In-depth guide · CampingSpirit
From Adelaide along the Coorong lagoon to Robe and Beachport, to the collapsed sinkholes of Mount Gambier, into the Coonawarra vineyards and on to the World Heritage caves of Naracoorte: a good 850 kilometres through South Australia’s quiet south-east.
The spirit of the route
Beyond Tailem Bend the land turns flat and the light wide. To your left the Coorong lagoon shimmers in grey, pink and silver; behind it lie the dunes of the Younghusband Peninsula, and behind those the Southern Ocean thunders – you hear it before you see it. Pelicans fly in formation over the water, in the evening the air smells of salt and melaleuca, and an emu sits in the grass outside the sliding door. Further south the limestone shows what this coast is made of: cliffs with sea arches at Robe, a long timber jetty reaching into the sea at Beachport, caves, sinkholes and a crater lake that turns cobalt blue in summer. Inland follows a narrow strip of red earth where Cabernet grows, and beneath the pastures of Naracoorte lie the bones of giant kangaroos. This route is quiet, windy and honest – with campgrounds that often have nothing more than a drop-toilet hut, and evenings that need no backdrop.
Stage-by-stage plan
1Stage 1: Adelaide to Long Point (Coorong National Park) via Murray Bridge (approx. 165 km)
- The drive
- Take the South Eastern Freeway (M1) up into the Adelaide Hills and east to Murray Bridge – four lanes, with long climbs. From Tailem Bend head south on the Princes Highway (B1), through flat grazing and salt country to Meningie on Lake Albert. A few kilometres south, the access road to Long Point turns off; the last kilometres are on an undulating gravel track, suitable for conventional vehicles – drive slowly with a caravan. Around two hours of pure driving time.
- Highlights & must-sees
- Murray Bridge: a walk along the banks of the Murray with a view of the old 1879 road bridge; if you have time, stop at Monarto Safari Park on the way in.
- Meningie: lakeside promenade on Lake Albert, one of the two large lakes at the Murray Mouth, with pelicans at the boat jetty.
- Long Point: view across the narrow Coorong lagoon to the sand dunes of the Younghusband Peninsula, especially beautiful in the evening light.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
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Official campsite or RV park: Long Point Campground in Coorong National Park: five unpowered sites, also suitable for caravans, accessible drop toilet, water for non-drinking use only (no drinking water), no campfires. Book online in advance with the National Parks and Wildlife Service SA. If you need power and showers, you’ll find caravan parks on the lakeshore in Meningie.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): In Coorong National Park, overnight stays are permitted only at booked campgrounds. Foreshore and car parks in Meningie are not camping areas; the councils along the Murray have their own by-laws, which you can recognise from the signs on site.
- Insider tip for campers
- Do a last big shop and fill up the tank in Murray Bridge: as far as Kingston SE there is only Meningie and the roadhouse at Salt Creek. Fill your water tank at a caravan park or a dump point – there is no drinking water in Coorong National Park.
2Stage 2: Long Point to 42 Mile Crossing (Coorong National Park) (approx. 95 km)
- The drive
- Back onto the Princes Highway and south, always between lagoon and bush. At Policemans Point the Old Coorong Road (Loop Road) running parallel to the highway is worth taking: a gravel road right beside the lagoon, usually easily passable for conventional vehicles; drive slowly after rain. From Salt Creek it’s another 20 km or so to the 42 Mile Crossing turn-off. Half a day with stops.
- Highlights & must-sees
- Jack Point Pelican Observatory: short path to a viewing point overlooking pelican breeding islands – bring binoculars and keep your distance.
- Chinamans Well near Salt Creek: restored stone well from the time when Chinese gold seekers walked from Robe to the Victorian goldfields; information boards on the history.
- 42 Mile Crossing: a footpath leads from the campground over the dunes to the deserted ocean beach of the Younghusband Peninsula.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
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Official campsite or RV park: 42 Mile Crossing Campground: around 30 unnumbered, unpowered sites, also for caravans, with an accessible drop toilet and picnic shelter; fires only in the fire pits and not during the Fire Danger Season. Book online. Alternatives along the way: Parnka Point (Pelican and Avocet) right on the lagoon and the small Loop Road sites, all without campfires; caravans only at the designated sites (such as Pelican and the Caravan Sites on the Loop Road).
