This trek begins in
Goolwa, more or less at the beginning of the Fleurieu Peninsula.
Goolwa itself is quite a big town near the mouth of the
Murray River, basically situated on a big inlet.
From
Goolwa it's approximately 17km to
Victor Harbor via the B37, which is a rural highway.
Victor Harbor is a pretty town with quite a lot of history and a good spot for whale watching between June and October. It’s also a good place to stock up on fuel and food before continuing on.
16km from
Victor Harbor, you come to the turn-off to Newland Head Conservation Park. The park protects two long beaches, Waitpinga and Parsons, as
well as rocky headlands and surrounding coastal vegetation. There is only 1 available place to stay in the park - which is Waitpinga
Campground, and online bookings are essential. For more see the Preparation section.
Our trek route takes the turnoff to Newland Head Conservation Park and it's only 3.78km along a bitumen road all the way to
Waitpinga Beach, which features a large open
carpark and you can watch the ocean from your vehicle or you can get out and hike along
the beach (part of the
Heysen Trail) all the way to Parsons Beach. If you're not intending on camping at Waitpinga
Campground, then on your way out and along this trek you can take another turn off to the coast that leads all the way to Parsons Beach too.
The beaches here are highly regarded by fishermen for excellent catches of salmon. Camping is no longer permitted at Parsons, only Waitpinga
Campground but note that sites cater mostly to the hiker or tent-based camper so for vehicle-based visitors you might find the setup unsuitable for your caravan and camper trailer.
Check details carefully on the Parks SA website, also noting that online bookings are required.
Whether you choose to be a day visitor or stay overnight, it is a great place to
check out. It is a popular spot for photography, surfing, fishing and walking as the
Heysen Trail passes through here. The walk trails follow rolling hills and rugged cliffs which provide panoramic
views of the Waitpinga Creek, Encounter Bay, the Pages in
Backstairs Passage and
Kangaroo Island.
From Newland Head our trek returns to the main road and continues inland and we're heading for the turn-off to
Deep Creek Conservation Park, 26kms along a sealed road (Tapanappa Rd).
The unsealed road continues west and a day pass for
Deep Creek CP is required unless you intend to
camp.
Deep Creek is the only national park within 100km of
Adelaide that offers
bush camping. Whilst our Trek route only skirts the perimeter of the
Deep Creek Conservation Park, it is highly recommended if you can, to make the turn offs into the park to explore the many excellent options to get out to the coastline - mostly you'll need to hike from a
carpark or
campground for some way along rolling hills, down steep ravines, across creeks and waterfalls, and down to the beaches below the cliffs so is not for everyone. There is one road that leads all the way to
the beach (final steep section is 4WD only), and this is
the Blowholes Creek Road. There are 4 campgrounds suitable to vehicle-based visitors and all accessible by 2WD vehicle and there is a large 4 bedroom
heritage house (Glenburn Cottage) near the
Ranger's quarters that can be booked online (see Things to Do/Where to Stay section for further details). No need to book online for these campgrounds, as you can self-register at the
ranger's station on the way in.
If you don't have time to take the turnoffs and stick to the provided trek route, you'll still find the drive throughout this section is quite a pretty one passing through a shady forest section.
When you reach the sealed road again, you'll turn back onto the B23 and its an easy run for 14km out to
Cape Jervis.
Cape Jervis is one of the ferry points to
Kangaroo Island and is the western most tip of the peninsula. From here you may want to extend your trek to
Kangaroo Island.
From
Cape Jervis we retrace our path slightly and then head in a northerly direction to Delamere (11km) and then only another 1km to the turn-off to
Rapid Bay.
Rapid Bay is a little town with a small council camping ground but has probably the best (definitely the longest) jetty you're likely to find on the peninsula.
Back on the main road, you wind your way back out to the coast and its 25km to Normanville. Normanville is a pleasant seaside town catering to tourists, so it has the usual shops/
bakery etc and a couple of nice caravan parks situated right on the water's edge. This is a really good place for families and boats as the water is really lovely and calm and a good place to relax for a while. Depending how you've planned this trip you could either stay here for a day or more, or continue driving onwards if you're just enjoy a quick overview of the area.
From Normanville, passing a few smaller wineries on the way, the trek heads past Willunga and ends approx 40km later at McLaren Vale (approx 40mins drive south of
Adelaide CBD). As good a spot as any to finish a trek and enjoy some wine tasting!
How to Use this Trek Note
- To download this information and the route file for offline use on a phone, tablet, headunit or laptop, go to the app store and purchase ExplorOz Traveller. This app enables offline navigation and mapping and will show where you are as you travel along the route. For more info see the ExplorOz Traveller webpage and the EOTopo webpage.
Environment
The environment experienced during the trek is predominately rural dairy cattle farming, mild to hot in summer months and cool to cold in winter.
TrekID: 55