Family Weekend on the South Coast
Wildlife, beaches and a steam train
Two days, all the classics
The south coast of the Fleurieu is built for family weekends. This itinerary bounces between the three things kids actually want: animals, beaches and something to ride. It works from a base in Victor Harbor, Port Elliot or Goolwa - anywhere between the three keeps driving to a minimum.
When to go
Autumn and spring are the sweet spots. Summer is busy and hot; winter is cold but the whales are in the bay (a bonus day from The Bluff).
Where to stay
A short-term rental in Port Elliot or Victor Harbor is the easiest base. Book early for school holidays.
Day 1
4 stops-
1
Urimbirra Open-Range Wildlife Park
Victor HarborStart here on Saturday morning. Kids can hand-feed kangaroos, see wombats and spend a good hour before lunch.
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2
Granite Island
Victor HarborCross the causeway on the horse-drawn tram. Do the Kaiki Walk for seals on the way around.
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3
Victor Harbor Horse Drawn Tram
Victor HarborThe ride across itself is the experience - one of the last horse-drawn trams in the world.
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4
Horseshoe Bay
Port ElliotFinish the day at Horseshoe Bay. Safe swimming beach, fish and chips, playground, all in walking distance.
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Day 2
3 stops-
1
SteamRanger Cockle Train
GoolwaSunday morning: catch the historic Cockle Train from Goolwa to Victor Harbor (or vice versa). Best done from Goolwa.
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2
Goolwa Wharf Rotary Market
GoolwaIf it is the 1st or 3rd Sunday of the month, the Wharf Market runs on until 2pm. Otherwise, Signal Point Gallery is a good wet-weather backup.
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3
Middleton Beach
Port ElliotAfternoon: grab an ice cream and walk Middleton Beach, the best learn-to-surf beach on the Fleurieu. Book a lesson if the kids are up for it.
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On the map
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The Cockle Train: Australia's first public railway
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When the whales return: the opening of the Fleurieu whale season
Every year in late May and early June, the first southern right whales of the season return to Encounter Bay to calve. It is a quiet, tentative arrival after months of absence, and it marks the moment the Fleurieu wildlife calendar turns over. Here is the history of the whales, how they came back, and how to see the first arrivals.
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The Encounter: when Flinders met Baudin in Encounter Bay
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48 hours on the Encounter Coast
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Whale watching on the Fleurieu
Each winter, southern right whales return to the Encounter Bay coastline to calve and mate in the sheltered waters where they were once hunted to near-extinction. Here is where to see them.
Image credits
- Victor Harbor as viewed from Granite Island by Eddal , CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons