my 11 favourite Fleurieu Peninsula spots
South Australia remains one of the most special Australian states to me. I know, I say this about all of them though 🙈. A road trip we took across the Eyre and Yorke Peninsulas, with a quick dip into the Flinders Ranges in the summer of 2021–2022, will forever have a special place in our hearts (I’ll write a post about it soon, I promise!). I’ll never forget the sheer scale of the land we travelled through, the slow pace at which life moved, the emus and other wildlife we saw in the desert, and most of all the fact that you could have entire, crystal-clear beaches all to yourself. Brief flashes of my local Sydney beach on a crowded day come to mind 😅.
So, it was only natural that our next summer adventure would take us to the third and final South Australian peninsula, the Fleurieu. We were lucky enough to spend 10 days (most of them in that funny, timeless period between Christmas and New Year’s) in a rented campervan, driving down the coast with no real plans, save for some bookmarks on Google Maps. It turns out the Fleurieu is the perfect place for that. In 10 days, we were able to leisurely make our way down the coast and back up again to revisit favourite spots before we left. What was different about this trip (compared to the sheer wildness of the Eyre), was its proximity to Adelaide, with most attractions within a two-hour drive.
When I think back on it, all my memories are bathed in the hues of golden afternoon sunlight. Burnt golden countryside contrasting with vibrant, crystal-blue water. The colours blue, green, and gold fusing into the perfect palette. Watching the countryside fly past from the passenger seat of the van. I see the definition of slow living: eating fresh local food, enjoying local wine, driving through sunkissed vineyards, endless summer days jumping off jetties and sitting on white sand, ending each day with a golden sunset beneath towering sandy cliffs that somehow melt into gentle beaches. The best part of every day was the late afternoon, when amber light starts filtering across and everything looks a little more magical.
These spots are listed roughly in driving order from Adelaide, not in preference order, so you can use it as a loose road trip checklist. We spent about 10 days exploring the peninsula at a slow and relaxed pace. You could stretch this out even further, or compress it into 6–7 days without it feeling too rushed if the weather is reliably good.
1 — Port Noarlunga and the river mouth
A fantastic spot for a lazy day by the beach. Nothing like I’d seen before: a long jetty leading out to a massive reef and rock platform. Walking to the end and seeing the reef was impressive enough, but seeing it via drone really made me understand how incredible it was. We were there during the Porties Reef Shack’s brief summer opening, blasting reggae music with rainbow umbrellas drifting in the wind. Go for a SUP in the protected waters, or jump off the jetty with a snorkel to explore the reef.
Drive a little further down the road to see the lookout where the Onkaparinga River meets the ocean. It’s best viewed at high tide and looks especially beautiful in the late afternoon when the sun hits the boardwalk down to the beach.
2 — McLaren Vale wineries
Just 40 minutes out of Adelaide is the beautiful McLaren Vale wine region. It feels truly Mediterranean, dry and dotted with small boutique wineries scattered through the countryside. Drive through the region in the late afternoon to see hills covered in satisfying lines of grapevines dusted in gold. I was pleased to find a vibrant calendar of live music and food events at wineries throughout the region on the Fleurieu Peninsula website, so it’s definitely worth checking what’s on.
I visited Down the Rabbit Hole for their Golden Times Friday evening event, with live music, wine, and food. It was Boxing Day so it was particularly busy, but the staff were welcoming and we barely had to wait for a spot on the grass. I definitely recommend checking out their vintage double-decker bus, which they’ve reworked into a unique wine tasting room.
Bec Hardy Wines was another stop for a tasting. It was a lovely experience being able to sit outside for over an hour, sampling their range of mostly lighter summer wines for $15pp.
3 — Maslin Beach / Point Blanche
Maslin Beach was our first taste of the famous Fleurieu beaches that juxtapose eroded red sandy cliffs with white sand and crystal-blue water, and safe to say we were impressed. Flying my drone over it made the surrounding countryside look a little like an expertly layered cake. The southern end of the beach is clothing-optional, so be warned 🙈.
Past the southern end of the beach lies Blanche Point, home to stunning rock formations. The lookout offers beautiful views of the surrounding reefs, and the dramatic rocks are best explored by drone or seen from the water. For a peaceful swim, head to the beach below the Blanche Point lookout, as it gets busier further down the coast at Port Willunga.
4 — Port Willunga Beach
My favourite sunset of the trip was probably at Port Willunga. We cooked dinner in the van at the car park and wandered down to the beach as the sun dipped towards the horizon, turning everything orange. The famous Port Willunga caves carved into the cliff face are incredibly unique. I recommend arriving early with a blanket to grab one of the first or second caves from the left, which have a beautiful view angled towards the sunset and the old jetty pylon ruins.
The beach itself is just as stunning during the day, with calm, crystal-clear waters perfect for kayaking or SUPing. There’s an almost Mediterranean feel to it.
