2 of the best long walks in South Australia

If you’re ready to step up your hik­ing, these 2 unique mul­ti-day hikes will take your breath away this autumn. 

Wild South Coast Way

Less than 2 hours dri­ve from Ade­laide, the Wild South Coast Way on the Hey­sen Trail is one of Aus­trali­a’s most cap­ti­vat­ing coastal trails.

Embark on a jour­ney where rugged cliffs meet the wild ocean across a 74km stretch between Cape Jervis and Vic­tor Har­bour on South Aus­trali­a’s south coast.

There are lots of bush­walk­ing options to choose from. Each trail is grad­ed to help you find the per­fect one for you. The full, breath­tak­ing expe­ri­ence can be walked over 5 days, or you might like to choose a sec­tion or 2 for an overnight trip.

If you’re plan­ning a mul­ti-day walk, camp­ing at one of the camp­grounds along the way is the per­fect way to immerse your­self in this stun­ning coast­line. There are four walk-in only camp­grounds and four dri­ve-in camp­grounds on or near the trail. You can check out an inter­ac­tive map to see where camp­grounds are locat­ed on the trail and plan ahead to book your camp­site.

The Wild South Coast Way traces the final foot­steps of an ancient ances­tor named Ngu­run­deri, who is said to have shaped the land­scapes, spir­i­tu­al iden­ti­ties and cul­tur­al tra­di­tions of the Ngar­rind­jeri palek (peo­ple).

The trail con­nects the parks along our stun­ning south­ern coast­line from Cape Jervis to Vic­tor Har­bor includ­ing Deep Creek Nation­al Park, Bal­la­parud­da Creek Recre­ation Park and New­land Head Con­ser­va­tion Park and every day of the walk offers vis­i­tors a new expe­ri­ence and challenge. 

To start plan­ning your next walk, check out our online resources for the Wild South Coast Way on the Hey­sen Trail.

The Kan­ga­roo Island Wilder­ness Trail 

Kan­ga­roo Island Wilder­ness Trail is a hid­den gem among Aus­trali­a’s mul­ti day walks that com­bines wildlife and wilder­ness in an extra­or­di­nary island adventure. 

This world class 66km, 5‑day walk­ing trail gives you unpar­al­leled access to some of the most rugged, remote and spec­tac­u­lar coast­lines in South Australia.

Start­ing at the Flinders Chase Vis­i­tor Cen­tre, it winds its way past the famous Platy­pus Water­holes and through dense euca­lypt wood­land filled with wildlife and native flo­ra. Day 2 rewards walk­ers with the island’s wild and rugged coastline. 

Walk­ers may spot bot­tle-nosed dol­phins and between June and ear­ly Octo­ber, even glimpse a South­ern Right Whale on their annu­al migra­tion. As the walk pro­gress­es through the Island’s unparalleled 

beau­ty, walk­ers may see the Aus­tralian long-nosed fur seals and sea lions that vis­it this coastline.

The vari­ety of ter­rain, wildlife and veg­e­ta­tion make this a walk that con­tin­ues to delight with every step. There are many option­al exten­sions for those who want to soak up even more of Kan­ga­roo Island’s most remark­able land­forms, includ­ing the Remark­able Rocks, Admi­rals Arch, boat trips and Kel­ly Hill Caves. The walk con­cludes in Kel­ly Hill Con­ser­va­tion Park.

Autumn is the per­fect time to walk this spec­tac­u­lar route through the most botan­i­cal­ly unique area in South Australia. 

Her­itage accom­mo­da­tion and camp­ing is avail­able with­in Flinders Chase Nation­al Park or vis­it Kan­ga­roo Island Tourism for oth­er accom­mo­da­tion options close to the trail. Advance book­ings are essen­tial.

There are four ded­i­cat­ed overnight camp­ing areas along the trail. Each camp­ground offers pad or plat­form based tent camp­ing, uni­sex toi­lets, shel­ter for food prepa­ra­tion and cook­ing, fil­tered rain­wa­ter, boot clean­ing sta­tions and basic camp fur­ni­ture for your comfort.

To plan your trip take a look at our trip essen­tials or to learn more, vis­it https://​www​.parks​.sa​.gov​.au/​e​x​p​e​r​i​e​n​c​e​s​/kiwt

Love mul­ti-day hikes? Check out these 4 parks per­fect for overnight hik­ing trips.