Top RV Destinations in South Australia
From stunning beaches, rugged desert landscapes to rolling hills and everything in between, SA really is a dream destination for RV travellers.
Copper Coast
Yorke Peninsula's Copper Coast is famous for having some of South Australia's best holiday beaches. Just an hour and a half drive from Adelaide, the region is rich in history and thriving with coastal developments.
Located in the Copper Coast region are the Peninsula's three largest urban centres of Kadina, Moonta and Wallaroo. Smaller towns and settlements are located throughout the Council area including the coastal towns of Port Hughes, North Beach and Moonta Bay and the rural settlement of Paskeville, home of the renowned Yorke Peninsula Field Days
The Copper Coast has a wide variety of attractions to suit whatever you may be looking for, whether it is museums and historic sites, parks, playgrounds and beaches, art galleries or other hidden gems.
Copper Coast beaches are among the best in the state and the sunsets are also a bucket list item to tick off. Great family-friendly sandy expanses are perfect for beach games, strolls, rock pool exploring, kite flying, shallow swimming, kayaking or paddle boarding and occasionally wake boarding or kite surfing.
The Wallaroo beachfront is a great area to enjoy the sun and sand. With shade areas for all next to cafes and restaurants and walking distance to the Wallaroo streets and accommodation make it a great area for locals and visitors.
Sunset at North Beach, Wallaroo
North Beach, Wallaroo is one of the last beaches in South Australia that you are able to drive down on to. More than 2km in length, there is plenty of room for everyone to enjoy the great outdoors.
Sailing Beach, Wallaroo is a great area with white sands and space to enjoy the blue waters. Beach volleyball nets plus all that the sailing club offers make this area even more versatile.
Moonta Bay Jetty
The Moonta Bay foreshore is famous for its L-shaped Moonta Bay jetty – perfect for a walk or throwing in a line to see what is biting. Walk the Yorke starts (or finishes) at Moonta Bay, giving you the opportunity to walk or cycle all the way around the peninsula to Port Wakefield. Many short hour, day or multi day walks make up this great walk.
Simms Cove is located between Moonta Bay and Port Hughes and from the Simms Cove lookout you can see both the Moonta Bay and Port Hughes jetties and the beaches and sea between them looking out over Spencer Gulf towards the Eyre Peninsula. There is stair access to the beaches either side of the lookout allowing you to walk around even at high tide. This is also the starting point for The Friends of Port Hughes Coastal Trail around to Port Hughes.
Port Hughes has a very popular timber jetty and is home to one of the two Copper Coast boat ramps, a multi lane recently upgraded area with a boat wash area and very large boat trailer parking area. The Port Hughes foreshore area also has a general store, tavern, playground, barbecue, grassed areas and public parking areas. Beach areas in South Beach or back towards Moonta Bay are perfect for all the family. Port Hughes is also the end point for the Friends of Port Hughes Coastal Trail.
South Beach, Port Hughes
South Beach, Port Hughes is one of the most viewed beaches on Instagram. With white sands and blue seas unspoilt by development of the sand dunes, you can walk and enjoy the peace with only the waves lapping and birds soaring nearby. Depending on the weather, boats come in quite close to try their luck with what is biting, often anchoring just off the shoreline. If you are staying at Port Hughes Caravan Park, there is a walkway down on to the beach.
There are caravan and camping grounds at Port Hughes, Wallaroo, Moonta Bay and Kadina. For more information visit https://visitcoppercoast.com.au
Whyalla
Located on Eyre Peninsula’s Spencer Gulf, Whyalla is an important hub boasting a combination of industrial and nature-based experiences, with vivid scenery, small city charm, distinctive mystic outback landscapes and year-round things to do. Whyalla boasts a warm climate, accessible ocean shores and saltwater fishing.
Whyalla (Image City of Whyalla)
Centrally located with excellent services, Whyalla makes a perfect base camp to explore the Upper Spencer Gulf, Southern Flinders Ranges and Eastern Eyre Peninsula.
Flinders Ranges and outback
Starting only 45 minutes from Whyalla, a day trip into the Flinders Ranges and outback region delivers adventure into an ancient land.
It is a short 45-minute drive to experience the Wadlata Outback Centre at Port Augusta and the Unique Australian Arid Lands Botanic Garden. Or drive one and a half hours to Quorn and jump aboard the heritage Pichi Richi Railway to experience stunning views of the Flinders Ranges or minutes away to Melrose and Wilmington where you can mountain bike the foothills of Mount Remarkable National Park or trek the magnificent Alligator Gorge. Two hours’ drive will take you to Port Pirie to see the Regional Arts Centre, Orroroo with the infamous Magnetic Hill phenomenon and Laura home to Golden North Ice-cream. There are many small towns, spectacular sites and attractions, so make a day of it.
Iron Knob
Iron Knob is located 40 minutes northwest of Whyalla, adjacent to the Eyre Highway. Learn the history of iron ore mining and experience a mine tour.
The Broken Hill Propriety Company Limited (BHP) was granted iron ore leases at Iron Knob in November 1899. Ore was initially used at Port Pirie as a flux during the smelting of silver, lead and zinc ore. At one time the Iron Knob and Iron Baron mining operations supplied the iron ore for all BHP blast furnaces, but since the development of the Pilbara deposits in WA, the local mines have concentrated on fulfilling Whyalla's needs.
After nearly 100 years, mining at Iron Knob ended in April 1998 when the last ore was taken from the Iron Monarch open cut pit. In 2012, the Iron Monarch pit was re-opened and ore once again transported to Whyalla.
Over the years other mines have been opened to meet demands – Iron Baron in 1933, Iron Prince and Iron Queen in the 1970s; and the most recent major development in 1990 with the opening of Iron Duke 55kms south-west of Whyalla off the Lincoln Highway.
The town has a post office with internet access, camping ground, public toilets and a community tourist centre. The Community Tourist Centre is well signposted and has also been developed as a mining museum.
It displays old mining equipment, mineral specimens, interpretive displays and photographs, and a theatrette that presents the story of mining in Iron Knob. Visitors can enjoy refreshments and browse the range of souvenirs on sale. Facilities include shady trees, toilets and ample parking.
Open weekdays from 9am-3.30pm. Ph: (08) 8646 2129.
KIMBA
Kimba lies one and a half hours south-west from Whyalla and one hour west of Iron Knob.
There is 8m tall statue of a big galah beside the highway marking halfway between the east and west coasts of Australia. Kimba is the centre of a major wheat growing area, and site of one of South Australia's largest inland grain terminals.
Kimba is a close drive to the Lake Gilles and Pinkawillinie conservation parks. North of Kimba you will find the Gawler Ranges and to the south-west is Caralue Bluff, Carrapee Hill and Dark Peake. Wildflowers, native birds and other Australian wildlife such as kangaroos, emus and wombats are in the area. Find out more about Kimba here.
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