Family Activities
For Kids & Parents
The best family activities in Fleurieu Peninsula
The horse-drawn tram at Victor Harbor, steam trains at Goolwa, calm bays for swimming, farm animal experiences and playgrounds - the Fleurieu is a family holiday legend.
The Fleurieu Peninsula is a brilliant place to travel with children, with a stack of things to do that work for all ages and most weather. The classic family day out is at Victor Harbor: ride the heritage horse-drawn tram across the causeway to Granite Island, then hop aboard the Cockle Train, a historic steam-and-heritage railway that runs along the coast to Goolwa.
There's plenty more to keep kids busy. Think mini golf and foreshore playgrounds, the trout farm at Tooperang where you can catch your own, wildlife parks, and gentle, swimmable beaches up and down the Gulf St Vincent coast. Markets, farm gates and pick-your-own orchards turn a simple drive into an adventure, and the region's many short, flat walks and rail trails are easy going for little legs and prams.
Rainy days are well covered too, with museums, galleries, indoor play and family-friendly cafés in the larger towns. Most attractions are close together and easy to string into a single outing, and lots of beaches, walks and parks are free. For the most popular activities and the Cockle Train, check seasonal timetables and book ahead during school holidays.
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Big Duck Boat Tours
Eco-certified marine wildlife tours on the south coast
Small-group wildlife boat tours from the Granite Island Causeway at Victor Harbor, with seals, dolphins and - in winter - southern right whales.
BIG4 Cape Jervis Station & Caravan Park
$$Working station accommodation above Backstairs Passage
Working station-turned-holiday park perched above Cape Jervis, with motel rooms, cottages and campsites overlooking Kangaroo Island and the Heysen Trail.
BIG4 Port Elliot Holiday Park
$$Beachfront caravan park at Horseshoe Bay
A family caravan park right on the beach at Horseshoe Bay, Port Elliot - cabins, ensuite sites, caravan and camping sites, and a direct walk to the sand.
BIG4 Port Willunga Tourist Park
$$Shaded bushland tourist park near the cliffs
Shaded bushland caravan and cabin park a short drive from the iconic Port Willunga cliffs, Aldinga Beach and the McLaren Vale cellar doors.
Bristow Smith Reserve
A riverside nature playground with a wooden boat
Goolwa's premier riverside park features an award-winning nature playspace built around a 10-metre restored wooden fishing boat, right on the Murray River with BBQs, shelters and a shallow swimming beach.
Canoe the Coorong
Kayak tours into the Coorong wetlands
Guided kayak tours from Hindmarsh Island into the Coorong National Park - a Ramsar-listed wetland system of lagoons, sand dunes and waterbirds.
Carrickalinga Beach
A wide white-sand beach north of Normanville
A wide, flat, white-sand beach stretching 3km along the Gulf St Vincent north of Normanville - safe for swimming, excellent for beach walks and one of the Fleurieu's best family beaches.
Coast to Vines Rail Trail
Thirty-seven flat kilometres from sea to slate
A 37-kilometre sealed rail trail along the old Willunga railway corridor, running from Marino on the coast through the McLaren Vale vineyards and ending on the edge of historic Willunga township.
Down The Rabbit Hole Wines
Alice in Wonderland meets McLaren Vale
A whimsical, Alice in Wonderland-themed cellar door and restaurant on Binney Road, with vineyard gardens, long lunches and estate wines.
Encounter Bikeway
30km sealed cycling and walking path
A mostly flat 30km sealed path running along the Encounter Coast between Victor Harbor and Goolwa - perfect for families, casual walkers and cyclists.
Gilbert's Motor Museum
Classic cars and motoring memorabilia
A family-run motor museum in the heart of Strathalbyn housing a rotating collection of classic cars, motoring memorabilia and vintage advertising.
Glacier Rock (Selwyn Rock)
A 280-million-year-old glaciated river bed
A Permian-era glacial pavement carved into 510 million year old bedrock on the floor of the Inman River - one of the oldest and most accessible glacial sites in Australia.
Goolwa Wharf Rotary Market
Riverside market on the Goolwa Wharf
A community market on the Goolwa Wharf with over 80 stalls of fresh produce, crafts, food and music - held on the 1st and 3rd Sunday of each month.
Granite Island
Victor Harbor's penguin-island
A small rocky island off the Victor Harbor foreshore, home to a little penguin colony and accessed by the iconic horse-drawn tram causeway.
Horseshoe Bay
Port Elliot's sheltered family cove
A near-perfect horseshoe of sandy beach framed by sandstone headlands at Port Elliot, one of the safest swimming beaches on the Encounter Coast.
Ingalalla Falls
Tiered cascade and rockpools in Second Valley Forest
A family-friendly tiered waterfall and rockpool just a short stroll from the carpark, set in the lush Second Valley Forest Reserve south of Normanville.
Inman Valley Hotel
A country pub in the rolling hills
A traditional country pub in the tiny hamlet of Inman Valley - a classic Fleurieu lunch stop after a bike ride along the Encounter Bikeway or a visit to Glacier Rock.
Middleton Beach
The Fleurieu learn-to-surf beach
A long, gently-shelving sand beach between Port Elliot and Goolwa, widely regarded as the best learn-to-surf beach on the Fleurieu Peninsula.
Mount Compass
A dairy town famous for Australia's only cow race
A friendly country crossroads halfway between McLaren Vale and Victor Harbor, best known for the annual Compass Cup cow race held every February.
Myponga Reservoir Reserve
Walking, kayaking and fishing at a SA Water reservoir
A 250-hectare SA Water reservoir opened to the public for walking, kayaking, fishing and picnics, with a spectacular lookout over the dam wall and spillway.
Normanville Beach
Wide white sand just an hour from Adelaide
One of the longest, safest swimming beaches on the Fleurieu - a broad arc of white sand backed by dunes and a historic jetty.
NRMA Victor Harbor Beachfront Holiday Park
$$Beachfront villas, cabins and safari tents
Beachfront holiday park directly opposite Granite Island, with villas, cabins, safari tents and powered sites - a longstanding Victor Harbor family favourite.
Oceanic Victor
Swim with giant southern bluefin tuna
A floating pontoon off Granite Island where visitors can hand-feed, view and swim with a school of giant southern bluefin tuna.
Port Elliot Historic Railway and Seaport Centre
$Inside Australia's oldest public railway terminus
The 1853 Port Elliot Railway Station, now home to the National Trust's Historic Railway and Seaport Centre, tells the story of the horse-drawn tramway that connected the Murray River to the sea.