Top 10 free things to do on the Fleurieu
Beaches, walks, lookouts and a steam train you can wave at for nothing
Free is underrated
The Fleurieu is famous for its $200 cellar door long lunches and its boutique beach houses, but there is a whole second Fleurieu that costs nothing at all. Beaches you can drive to for free. Lookouts you can walk to for free. National Trust collections that ask for a gold coin donation if you feel like it. Walking trails maintained by volunteers. A 1940s barrage you can stroll across to spot fur seals.
This list is for the budget traveller, the one-tank weekender and the local who has stopped seeing what is right in front of them. Everything below is free to enter as of publication. (Park entry fees apply at Deep Creek and Onkaparinga, so they are not on this list - check our walks list for those.)
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1
Victor HarborThe Bluff (Rosetta Head)
Free, open 24 hours, and the best view on the peninsula. Climb the steep track to the granite summit of Rosetta Head for sweeping views of Encounter Bay. Whale-spotting in winter is the best free wildlife show on the south coast.
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2
Aldinga & Port WillungaSellicks Beach
Free for City of Onkaparinga residents to drive on (small daily pass for non-residents); free for everyone to walk on. The cliffs at the southern end and the long, hard sand stretch to the horizon.
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3
GoolwaGoolwa Barrage
Free entry, free parking, free toilets, free BBQs, and a 250-metre paved walk across the 1940 barrage to spot fur seals lounging on the wall. One of the great free family days on the Fleurieu.
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4
WillungaWillunga Slate Museum
The National Trust's Willunga slate museum on High Street is free entry (gold coin donation welcome). Open the first Saturday and third Sunday of each month, 1pm to 4pm.
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5Port Elliot
Freeman Lookout and Obelisk
A free clifftop whaling lookout at the end of The Strand in Port Elliot. The 19th-century obelisk is still in place. Whale-watching in winter, sunsets year-round.
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6Port Elliot
Harbourmasters Walking Trail
A 1.9km free coastal loop around the Port Elliot headlands. Sealed for prams and wheelchairs, with views of every bay between Horseshoe and Boomer.
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7
Inman ValleyGlacier Rock (Selwyn Rock)
Free viewing platform and free walking access to one of the oldest accessible glacial pavements in Australia. Cafe next door if you want a coffee, but the geology is the free show.
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8Willunga
Willunga Farmers Market
Free entry to one of South Australia's best farmers markets, every Saturday morning in central Willunga. Nothing forces you to buy anything, but you probably will.
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9
StrathalbynSoldiers Memorial Gardens
A beautiful free riverside park at the heart of Strathalbyn, with picnic tables, a playground, the war memorial and the iconic St Andrew's Church looming above. Great for families.
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10
Normanville & YankalillaIngalalla Falls
Free entry to a tiered waterfall in the Second Valley Forest Reserve. Free parking, free electric BBQs, free picnic shelters. The most underrated free family stop on the Fleurieu.
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