Walking & Hiking
Trails & Long Walks
The best walking & hiking in Fleurieu Peninsula
The Fleurieu is the start of the epic Heysen Trail and is crossed by the Kidman Trail and dozens of short coastal walks. From half-hour lookouts to multi-day trail sections, every level of walker is catered for.
For walkers, the Fleurieu Peninsula is where South Australia's most famous long-distance trail begins. The Heysen Trail starts at the lighthouse at Cape Jervis and threads north through Deep Creek National Park — the largest area of natural bushland on the peninsula — past clifftop lookouts, hidden beaches and forested gullies.
You don't need to be a long-distance hiker to enjoy it. The Fleurieu is laced with short, rewarding walks: tiered waterfalls like Ingalalla and Hindmarsh Falls that run best after winter and spring rain, coastal clifftop trails around Victor Harbor and the Bluff, and gentle rail trails such as the Encounter Bikeway and the Shiraz Trail through the McLaren Vale vineyards.
Walks here range from easy 30-minute strolls to full-day Grade 4 hikes, so check the distance and grade before you set out. The cooler months from autumn to spring are the most comfortable for walking, and spring brings wildflowers to the conservation parks. Carry water, sun protection and a charged phone — many trails are in remote country with patchy reception — and always check park alerts for seasonal closures and fire-danger days.
Browse walking & hiking by area
40 places
Kyeema Conservation Park
A 347-hectare stringybark forest reserve adjacent to Kuitpo Forest, with 80+ bird species including beautiful firetail and chestnut-rumped heathwren.
Mount Billy Conservation Park
A high-rainfall conservation park in the Inman Valley protecting some of the last Fleurieu Peninsula swamps and a network of bushwalking tracks through tall stringybark forest.
Mount Magnificent Conservation Park
A 90-hectare conservation park north-east of Mount Compass with a 3.5 km Heysen Trail summit loop offering big views to Lake Alexandrina, the Coorong and the coast.
Murray Mouth
Where Australia's greatest river meets the Southern Ocean
The opening where the River Murray - Australia's longest river - meets the Southern Ocean, about 10km southeast of Goolwa in the Coorong National Park.
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.
Newland Head Conservation Park
A coastal reserve south-west of Victor Harbor protecting Waitpinga Beach, Parsons Beach and the spectacular cliffs of the Wild South Coast Way - the Heysen Trail's most dramatic Fleurieu section.
Old Noarlunga
1840s river village on the Onkaparinga
Historic 1840s river township on the Onkaparinga River, tucked inside a dramatic river bend near Onkaparinga River National Park.
Old Willunga Hill
The Tour Down Under's most famous climb
The 3-kilometre winding ascent out of Willunga onto the Willunga Scarp is South Australia's most famous cycling climb, with panoramic Gulf views from the top.
Onkaparinga River National Park
A dramatic gorge just 35km south of Adelaide
A stunning river gorge and surrounding bushland just 35km south of Adelaide, with clifftop lookouts, riverside walks and rock pools teeming with wildlife.
Onkaparinga River Recreation Park
A 250-hectare estuarine recreation park where the Onkaparinga River meets the sea - distinct from the upstream Onkaparinga River National Park, with quiet walking trails and rich birdlife.
Petrel Cove
A dramatic cliff-backed cove between Kings Beach and The Bluff at Encounter Bay - one of the best whale and dolphin viewing spots on the Heritage Walking Trail.
Spring Mount Conservation Park
A 270-hectare bushland reserve south-east of Myponga, on the Heysen Trail, with diverse native bird and mammal habitat and quiet bush walking.
Talisker Conservation Park
A 212-hectare bushland reserve at the south-western tip of the Fleurieu, with an interpretive trail through the ruins of the 1860s Talisker silver-lead mine.
The Bluff (Rosetta Head)
A 97-metre granite dome above Encounter Bay
The dramatic granite headland known locally as The Bluff - a 97m dome overlooking Encounter Bay, with a 19th-century whaling history and a short, steep walking trail to the summit.
Tunkalilla Beach
A wild 5km Southern Ocean surf beach inside Deep Creek National Park, accessible via Tunkalilla Road and the Heysen Trail - one of the most remote beaches on the Fleurieu.
Waitpinga Cliffs Walk
Dramatic Heysen Trail coastal section
A spectacular section of the Heysen Trail along the high sandstone cliffs between Waitpinga Beach and Kings Beach in Newland Head Conservation Park.