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): Beach camping on the ocean, for example beyond 42 Mile Crossing, is possible only with a separate beach camping booking per vehicle, and only with 4WD and soft-sand experience; the park service advises against trailers and caravans on the beach. Camping in the park outside booked sites is prohibited; driving behind or in the dunes away from marked tracks is forbidden at all times.
- Insider tip for campers
- The access from 42 Mile Crossing to the beach is 4WD terrain with soft sand. With a standard campervan, park at the campground and walk. The roadhouse at Salt Creek is the only fuel stop on this section – don’t take its opening hours for granted.
3Stage 3: 42 Mile Crossing to Robe via Kingston SE (approx. 110 km)
- The drive
- At Kingston SE the Princes Highway leaves the lagoon; the land turns greener, the road stays straight and well built. Beyond Kingston, follow the Southern Ports Highway (B101) past lagoons and pasture to Robe. Barely more than an hour and a half of driving, leaving plenty of time for the beach and a stroll around town.
- Highlights & must-sees
- “Larry”, the Big Lobster at the entrance to Kingston SE: a 17 m tall rock lobster from 1979, a photo stop and a reminder that lobster fishing rules here.
- Cape Jaffa Lighthouse on the Kingston foreshore: the iron tower once stood on a reef off the coast and was moved onshore; open for visits at set times.
- Robe: harbour on Lake Butler with the lobster fleet, the Customs House of 1863 and the memorial to the Chinese gold seekers who came ashore here from 1857.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
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Official campsite or RV park: Robe has several caravan parks with power, amenities and waste disposal, some on Lake Fellmongery and near the beach; book early in summer and during school holidays. For a stay closer to nature, head south of town to Little Dip Conservation Park, whose basic campgrounds you book online with the National Parks and Wildlife Service SA.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): Robe is a popular holiday town; sleeping in your vehicle in foreshore, harbour and street car parks is not permitted and is enforced. In Kingston SE, Kingston District Council runs an RV park on the beach next to Lions Park: no reservations, ticket from the machine (each valid for two nights), a maximum of six days, for motorhomes, campervans and caravans.
- Insider tip for campers
- In season you can buy fresh rock lobster directly in Kingston and Robe; the catch is under strict quotas, and recreational fishers have their own rules and tagging requirements. Long Beach north of Robe is open to vehicles, but only with 4WD and lowered tyre pressure – campervans stay at the access point.
4Stage 4: Robe to Beachport (approx. 55 km)
- The drive
- Short stage on the Southern Ports Highway between coastal lakes, pine forest and pasture. The coastal track through Little Dip Conservation Park and the dunes is for 4WD vehicles with sand experience only; with two-wheel drive, stay on the highway. Just under an hour of driving.
- Highlights & must-sees
- Obelisk at Cape Dombey in Robe: red-and-white navigation marker from the 1850s on the cliff, plus sea arches and limestone coves along the coastal path. The cliffs are crumbling – respect the barriers.
- Woakwine Cutting on the road to Beachport: a drainage channel dug through a limestone ridge with a single bulldozer, with a viewing platform and information boards.
- Beachport: the jetty reaches around 770 m into Rivoli Bay; plus the Pool of Siloam, a small, very salty lake on the edge of town where you almost float on your own.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
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Official campsite or RV park: Beachport has caravan parks on the foreshore and on the edge of town with power, amenities and waste disposal; the waterfront sites are exposed to the wind. If you prefer something simpler, you’ll find bookable national park sites in Beachport Conservation Park north of town.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): Wattle Range Council, which Beachport belongs to, designates three free overnight areas exclusively for self-contained vehicles (tanks for fresh, grey and black water as well as rubbish bins on board). The council does not publish the locations online – ask the council or the visitor centres about location and length of stay.
- Insider tip for campers
- Bowman Scenic Drive in the evening: the narrow sealed road along the cliff coast west of Beachport has several pull-outs but is tight for long rigs – better to drive it with the campervan alone. Fishing from the jetty is a local pastime; size and bag limits follow PIRSA rules.
