Holiday houses in Tumby Bay

Among the most characterful of the Eyre Peninsula’s coastal holiday towns, Tumby Bay hugs a picturesque curve of beach on South Australia’s Spencer Gulf. Like much of the peninsula, Tumby Bay’s first European visitor was English explorer Matthew Flinders, who named the bay and a nearby island after the village of Tumby in Lincolnshire.

Between its attractive seaside setting and its great scuba diving and fishing opportunities, Tumby Bay has long been a popular holiday spot. But since 2018 — which welcomed its inaugural Colour Tumby Bay Street Art Festival — it has become increasingly known for its street art, which can be admired all over town. Tumby Bay also has a museum featuring heritage memorabilia, and a scenic mangrove boardwalk to the south of town, which was upgraded in 2021. Add a handful of dining options, and Tumby Bay has all the ingredients for a relaxing, low-key seaside break.

The Eyre Peninsula enjoys a Mediterranean-style climate, a couple of degrees cooler than Adelaide in summer and a degree or two warmer in winter. The thermometer can rise above 30 degrees Celsius in coastal towns like Tumby Bay on summer days, perfect for hitting the beach, with average winter temperatures lowering to the mid-teens.

The warm, balmy days of spring and autumn are ideal for exploring the region, with wildflowers blooming in spring. Spring also heralds the Colour Tumby Street Art Festival, an annual event held in March or April that sees some of the world’s best street artists converge to paint murals across the town, with live painting demonstrations and hands-on activities for the community. In March 2021 the festival formed part of Tumby Bay’s inaugural @TheBay festival, which also included markets, Adelaide Fringe arts festival sideshows, and croquet.

Street art

Don’t miss Tumby Bay’s largest and most famous street artwork: an enormous mural depicting two boys diving off the Tumby Bay Jetty that covers a string of six grain silos just off Bratten Road, west of the town centre. The artwork was painted by Argentinian muralist Martin Ron in 2018 as part of the inaugural street art festival.

Diving with leafy seadragons

With elaborate leaf-like appendages protruding from their head, body, and tail, leafy seadragons are among the most charismatic members of the seahorse family. And they love to hang out around the pylons of the Tumby Bay Jetty. Tumby Bay doesn’t have a dive shop, so you’ll need to rent dive gear in Port Lincoln or bring your own. There’s also good snorkelling around the jetty.

Koppio Smithy Museum

Just 30 minutes’ drive inland from Tumby Bay lies the “village” of Koppio, which comprises little more than a few houses and the huge Koppio Smithy Museum. The outdoor museum features restored heritage buildings (including a cottage built in 1890) packed with artefacts, offering a fascinating window into the region’s pioneer days.