Discover South Australia’s national parks this summer!

They are ide­al for hik­ing, peace­ful bird­watch­ing, and explor­ing stun­ning beaches. 

Join us as we guide you through 5 of our best nation­al park des­ti­na­tions over summer.

1. Kan­ga­roo Island: Flinders Chase Nation­al Park

Home to the icon­ic Remark­able Rocks and Admi­rals Arch, this park boasts a stun­ning coast­line dot­ted with pris­tine beach­es. You’ll find not just one, but two his­toric light­hous­es cast­ing a light on the rich his­to­ry and nat­ur­al beau­ty of the area. The park’s expan­sive wilder­ness serves as a sanc­tu­ary for an array of wildlife, mak­ing it an essen­tial des­ti­na­tion for any­one vis­it­ing Kan­ga­roo Island.

If camp­ing isn’t quite your style, Flinders Chase offers the high­est stan­dard of accom­mo­da­tion offered by nation­al parks. The her­itage-list­ed May’s Home­stead (sleeps 4) and Postman’s Cot­tage (sleeps 2) have been beau­ti­ful­ly restored and pro­vide a dis­tinc­tive her­itage accom­mo­da­tion expe­ri­ence for vis­i­tors. Both prop­er­ties are locat­ed at Rocky Riv­er, close enough to be booked togeth­er for shar­ing by a group, but far enough apart to be pri­vate. Guests can use the cosy self-con­tained accom­mo­da­tion as their base while explor­ing the west­ern end of Kan­ga­roo Island. Postman’s Cot­tage has been designed with acces­si­bil­i­ty in mind.

Top tip: A trip to Kan­ga­roo Island wouldn’t be com­plete with­out a vis­it to Seal Bay.

2. Fleurieu Penin­su­la: New­land Head Con­ser­va­tion Park

With its rugged coastal cliffs and pris­tine beach­es, New­land Head Con­ser­va­tion Park offers the ulti­mate oppor­tu­ni­ty to recon­nect with nature. Locat­ed approx­i­mate­ly 100km from Ade­laide, the park is a pop­u­lar des­ti­na­tion for bird watch­ing, surf­ing, fish­ing and is home to one of the most mem­o­rable sec­tions of the Wild South Coast Way.

With­in this nat­ur­al haven, you’ll find two beau­ti­ful beach­es, Wait­pin­ga and Par­sons, along with the breath­tak­ing Wait­pin­ga Cliffs and the sur­round­ing mallee heath veg­e­ta­tion. Embark on scenic walks along­side rolling sand dunes and rugged cliffs, where you’ll dis­cov­er panoram­ic views of Wait­pin­ga Creek, Encounter Marine Park, the Pages in Back­stairs Pas­sage, and even Kan­ga­roo Island on the horizon.

Please note, the beach­es are not suit­able for swim­ming due to strong rips and hid­den gut­ters. How­ev­er, there’s no short­age of oth­er incred­i­ble expe­ri­ences wait­ing for you!

3. Lime­stone Coast: Coorong Nation­al Park 

Coorong Nation­al Park is a haven for those who appre­ci­ate the qui­eter side of adven­ture. It’s an ide­al spot for bird watch­ing, peace­ful boat­ing, gen­tle kayak­ing, leisure­ly fish­ing, and tran­quil camping. 

The park stretch­es 150 km from the Gool­wa Bar­rage, fol­low­ing the coast­line and lagoon south-east towards Kingston. For those trav­el­ling between Ade­laide and Mount Gam­bier, or even towards Mel­bourne„ the Coorong offers a delight­ful detour. Its acces­si­bil­i­ty by 2WD vehi­cles makes it an acces­si­ble des­ti­na­tion, and allows every­one to expe­ri­ence the serene beau­ty and rich cul­tur­al his­to­ry of this unique area.

4. Ade­laide: Parks of Onka­paringa River 

Locat­ed with­in an hour’s dri­ve of Adelaide’s CBD, Onka­paringa Riv­er nation­al and recre­ation parks are hid­den gems of the south.

The rugged and spec­tac­u­lar Onka­paringa Gorge could eas­i­ly be mis­tak­en for the Flinders Ranges, and the peace­ful water­ways and wet­lands of the Onka­paringa Riv­er as it nears the sea is a par­adise for birdlife and per­fect for expe­ri­enc­ing by kayak.

5. Eyre Penin­su­la: Cof­fin Bay Nation­al Park

Cof­fin Bay Nation­al Park is sit­u­at­ed at the south­ern tip of the Eyre Peninsula.

The park offers rugged lime­stone cliffs, sweep­ing coastal sand dunes, and an abun­dance of wildlife. The pris­tine beach­es and the calm waters of Cof­fin Bay make it a sanc­tu­ary for nature enthusiasts. 

While four-wheel dri­vers have long favoured the park for its adven­tur­ous trails, there is an abun­dance of sights acces­si­ble to two-wheel dri­ve vis­i­tors as well. The park is a hub of activ­i­ties, from kayak­ing and wind­surf­ing to snor­kel­ing, swim­ming, and fishing. 

On land, the park offers serene bush­walk­ing trails and bird-watch­ing oppor­tu­ni­ties. For a unique expe­ri­ence, the Yang­ie Look­out Walk is a must-try. This short, 20-minute, 1km trail winds through var­ied veg­e­ta­tion and cul­mi­nates in a spec­tac­u­lar view from the look­out, offer­ing a panoram­ic vista of Yang­ie Bay.