5Stage 5: Beachport to Mount Gambier via Millicent and Tantanoola (approx. 85 km)
- The drive
- East via Millicent into the pine plantations of the south-east, then on the Princes Highway via Tantanoola to Mount Gambier. Well built throughout, but with log trucks – keep your distance and be patient when overtaking. A good hour of pure driving time.
- Highlights & must-sees
- Tantanoola Cave: a dolomite show cave in an ancient sea cliff, one of the most accessible caves in Australia, including by wheelchair. Check opening times and tour format in advance with the National Parks and Wildlife Service SA.
- Millicent: the National Trust Museum and the gateway to Canunda National Park with its high mobile dunes near Southend.
- Mount Gambier in the evening: Umpherston Sinkhole, a collapsed limestone cave with a terraced garden, lit up at night – that’s when the brushtail possums come out to feed.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
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Official campsite or RV park: Mount Gambier has several large caravan parks with power, amenities and waste disposal, including BIG4 Blue Lake Holiday Park not far from the crater lakes – handy for the walk around the crater rim. Allow two nights.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): Within Mount Gambier’s city limits, by-laws prohibit sleeping in your vehicle. The RV parking area at Frew Park can be used without time limit during the day and has a dump point for grey and black water, but it is not an overnight spot; Wattle Range Council’s free areas for self-contained vehicles lie to the west. Book a caravan park for the city.
- Insider tip for campers
- The Princes Highway to Mount Gambier is also used by travellers coming from the Great Ocean Road – if you combine this route with the CampingSpirit travel guide to the Great Ocean Road, you drive here from Port Fairy via Portland and across the border. The city’s tap water comes from the Blue Lake and is safe to drink.
6Stage 6: Mount Gambier to Port MacDonnell (approx. 45 km)
- The drive
- Morning in Mount Gambier, then south on the Riddoch Highway (here B66) to Mount Schank and on to Port MacDonnell, the southernmost town in South Australia. Detours to Ewens Ponds and Piccaninnie Ponds on quiet back roads, the last stretch partly gravel.
- Highlights & must-sees
- Blue Lake: the crater lake glows cobalt blue from roughly November to March, more grey-blue in winter; the loop walk around the crater rim is a good 3.5 km long. Plus the Cave Garden in the middle of town, a sinkhole with a rose garden and a waterfall after rain.
- Mount Schank: a small extinct volcano right beside the road; one steep path leads up to the crater rim, a second down into the crater.
- Piccaninnie Ponds: crystal-clear spring-fed pools in the limestone; snorkelling and diving only with a permit booked online in advance with the park service. In town itself, the lighthouse at Cape Northumberland and Dingley Dell, the cottage of the poet Adam Lindsay Gordon.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
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Official campsite or RV park: Port MacDonnell Foreshore Tourist Park right by the sea: powered sites, amenities and waste disposal, with a bakery and fish shops in town. Start early for Piccaninnie Ponds – time slots are limited.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): The foreshores of Port MacDonnell and the coastal strip to Victoria are not free camping areas; Southern Limestone Coast Council (formerly District Council of Grant) regulates overnight stays by by-law. Camping is not permitted in Piccaninnie Ponds Conservation Park or at Ewens Ponds.
- Insider tip for campers
- Bring a wetsuit for the spring-fed pools or hire one beforehand in Mount Gambier – the water stays at around 15 °C all year. The Victorian border is only a few kilometres east: if you carry on east from here, remember the half-hour time difference and, on the way back, South Australia’s fruit rules.
7Stage 7: Port MacDonnell to Naracoorte Caves via Penola and Coonawarra (approx. 140 km)
- The drive
- Back via Mount Gambier and north on the Riddoch Highway (A66) through pine forest and pasture to Penola. Beyond it Coonawarra begins: a narrow strip of reddish-brown terra rossa soil over limestone, with the wineries right beside the road. From Naracoorte it’s another 12 km or so to the caves. A good two hours of driving without wine tasting.
- Highlights & must-sees
- Penola: Petticoat Lane with 19th-century timber and stone cottages, and the Mary MacKillop Penola Centre next to the schoolhouse where Australia’s first saint taught.
- Coonawarra: Cabernet Sauvignon from the terra rossa strip, for example at Wynns Coonawarra Estate with its triple-gabled cellar building of 1891, Rymill or Balnaves. Many cellar doors have large car parks.
