Marvel at South Australia’s most remarkable offerings as you embark on more than 700 kilometres of coastline on the Yorke Peninsula. The peninsula indulges its visitors with some of Australia’s finest beaches, farmland, seafood, fishing, shipwrecks and mining towns. With plenty of camping options and caravan parks to choose from, you’re all out of excuses not to stay longer!
Adelaide to Ardrossan – 1 hour, 50 minutes – 149 kilometres
As you make your way out of Adelaide, treat yourself to an early stop in Port Adelaide. Its Cleland Conservation Park will offer you sights of blue wrens, grey fantail birds, echidnas and perhaps even one of the endangered southern brown bandicoots. Next up is the South Australian Maritime Museum – the oldest maritime collection in Australia. Established in 1872, the museum details the histories of more than 850 shipwrecks that line South Australia’s coast.
Heading up north around St Vincent Gulf, you’ll arrive in Port Wakefield. While in the area, be sure to stop in at the Salt of the Earth Café and Gallery – located in a heritage-listed building, the cafe offers gourmet food, a warm atmosphere and excellent coffee. Step back in time on the Port Wakefield Historic Walk, and discover historic railways, banks, cottage hospitals and war memorials. Stay a little longer so you can make the best of the Port Wakefield Caravan Park; with a saltwater swimming pool, boat ramp, barbecue, tennis courts and playground, it’s a holiday getaway in itself.
Sidle up to Ardrossan and try your hand at crabbing – with loads of crab-raking areas, equipment and cooking facilities, it makes for a fun (and certainly rewarding) holiday activity. See the dolomite mine from the Arrium Lookout, or head to the Ardrossan Christmas Street Party on 22 December, with a parade and food provided by the local community, and hosting plenty of kids’ activities to keep the young ones entertained.
Ardrossan to Stansbury – 45 minutes – 59 kilometres
A half-an-hour’s drive south of Ardrossan is the spirited town of Port Vincent. It’s a prime spot for kayaking, paddleboarding, fishing, boating, sailing, snorkelling and dolphin watching. The Port Vincent Walking Trail will add even more to your summer getaway – the five-kilometre walk leads you along sandy paths and glittering shorelines.
Fifteen minutes further south is Stansbury. Leave your ride at Stansbury Caravan Park, with its waterfront villas, beachfront powered sites, and panoramic view of Oyster Bay. One of Stansbury’s best highlights is Pacific Estate Oysters; take their ‘Deckie For a Day’ and glide through rows of oysters on a boat as you feast on some freshly caught shellfish of your own. Walk off some of the food and enjoy the shoreline scenery along the Stansbury Coastal Trail, which is six kilometres in length and dotted with pleasant picnic and barbecue areas. The Stansbury Seaside Markets – held on the foreshore between October and March – is a unique country-style market that will allow you to bite into the fresh flavours of the town’s local produce.
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