Have your say on the proposed new walk-in campsites for the Wild South Coast Way

Did you think con­ser­va­tion parks on South Australia’s Fleurieu Penin­su­la couldn’t get any bet­ter? Think again!

Excit­ing new camp­sites, specif­i­cal­ly designed for long-dis­tance hik­ers, have been pro­posed in Deep Creek and New­land Head con­ser­va­tion parks as part of the cre­ation of an excit­ing new walk­ing expe­ri­ence called the Wild South Coast Way on the Hey­sen Trail.

Learn about the expe­ri­ence and what’s in store, includ­ing how to have a say.

What’s the Wild South Coast Way on the Hey­sen Trail?

The Wild South Coast Way on the Hey­sen Trail will enhance sec­tions of SA’s icon­ic Hey­sen Trail between Cape Jervis and Vic­tor Har­bor with new improve­ments and facil­i­ties, just like the walk-in camp­sites that are being proposed.

The 74 km five-day, four night hall­mark expe­ri­ence runs from Cape Jervis to Vic­tor Har­bor, tak­ing in some of the most pic­turesque parts of the exist­ing Hey­sen Trail.

But if you’re short on time, the good news is you’ll also be able to enjoy loop walks, day walks and even short­er overnight hik­ing options includ­ing a two-day one night option which is per­fect for a week­end get­away from the city.

Not only will the trail improve­ments bet­ter con­nect and enhance parks on the Fleurieu Penin­su­la, but they’ll make this already beau­ti­ful part of the world more attrac­tive to vis­i­tors, encour­ag­ing them to stay longer and spend time vis­it­ing local busi­ness­es, which will have a pos­i­tive impact on the region­al economy.

It’s expect­ed the Wild South Coast Way will be com­plete by 2022 – 23.

What’s being proposed?

Low-impact, walk-in camp­sites designed for long-dis­tance hik­ers have been pro­posed at Deep Creek Nation­al Park and New­land Head Con­ser­va­tion Park to help deliv­er this pre­mi­um walk­ing experience.

These unique sites and sur­round­ing facil­i­ties are dif­fer­ent to tra­di­tion­al camp­grounds found in nation­al parks as they have been specif­i­cal­ly designed to meet the needs of mul­ti-day walk­ers and can’t be accessed by cars.

They will include on-ground camp­sites or raised sleep­ing plat­forms, toi­lets, and under­cov­er pic­nic areas with seat­ing per­fect for eat­ing, cook­ing and wash­ing up.

To allow for these new facil­i­ties, amend­ments will be required to park man­age­ment plans for the Deep Creek and Talisker Con­ser­va­tion Parks and the New­land Head Con­ser­va­tion Park.

Want to have a say?

You can com­ment on the draft man­age­ment plan amend­ments dur­ing the three-month con­sul­ta­tion peri­od, which is now open. It clos­es at 5 pm on the 24 June, 2021.

To view the Park Man­age­ment Plan Draft Amend­ments and to have your say, vis­it the Your­SAy web­site.

You can also keep up-to-date on the progress of the Wild South Coast Way bysign­ing up to receive project updates.