Coorong National Park
A 130-kilometre lagoon and dune system stretching east from the Murray Mouth - one of Australia's most significant wetlands, reachable from Goolwa via the barrage and across Hindmarsh Island.
A 130km lagoon
The Coorong National Park protects a long, narrow lagoon and dune system that runs for 130 km along the South Australian coast east from the Murray Mouth. The Coorong itself is a hypersaline lagoon separated from the Southern Ocean by the long, narrow Younghusband Peninsula - kilometres of dunes and wave-pounded ocean beach on one side, sheltered shallow lagoon water on the other.
A Ramsar wetland
The Coorong is one of Australia's most internationally significant wetlands, protected under the Ramsar Convention for its importance to migratory waterbirds. Pelicans, swans, ibis, spoonbills, terns and dozens of migratory wader species use the lagoon as feeding and roosting habitat. The Ngarrindjeri people have been managing the Coorong as part of their Country for thousands of years.
Visiting from the Fleurieu
The Coorong starts immediately east of the Murray Mouth, which makes it accessible from Goolwa via the Goolwa Barrage and across Hindmarsh Island. The Spirit of the Coorong Cruises (departing from Goolwa Wharf) run scheduled trips into the western Coorong. Drive access is via the Princes Highway from the south-east of the state - the western section can be reached from Meningie, just east of the Coorong.
Worth a day or more
The Coorong is a destination in its own right - the western lagoons, the dune walks, the bird hides, the Parnka Point campground and the long ocean beach are all worth at least a full day. From the Fleurieu side, a day cruise from Goolwa is the easy entry point.
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Coorong National Park — frequently asked questions
What is the Coorong?
The Coorong is a long, shallow saltwater lagoon system that runs for roughly 130 km along the South Australian coast, southeast of the Murray Mouth. A narrow strip of sand dunes — the Younghusband Peninsula — separates it from the Southern Ocean. It is a national park and an internationally significant Ramsar wetland, and holds deep cultural meaning for the Ngarrindjeri people.
Where is the Coorong?
The Coorong begins near Goolwa and the Murray Mouth, at the southern end of the Fleurieu region, and stretches southeast toward Kingston SE. The northern lakes end is about a 90-minute drive from Adelaide via Goolwa.
How long is the Coorong?
The lagoon system extends about 130 km from the Murray Mouth in the northwest. The Younghusband Peninsula that shelters it from the ocean is over 110 km long but less than 3 km wide at its broadest point.
What animals live in the Coorong?
The Coorong is one of Australia’s most important waterbird refuges. You can see Australian pelicans, black swans, terns, cormorants and large numbers of migratory shorebirds that travel here from the Northern Hemisphere each year, along with fish and the occasional kangaroo or emu in the surrounding dunes.
Which ocean does the Murray Mouth flow into?
The Murray Mouth, near Hindmarsh Island and the Sir Richard Peninsula, is where the River Murray meets the Southern Ocean.
Image credits
- Coorong National Park by Pimlico27 , CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons