5 national parks to visit on South Australia’s Fleurieu Peninsula

South Australia’s Fleurieu Peninsula has something for everyone. Barely more than 100 km south of Adelaide, the region is an easy day-trip away, but is also perfect for a longer stay.

The region is home to some of the best local food and wine in the country, and is alive all year-round with vibrant and creative festivals and events.

Not to be missed are the diverse and beautiful national parks, with their coastal thrills, secluded beaches and unspoilt wildlife.

Here are our pick of parks to visit next time you’re in the region:

1. Granite Island Recreation Park

A short 2.2 km drive from popular tourist town Victor Harbor is Granite Island Recreation Park.

Enjoy the unique experience of travelling on a horse-drawn tram along the wooden causeway that connects the mainland to the island, or put on your walking shoes and make your way over by foot.

Take the 1.9 km Kaiki Walk around the island and marvel at the huge granite boulders, tinged with orange lichen, and discover fascinating facts about the island’s wildlife, geology and history through the interpretive signs along the way.

Along the walk, take some time to stop and admire the sweeping views of Encounter Bay and the Bluff from the island’s many vantage points.

If you’re visiting in winter, you may even be lucky enough to chance a sighting of a southern right whale.

2. Encounter Marine Park

Encounter Marine Park stretches across many kilometres of coast and has multiple access points along the Fleurieu Peninsula, including Port Noarlunga, Aldinga, Rapid Bay, Cape Jervis, Victor Harbor, Port Elliot and Bashams Beach.

The marine park holds some of SA’s best snorkelling and dive sites, where you’ll be witness to a spectacular showcase of the state’s diverse marine life.

Head to Rapid Bay for a chance to glimpse the iconic leafy sea dragon. The best place to spot these magnificent creatures is under the old jetty, just west of the new jetty.

For a chance to see cuttlefish, perch and blue devil fish, take a dive in Aldinga Reef, or head to Second Valley to see sea urchins, leather jackets and salmon trout.

For those who prefer land-based fun, hop in your four-wheel drive (4WD) and drive along the beach from Goolwa all the way to the Murray Mouth, where Encounter Marine Park and Coorong National Park overlap. Just remember to respect the speed limit on the beach and watch out for wildlife like seals and birds resting on the beach.

3. Cox Scrub Conservation Park

A 563 hectare delight for bush­walk­ers and bird­watch­ers, Cox Scrub Con­ser­va­tion Park is amongst one of the larg­er parks on the Fleurieu Peninsula.

Beau­ti­ful open stands of stringy bark and banksia under­sto­ry pro­vide habi­tat for a range of birdlife, includ­ing New Hol­land hon­eyeaters, superb fairy­wren, and red-browed finch. This park is truly a birdwatching haven.

Enjoy the three walk­ing trails locat­ed in the park, which pro­vide won­der­ful oppor­tu­ni­ties to enjoy the seren­i­ty. You may spot wildlife among the low wood­ed hills, includ­ing the elu­sive south­ern brown bandicoot.

4. Newland Head Conservation Park

Locat­ed on the south­ern coast of the Fleurieu Penin­su­la, New­land Head Con­ser­va­tion Park is a pop­u­lar des­ti­na­tion for bird watch­ing, surf­ing, fish­ing and is home to one of the most mem­o­rable sec­tions of the Wild South Coast Way.

The park pro­tects two long beach­es, Wait­pin­ga and Par­sons, as well as the scenic Wait­pin­ga Cliffs and sur­round­ing mallee heath veg­e­ta­tion. Fol­low the walk­ing trails along­side the rolling sand dunes and rugged cliffs which pro­vide panoram­ic views of Wait­pin­ga Creek, Encounter Marine Park, the Pages in Back­stairs Pas­sage and Kan­ga­roo Island.

After a day of explor­ing, set up camp at Wait­pin­ga Camp­ground or Natun­yu­ru Ngawan­thi (Sand Dunes camp­ground) and enjoy the dis­tant sound of waves rolling onto the beach.

Due to strong rips and hid­den gut­ters, the park’s beach­es are not suit­able for swimming.

5. Deep Creek National Park

Locat­ed with­in 100 km of Ade­laide, and home to a wide array of native wildlife such as western grey kangaroos, short-beaked echidnas and 100 species of birds, is Deep Creek National Park.

For stunning coastal views across the eastern and western sections of the park, jump in your 4WD and head along one of the 2 tracks in the park.

The Boat Harbour track winds through stringybark forest with steep descents and ends at a small carpark where you can stop driving and walk to Boat Harbour Beach.

The Blowhole Beach track is as steep as it is rocky and provides access to a sandy beach with distant views of Kangaroo Island.

Looking for somewhere to stay the night? The park has 5 campgrounds with sites suitable for tents, caravans, camper vans and camper trailers – but be sure to check availability and book online before you go.

If you want to stay in the park but aren’t a fan of camping, Southern Ocean Retreats has you sorted with a range of accommodation options, from rustic cottages to architecturally designed eco-retreats.

Park of the Month

Throughout March, Parks of Fleurieu Peninsula are being celebrated as the National Parks and Wildlife Service South Australia’s Park of the Month. There are lots of events and activities to get involved in – check the website for all the details.

Main image: Deep Creek National Park