Discover our great state these school holidays

There are campgrounds in more than 50 National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) parks and reserves across SA, with prices starting as low as $14.50 a night for a site.

Bookings at more than a quarter of campgrounds are already above 80% occupancy rates for the Labour Day long weekend (Friday 4 October - Monday 7 October). Popular areas including Mambray Creek Campground at Mount Remarkable National Park and the Acraman and Aroona campgrounds in Ikara-Flinders Ranges National Park are full.

However, sites in areas such as Canunda National Park in the South East and a number of parks and reserves on Kangaroo Island are ready to be snapped up.

If camping is not quite your style, a number of great single-day school holiday activities are also on offer across NPWS sites.

In the Adelaide Hills, Cleland Wildlife Park’s Kids Community includes new Junior Wildlife Keeper events for 7-12-year-olds. Attendees will learn all about animal care by taking part in tasks that wildlife keepers perform, including feeding the animals and preparing mental stimulation activities for them.

The Adelaide Gaol is running a school holiday program where kids can put their problem solving skills to the test by searching for crossword clues while exploring the gaol and learning some history at the same time.

Or for a real challenge, you could book one of the gaol’s popular Escape Cellsand step into the shoes of prisoners from the past to see if you have what it takes to crack the codes and make your escape.

NPWS is also partnering to host several events as part of the Nature Festival South Australia between 28 September - 13 October 2024.

NPWS Tourism and Commercial Services Director Jo Podoliak said the school holidays were a great opportunity for people to explore South Australia.

“Our parks, reserves and sites showcase the best of the state, and spring is a wonderful time of year to head off on a family adventure,” Ms Podoliak said.

“No matter if you’re planning a great camping getaway, or if you’re just looking for a couple of days of fun, National Parks and Wildlife Service has got you covered.”

While this is a great time of year to explore our natural environments, visitors are encouraged to help protect our state’s unique biodiversity and minimise the effect on threatened species of fauna, including nesting shorebirds, and flora.

SA’s national parks and Crown land are home to an abundance of native wildlife and vegetation, and include sites considered culturally significant to First Nations peoples.

Visitors are encouraged to:

• Leave no trace in parks and on Crown land by bringing some garbage bags and taking home their rubbish as bins are not available.
• Keep dogs – except assistance dogs – out of most parks for their own safety but also to minimise the risk to native wildlife, vegetation and other visitors.
• Use gas and liquid fuel fires – apart from on total fire ban days – rather than solid-fuel fires, which are not permitted in most parks.
• Drive on established roads or tracks and avoid unauthorised areas for the safety of all visitors, and to protect sensitive nature and the environment.

To book a stay at a national park or reserve campground, visit parks.sa.gov.au/find-a-park