The shambolic Port Augusta Backpackers , 17 Trent Rd (tel 08/8641 1063; free pick-up; under $20), and the friendly Flinders Hotel , 39 Commercial Rd (tel 08/8642 2544; under $50), offer central budget beds . Several motels , such as the comfortable Poinsettia , 24 Burgoyne St (tel 08/8642 2411; $50-70), are grouped along the highway just across the gulf. Closest campsites are also in that vicinity - the Shoreline Caravan Park at the end of Gardiner Avenue (tel 08/8642 2965) and the Big 4 Holiday Park , junction of Eyre and Stuart highways (tel 08/8642 6455; cabins $35-50).

Hotels are the place for meals and entertainment , but opening hours are vague and often depend on demand, which can be almost nonexistent during the week. The Transcontinental , Port Augusta's weekly rag, will have details of anything happening around town. Seafood addicts should head for the fish shop at the seaward end of Marryatt Street, which sells fresh fish, as well as fish and chips; at the other end of the street is King Po Chinese restaurant. Along Commercial Road you'll find a few cafA©s for lunch and snacks, with vegetarian options at Basic Foods , while Barnacle Bill's , on Victoria Parade 3km from the town centre, has pretty good-value seafood and all the salad you can eat. The central Commercial Hotel boasts an A  la carte menu at weekends; Hotel Augusta serves meals with a fine view of beach, mangroves and the distant Flinders Ranges.