, blowholes, and golden beaches.

You could easily spend a day driving around Whalers Way, but the roads are unsealed and rough in places – some parts are 4WD accessible only.

Coffin Bay wasn’t named for macabre reasons but after naval officer Sir Isaac Coffin, a friend of explorer Matthew Flinders who explored the area in 1802.

Following a speedy check-in to Coffin Bay Caravan Park, my oyster-loving friend dashed through the campgrounds and across the road to Oyster HQ.

By the time I arrive she had already downed a dozen Coffin Bay oysters.

Not an oyster fan, I’m talked into trying one. They may be fresh, however I’m not converted!

From Oyster HQ, we walked part of the 15km Oyster Walk, passing curious pelicans and holiday homes perfect for weekend escapes.

On our last day we drove through Coffin Bay National Park. En route to Golden Island lookout an emu family crossed the road and then disappeared into the scrub.

On Almonta Beach, the blustery breeze did not stop us from taking one final walk before we farewelled the Eyre Peninsula’s rugged coastline.

STORY JENNIFER JOHNSTON

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