Hotels in Port Augusta

I loved the arid lands botanic gardens. Definitely a gem - lots of great things to see there, with nice walks, a good shop and a great cafe. The “Eye of Sauron” was pretty cool to see too (i.e. the innovative solar tower for the hydroponic tomato farm) - if only they had tours!

We used it as a base to get to the various hiking spots in the Flinders Ranges. A must go to place was the Standpipe Hotel Indian Restaurant. Possibly the Best Indian Food I have eaten. My taste buds are still singing!

It was difficult to get quotes from car rental agencies apart from Budget Rental Cars who were awesome to deal with! The others did not do one way trips from PA to Adelaide Airport :(. The online listings for Car Rentals in PA is not very accurate or out of date. We wanted to use Thrifty Cars because of our reciprocal NZAA membership with RAA special discount rates but could not find them. The PA Buses have a timetable that is not always timely for catching flights out of Adelaide but it is a cheaper option if on a budget and not in a hurry. The flights from P A via Alliance Air quite expensive, flights infrequent from P A to Adelaide but it is mainly used by Miners getting to and from their work at nearby SA mines such as BHP town of Roxby Downs. The only well advertised Tourist attraction in PA itself seemed to be Whadlata Cultural Center and the Arid Lands, both of which are worth the visits but not much else seems to be promoted as well, however we did not look very hard for leaflets at our hotel so maybe we missed things, I like P A because is like a crossroads to lots of out of city tourist gems like: the Flinders Ranges and Wilapena Pound, the road to the beautiful wine country of Clare, Barrossa Valley and the gorgeous Adelaide Hills. To the North East it takes you to towns like Hawker and Quorn where local pride in their history and attractions is well publicised and promoted. JM Deli was our mainstay for yummy value for money lunches, good coffee and fast service. Plenty of pubs and eateries around by the looks but wouldn't have a clue where the best restaurants are apart from the one at the Standpipe Hotel where we stayed just out of the CBD. Lots of beautiful old heritage type homes and buildings around. Wish we had some info available on them. It can help people visiting them make a deeper connection with the place as a whole.

Port Augusta is just the perfect place for a stay of any length. So much to see and do, wadlata, botanic gardens, fishing, shopping, relaxing and just a short trip and you are in the Flinders Ranges for just a few. There are so many hotels that will serve exceptional meals, small cafes for just a nibble and the usual wendys, cinema etc for the kids. Getting around is so easy, (there is only 1 roundabout that can be easily avoided). Kids love to walk on the floating pier, see the crabs on the rocks and so much more. Locals are very friendly, so just chat and find out so much more than when I used to live there 10 years ago. I never got bored at Port Augusta.

The location suited my needs. Convenient to Pt Augusta Railway Station & Pichi Richi railway. Comfortable bed and hot shower was all I needed. Night was cold so I suggest taking an extra blanket - I did and didn't regret it. Bring your own breakfast food unless you plan on having breakfast elsewhere. Not a problem for me - I came prepared. Kitchen area has owm toaster, kettle and microwave.

The Wadlata Outback Centre was well worth the effort of visiting, as was the Australian Arid Lands Botanic Garden. There were many small towns nearby, such as Quorn and Wilmington that were worth the small drive.