5 — Sellicks Beach / Silver Sands / Aldinga
The main drive-on beaches of the Fleurieu. Technically, it’s one very long beach, starting at Aldinga in the north, turning into Silver Sands, and culminating at Sellicks. They get crowded on a sunny summer day, and for good reason. Cars of all sizes can access the beach via hard-packed sand and easy ramps, making it perfect for rolling straight onto the sand and spending hours just steps from the water.
At the time of our visit, the beach access fee was $12 per day, which felt worthwhile if you were staying for at least a couple of hours. My favourite was Sellicks at the southern end. It reminded me of the Na Pali Coast in Kauai, with its dramatic cliffs. Whether you’re up on the cliffs or down on the beach, it makes for incredible photos. Drive up to Cactus Canyon Lookout for even more of those views. I was lucky enough to spot a dolphin swimming close to shore here near sunset, seen from the cliffs above.
6 — Carrickalinga and Normanville
Carrickalinga Beach had a sleepy seaside vibe. When we were there, we hiked from the car park on the northern end of the beach across the headland to a secret cove on the other side, complete with beautiful rock formations. As the path forks, take the right-hand path (up the cliff) for an amazing aerial view of the hidden beach. Take the left-hand path (down the cliff) to climb across the rocks and reach the cove itself.
At low tide, there’s a small heart-shaped rock pool (around here) tucked away on one of the rock platforms. The rock formations beside the secret beach also create stunning natural swimming pools, but be mindful of the tides as it becomes harder to climb across the rocks when the water is higher. Because of how the rocks shape the coastline, countless rock pools appear at low tide. I could easily spend an entire day here.
Normanville, just down the road, has plenty of lovely cafes, a bakery, grocery stores for supplies, and a jetty that looked like a beautiful spot for a swim.
7 — Second Valley
Such a special little place. Jump off the jetty to discover a world of underwater life, kayak along the coastline to hidden beaches and coves, or walk the path to the left of the jetty and follow the coast across the headland to find a locals-only cliff jumping spot, with jumps of up to 15 metres (at your own risk 😄). The beach itself does get a bit crowded due to its size, but it’s unique all the same.
8 — Rapid Bay
We stayed at Rapid Bay Campground for two nights. In my opinion, you’re really paying for proximity to the beach, as there were no facilities beyond public toilets and a shared BBQ. We managed to snag a park right by the water for a morning swim in the calm bay — on a nice day, get there early for a good spot!
Walk to the northern end of the beach to explore the huge cave tucked into the cliffside, and kayak further along the coast to uncover even more hidden caves and secret beaches. The jetty on the southern side is apparently a diver’s paradise, and swimmers can sometimes spot leafy seadragons if they’re lucky.
9 — Morgan’s Beach, Cape Jervis
This beach sits just around the corner from the Cape Jervis SeaLink port to Kangaroo Island and is often missed by travellers passing through. My saddest moment was realising our van couldn’t drive onto the beach, but it was still one of the quietest and most special spots of the trip.
If you have a 4WD, drive onto the sand and enjoy the crystal-blue waters almost entirely to yourself. If not, drive up the road to view the beach from above and try to catch sunset or at least the afternoon light from there. You won’t regret it.
10 — Deep Creek National Park (Tapanappa Campground, Pages Lookout, Blowhole Beach hike)
Deep Creek National Park is the largest remaining natural area on the Fleurieu Peninsula, and it certainly feels that way. It’s incredibly wild, stretching across kilometres of untouched coastline. We stayed at Tapanappa Campground for two nights and, having visited all of the other drive-in campsites, I can safely say it was my favourite.
Make sure to visit Pages Lookout, which has the best sunset views and far fewer visitors than Tappanappa Lookout down the road.
The Blowhole Beach hike is stunning (or you can drive straight there on the 4WD track if you have one). From Cobbler Hill picnic ground, you’ll walk past kangaroos lounging in the shade at the top of the hill before the trail winds through golden hills and delivers you to the beach in about 40 minutes.
11 — Port Elliot
An unexpected highlight for us was the small town of Port Elliot. It has a bit of everything: great coffee spots (our favourites were the Southern Surf coffee van and Affamata), a relaxed vibe, excellent food options, quirky bric-a-brac and vintage shops mixed with trendier beach-town stores, a thriving local Rotary market on Saturdays, easy access to the wild eastern Fleurieu coastline, and it’s still barely over an hour’s drive from Adelaide.
Definitely visit the Port Elliot Bakery and don’t be scared off by the line. It moves fast. The donut of the month (Dubai chocolate when we visited in December) lived up to the hype so much that we drove over an hour to revisit it in January, this time for the mango lassi flavour, which also did not miss. The pies and sausage rolls were huge, flaky, and delicious too.
Other spots of interest
Goolwa Beach for affordable surfing lessons and rentals
Myponga Beach and village
Ingalalla Falls — unfortunately a trickle when we visited
Yankalilla op shops
We didn’t get to go to Kangaroo Island, despite being able to see it rising out of the misty horizon from various vantage points on our trip. The ferries had sold out or were too expensive, and in hindsight it was probably a good thing. It would’ve felt rushed. Just another reason to head back to that part of the world soon.
