South Australia · Attraction
Murphy's Haystacks
Ancient pink granite outcrops
schedule 1 min read / Updated Jun 2026
Rising unexpectedly from flat farmland 39 km south of Streaky Bay, Murphy's Haystacks are a collection of weathered pink granite inselbergs that have been shaped by millions of years of erosion. The rounded, overhanging domes and stacked boulders glow red and orange in the late-afternoon light and are listed on the South Australian Heritage Register as a geological landmark.
The formations sit on a privately owned sheep station and visitors access them via a short walk from the car park, with picnic tables and toilets provided. A small honesty-box donation helps cover the cost of maintaining the facilities. The largest dome reaches around 8 metres and the textures and colours of the coarse-grained quartz and orthoclase rock make the site a favourite with photographers at sunrise and sunset.
The name has an apocryphal origin: a passing coach traveller supposedly saw the distant formations and asked how a farmer named Murphy had managed to stack such enormous haystacks. The geological reality is that the outcrops formed through a combination of deep underground weathering followed by gradual surface exposure over geological time.
The site is reached by turning off the Flinders Highway onto the Calca-Point Labatt Road, roughly 40 km from Streaky Bay. No booking is required and the area is accessible during daylight hours.
Scenic views
Lookouts near Murphy's Haystacks.
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