Your guide to the walk-in campgrounds along SA’s newest multi-day walking experience

Your guide to the walk-in campgrounds along SA’s newest multi-day walking experience



If hik­ing the Fleurieu Penin­su­la is on your wish list, be sure to get your boots on for a mul­ti-day expe­ri­ence to remember.

The Wild South Coast Way on the Hey­sen Trail is South Australia’s newest long-dis­tance walk­ing trail cov­er­ing 74 km between Cape Jervis and Vic­tor Har­bor on state’s south coast. 

The com­plete expe­ri­ence can be walked over 5 days, or you might like to choose a sec­tion or 2 for an overnight trip. 

Whichev­er option you pick, you’re in for a treat with some great new facil­i­ties along the way – like the 4 new walk-in campgrounds.

Unlike the oth­er 4 camp­grounds on the trail, which are acces­si­ble by foot or by vehi­cle, these new walk-in camp­grounds give vis­i­tors the oppor­tu­ni­ty to go even fur­ther off the beat­en track.

These camp­grounds are tucked off the trail and a stone’s throw from some of the less­er-seen coastal land­scapes. What makes them real­ly spe­cial is that each is locat­ed in a unique coastal envi­ron­ment notable to the Fleurieu Peninsula. 

And best of all, they’re plot­ted out at var­i­ous sec­tions along the entire trail so you can choose the set­ting that appeals to you. Regard­less of the camp­ground you choose, each one is per­fect to recharge and reset before ven­tur­ing onto the next leg of your journey.

Here’s every­thing you need to know about these new walk-in campgrounds:

Camp­ground facilities

Each of the 4 walk-in camp­grounds along the Wild South Coast Way con­tain 10 sites, suit­able for a 2‑person tent, and are a mix­ture of low-impact raised tim­ber plat­forms or com­pact­ed earth sites. 

The tim­ber plat­forms are suit­able for free-stand­ing tents, which can be latched down to the pop-up pegs and tie rails. Make sure you bring extra cord to ensure your tent is firm­ly fixed.

The com­pact­ed earth sites accom­mo­date all tent types – bring along your tent pegs to ham­mer your tent into the ground.

The camp­grounds each have a well-fit­ted camp kitchen to help you recharge after a day of walk­ing, so be sure to pack sup­plies to whip up that hearty meal. 

There’s room to spread out, with under­cov­er tables and bench­es. And it’s also a great meet­ing place to share sto­ries of the day with fel­low walkers. 

If nature is call­ing, whether you’re stay­ing at the camp­ground or even if just you’re pass­ing through, you can get some relief at one of the uni­sex drop toi­lets. Sinks with untreat­ed rain­wa­ter are also avail­able for a quick wash up.

Your guide to the walk-in campgrounds along SA’s newest multi-day walking experience

Loca­tion of the walk-in campgrounds

As you walk the Wild South Coast Way, you’ll be retrac­ing 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).

Decid­ing which camp­grounds to stay in will real­ly be deter­mined by the sec­tions of the trail that you choose to walk, and over how many days and nights.

You can check out the inter­ac­tive map to see where the new walk-in camp­grounds are locat­ed on the trail, or read on for more detail about each of them. 

In geo­graph­i­cal order from Cape Jervis to Vic­tor Har­bor, here’s a glimpse into each of them:

1. Wul­di Krikin Ngawanthi

Locat­ed in Deep Creek Nation­al Park, Wul­di Krikin Ngawan­thi camp­ground (pro­nounced Wool-dee Krik-ren Ngah-wun-thee) is also referred as Eagle Water­hole Campground.

It is snug­gled amongst shady gums and sur­round­ed by the icon­ic yac­cas of the area.

Your guide to the walk-in campgrounds along SA’s newest multi-day walking experience

2. Yapari Ngawanthi

Also locat­ed in Deep Creek Nation­al Park is Yapari Ngawan­thi (pro­nounced Yah-pah-ree Ngah-wun-thee) and also referred as Cliffs Campground.

The camp­ground has a vari­ety of ele­vat­ed and unique set­tings amongst stringy­bark trees.

Top tip: Be sure to explore this camp­ground as it has an ele­vat­ed view­ing plat­form to look out over the coast­line to catch either a sun­rise or sun­set – or even a selfie!

Your guide to the walk-in campgrounds along SA’s newest multi-day walking experience

3. Kur­ri Ngawanth

Kur­ri Ngawan­thi (pro­nounced Koor-ee Ngah-wun-thee), also referred to as Creek Camp­ground, is locat­ed in Bal­la­parud­da Creek Recre­ation Park.

Those who are famil­iar walk­ing the Hey­sen Trail will recog­nise it as the for­mer Balquhid­der Camp­site – but with a big facelift.

The camp­ground offers a grassy out­look with­in rolling hills and is locat­ed along­side the Bal­la­parud­da Creek.

Your guide to the walk-in campgrounds along SA’s newest multi-day walking experience

4. Natun­yu­ru Ngawanthi 

Natun­yu­ru Ngawan­thi (pro­nounced Nut-un-yoo-roo Ngah-wun-thee) and also referred to as Sand Dunes Camp­ground is locat­ed in New­land Head Con­ser­va­tion Park.

This camp­ground is per­fect for those who are seek­ing that spe­cial place to unwind after explor­ing the near­by coastal expe­ri­ences. You’ll have the pick of sites sur­round­ed by coastal white mallee. It’s for those who are want­i­ng an overnight option after catch­ing views of coastal cliffs or long sandy beaches.

Top tip: Look out for echid­nas and the small orchids that thrive in this location. 

Your guide to the walk-in campgrounds along SA’s newest multi-day walking experience

Things you should know before you go

The Wild South Coast Way is free to those enter­ing nation­al parks by foot, how­ev­er camp­sites require an overnight fee and must be booked online pri­or to departure. 

Check out the bush­walk­ing options to choose from, and each is grad­ed to help you nar­row down what is achiev­able for you. The com­plete expe­ri­ence can be walked over 5 days and is rec­om­mend­ed for the expe­ri­enced mul­ti-day walkers.

Park­ing is only avail­able at day- vis­i­tor facil­i­ties and if you leave your vehi­cle overnight in Deep Creek Nation­al Park, you will need to pay a vehi­cle entry fee for each day that you are in that nation­al park. 

Giv­en the remote­ness of some loca­tions along the trail, inter­net access is infre­quent so we rec­om­mend to plan your trip in advance. 

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

Want­i­ng to do a day trip and a short­er walk along the Wild South Coast Way, read on about our new day vis­i­tor facil­i­ties cre­at­ed at Goon­dooloo Ridge.


This con­tent was pro­duced in part­ner­ship with  Good Living