- Naracoorte Caves: part of the UNESCO World Heritage “Australian Fossil Mammal Sites”; Victoria Fossil Cave with bones of extinct megafauna, the Bat Centre with infrared cameras in the maternity cave of the bent-wing bats, and the Wet Cave to explore on your own.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
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Official campsite or RV park: Campground in Naracoorte Caves National Park: ten powered sites, a large lawn area for tents, amenities block with hot showers, free barbecue; communal fire pit outside the Fire Danger Season, bring your own firewood. No dogs. Book online or at the visitor centre. In the town of Naracoorte there is also a caravan park with waste disposal.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): Penola belongs to Wattle Range Council; ask the council or the visitor centre whether one of its three free areas for self-contained vehicles is nearby. In the national park and in winery car parks, overnight stays are possible only with explicit permission.
- Insider tip for campers
- If you want to taste, stay a night in Penola or let your passenger do the tasting: the 0.5 ‰ limit applies here too, and there are checks on the Riddoch Highway. Book cave tours in Naracoorte online in advance – in the holidays the time slots fill up quickly.
8Stage 8: Naracoorte Caves to Keith via Bordertown (approx. 160 km)
- The drive
- North on country roads through wheat, canola and sheep farming land to Bordertown on the Dukes Highway (A8), the main Adelaide–Melbourne artery with heavy truck traffic. Then west to Keith. From there it’s another 230 km or so on the Dukes Highway and South Eastern Freeway back to Adelaide – as a separate driving day or a long afternoon.
- Highlights & must-sees
- Bordertown: Walkway Wildlife Park on the highway with white kangaroos, plus the birthplace of former Prime Minister Bob Hawke.
- Keith: the “Land Rover on a pole”, a monument to the development of the Ninety Mile Desert, once considered infertile, through trace-element fertilising.
- Mount Rescue Conservation Park and Ngarkat north of Keith: mallee heath, with wildflowers and birdlife in spring.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
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Official campsite or RV park: Bordertown and Keith each have a caravan park with power, amenities and waste disposal, handy as a stopover on the way back. Murray Bridge, with caravan parks on the river, also works for the last night before Adelaide.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): There are several rest areas along the Dukes Highway; they are meant for driving breaks, overnight stays are possible only where signs don’t prohibit them, and truck bays are off limits. Town car parks are not camping areas.
- Insider tip for campers
- The Dukes Highway has overtaking lanes only in sections – use them patiently when queued behind road trains. On the South Eastern Freeway descent into Adelaide, heavy vehicles have their own speed and lane rules; drive in a low gear and follow the signs.
Camping practice & local rules
Wild camping & overnight parking
- South Australia has no statewide free-camping permission. On council land the councils decide by by-law, in national parks and conservation parks the National Parks and Wildlife Service SA. On the foreshores of Robe, Beachport, Kingston and Port MacDonnell, sleeping in your vehicle outside designated sites is not permitted.
- Wattle Range Council (Beachport, Millicent, Penola) designates three free overnight areas for self-contained vehicles only; the council gives their location and length of stay on request. Kingston SE has a paid RV park on the beach (no reservations, max. six days); in Mount Gambier sleeping in your vehicle is prohibited by by-law. Other councils in the region have their own rules – check locally at the visitor centres or on the council websites.
- National parks such as Coorong, Little Dip, Canunda, Beachport and Naracoorte Caves: camping only at booked campgrounds; bookings and park fees online with the National Parks and Wildlife Service SA. Park passes cover entry only, not camping. Dogs are not permitted in national park campgrounds.
- Beach driving: in the Coorong the ocean beach can be reached only via the crossings and only with 4WD; the section between Tea Tree Crossing and the Murray Mouth is closed every year from 24 October to 24 December to protect breeding hooded plovers, a threatened plover species. Rigs on the beach are not recommended, and salt water can lie at Tea Tree Crossing. Road rules apply on beaches, including registration and driver’s licence; observe protection zones and tides.
- Fire: the CFS sets a Fire Danger Season for the south-eastern districts, usually from about November to April. During this time open fires are prohibited; on days with a “Catastrophic” warning, national park campgrounds close. Collecting firewood in parks is forbidden.
