Walk The Yorke

Don't forget your binoculars because this park is ideal for birdwatching enthusiasts. With 57 known bird species living in the park, you will be sure to see interesting bird life along the shoreline and in the mangroves.

Clinton Conservation Park was dedicated to protect a significant and undisturbed area of mangroves. The park provides the perfect opportunity to see the samphire shrubland, mallee woodland and tidal estuaries that it protects.

Wills Creek Conservation Park is a mangrove and samphire habitat extending from Port Clinton to Price. It’s a significant home for wetland birds and is unusual for woodland backed by eroding limestone cliffs topped with mallee and tea-tree vegetation.

Ardrossan is home to one of South Australia's greatest inventions - the Stump Jump Plough, and the local museum celebrates the home of the stump jump plough. This is where it was manufactured en masse and hard to believe now, but until 1907 this was the most up-to-date factory in the Southern Hemisphere. There’s also pictures and documents about the mass stranding of whales at Parara in 2014, along with a whale jawbone from one of the whales.

Just on the southern edge of Ardrossan, you will pass the loading jetty and mining operations. Ardrossan is a hub of industry, with salt from Price shipped from the jetty; and the Viterra silos and bunkers a depot for local farmers reaping crops at harvest (grain isn’t shipped from here but transported by road train south to Port Giles). The Ardrossan mine extracts dolomite, which is shipped out to other ports. One of the best views over Ardrossan & Gulf St Vincent can be found at the Ardrossan Lookout, just near the mine operations; don’t miss this birds-eye view and a great photo opportunity.

Parara is the Aboriginal word for ‘middle’, and this area was home to the Parara Homestead owned by the Bowmans, who were pioneers in farming & sheep grazing across the state and went on to have the township of Bowmans in the Mid-North named after them and built Martindale Hall, near Clare.

Parara Beach is a popular crabbing beach, with many venturing out with their crab rakes in the warmer months (September to April) to gather Blue Swimmer crabs. In December 2014, it was also the location of the extraordinary and significant marine event, where 7 Sperm Whales were found stranded after beaching themselves at low tide. A memorial on the coast at Parara Beach honours this event, which was the first of its kind in over 200 years in South Australian history.

The first of its kind in South Australia & the largest in Australia, Windara Reef is a shellfish restoration reef in Gulf St Vincent.

Windara Reef offers great fishing for recreational fishers with fish species including King George Whiting & Snapper.

The reef is named Windara Reef after the Narungga name for the eastern section of Yorke Peninsula, which is one of the 4 clans making up Narungga. It is located 1km off the Rogues Point coast, 7km south of Ardrossan and is at a water depth of 8-10 metres.

With a total trail length of 6.3 kilometres, the Stansbury Coastal Walking Trail follows the coastline from Mills Gully, along the foreshore and back beach to Pitts Cutting.

With access for walkers, cyclists and wheelchairs the trail offers 180-degree views of Oyster Bay and the Stansbury township. There are also several gym equipment installations along the foreshore section of the trail that can be used in conjunction with a walk or on their own.

Signage along the trail provide interpretive information about wildlife, wildlfowers and birdlife that can be seen whilst walking the trail.

Alpacas are often referred to as environmentally friendly and with their soft feet they are kind to the earth and environment. Alpacas are adored for their softness and friendliness and they have the 2nd warmest natural fleece. Barachel Alpacas have an on-farm shop with a range of alpaca products, and baby alpacas are on site most of the year and visitors can cuddle and feed them (visitors by prior arrangement).

Have a secluded island all to yourself, just off Edithburgh…well apart from 1,000 little penguins, 30,000 migratory shore birds and maybe a few playful dolphins that share this conservation park! The lighthouse keepers cottage accommodates up to 10 people, and stands next to the only pre-fabricated cast iron lighthouse in South Australia built in 1856 (now retired).

The Investigator Strait Shipwreck Trail is between Yorke Peninsula and Kangaroo Island and highlights 10 of the 26 shipwrecks dating from 1849 to 1892. These vessels range from the famous Clan Ranald, a huge 3,596 tonne steel steamer to the Welling, a 10-tonne wooden fishing cutter. There are interpretative signs from Edithburgh to Innes National Park providing information about the shipwrecks and how they came to rest along this rugged coast.

The Mosaic Trail from Edithburgh to Sultana Point is a shared walking & cycling trail with a one-way distance of 3.4 kilometres (approximately 51 minutes). This arty trail was the brainchild of a local artist Trudie Howith, and with assistance from other local artists & community members, rocks along the trail were mosaicked in a nautical theme.

It’s worth a visit to the Troubridge Hill Lighthouse to view its unique design up close. Measuring 32 metres high, Troubridge Hill Lighthouse has a light range of 22 nautical miles and operates off mains electricity with a backup generator. This unusual lighthouse is built with custom-made special wedge shaped clay bricks, and it is designed to be resistant to high winds and earthquakes, as in the early 1900's the area experienced numerous earthquakes.

Located on a headland between Foul Bay and Sturt Bay on the south coast of Yorke Peninsula, Point Davenport Conservation Park is considered to be an area of high biodiversity. It has a range of habitats including beaches, foredunes, and an estuary that is listed as a nationally important wetland.

With a focus on nature & coastal inspired art, Studio Surf features artworks by self-taught artist Jason Swales, and other pieces by talented locals including driftwood art, silver pieces, glasswork and much more. It’s also a café with delicious barista made coffee and sweet treats.

Marion Bay Tavern’s menu features fresh and innovative dishes including the signature dish, the 'Marion Oscar', which is premium scotch fillet, chat potatoes, Asian greens, served with Moreton Bay Bugs and lime dill mayo. Or try a wood-fired pizza prepared fresh in-house and cooked in a wood fired authentic corrugated-iron pizza oven.

With just 5 rooms, the Marion Bay Motel is Yorke Peninsula’s trendiest boutique motel. With personal touches, funky furnishings, heritage appeals including use of old Marion Bay jetty pylons and full of character, it’s a great spot to spend a night or 2.