- Apps: WikiCamps and CamperMate show campgrounds, dump points and current user notes; for closures and alerts check the “Know before you go” page of the National Parks and Wildlife Service SA – in the Coorong, individual areas are sometimes closed, for example for pest control.
Waste disposal & supplies
- Dump points: the larger towns of the Limestone Coast have public dump stations – in Mount Gambier, for example, at the Frew Park RV parking area – plus the caravan parks; current locations in WikiCamps or CamperMate. The campgrounds in Coorong National Park have only drop toilets – never empty your cassette there or into drains.
- Drinking water: there is none in Coorong National Park; the rainwater at some sites is expressly not drinking water. Set off from Meningie with a full tank and 20 litres in reserve. Mount Gambier draws its supply from the Blue Lake, and tap water in the towns is drinkable.
- Gas: Australian cylinders today mostly have an LCC27 valve, older ones the POL fitting. You can exchange empty cylinders at service stations and shops through the swap system; some service stations and gas suppliers in Mount Gambier, Naracoorte and Murray Bridge offer refills. European cylinders are not refilled.
- Fuel: between Meningie and Kingston SE, Salt Creek is the only service station, on a stretch of about 145 km in total – fill up in Meningie. In the south-east, fuel is cheaper in Mount Gambier and Naracoorte; on the Dukes Highway there are service stations in Bordertown, Keith and Tailem Bend.
- Groceries: large supermarkets in Murray Bridge, Mount Gambier, Millicent and Naracoorte. You can often buy rock lobster, oysters and fish straight from the fish shop in Kingston, Robe, Beachport and Port MacDonnell.
Vehicle size & traffic rules
- Drive on the left. 50 km/h in built-up areas, 100 km/h outside them unless signed otherwise; 110 km/h only on signed sections such as parts of the Dukes Highway. When passing stationary emergency vehicles with red or blue flashing lights and stationary breakdown vehicles with amber flashing lights, South Australia requires 25 km/h. There are no toll roads in South Australia.
- Animals on the road: kangaroos, emus and echidnas cross especially at dawn and dusk, and in the Coorong and on the Riddoch Highway during the day too. Avoid driving at night; if animals are on the road, brake in a straight line rather than swerving. Sheep are driven along back roads – stop and wait.
- Fruit fly quarantine: South Australia is largely free of fruit flies. If you enter from Victoria via the Princes Highway near Mount Gambier or the Dukes Highway near Bordertown, you may not bring fresh fruit and many vegetables: eat them beforehand or put them in the quarantine bins on the approach roads. There are random checks; breaches cost several hundred dollars. Restrictions also apply at times within South Australia in outbreak areas – current map at fruitfly.sa.gov.au.
- Rental campervans: many contracts exclude beach driving, using the Coorong crossings and in some cases unsealed roads from insurance cover, or restrict driving after dark. Read the conditions before heading onto the Loop Road or gravel access roads.
- Unsealed roads: the Old Coorong Road, the access roads to Long Point and to the crossings, and some park access roads are gravel or sand, slippery after rain. Drive slowly, keep your distance from oncoming traffic, allow for stone chips on the windscreen; tackle the access tracks to the ocean beach only with 4WD and lowered tyre pressure.
- Blood alcohol limit 0.5 ‰, 0 for learner and provisional drivers – relevant for wine tastings in Coonawarra. Mobile phone use while driving only hands-free; cameras check seatbelt and phone use. A foreign driver’s licence needs an International Driving Permit or a translation if it is not issued in English.
- Time zone: South Australia is half an hour behind Victoria – important for ferry times, cave tours and bookings if you continue across the border.
CampingSpirit packing & preparation checklist
- Collapsible 20-litre water container: the Coorong campgrounds have no drinking water, and there are hardly any places to top up between Meningie and Kingston.
- Head fly net and insect repellent: at the lagoon and in the dunes the flies, and in the evening the mosquitoes, are persistent.
- Binoculars: watch pelicans, avocets and waders in the Coorong from a distance without disturbing the breeding islands.
- Wetsuit and snorkel mask for the spring-fed pools near Port MacDonnell, which hover around 15 °C – book Piccaninnie Ponds in advance.
- Head torch with red light for Umpherston Sinkhole in the evening and the paths on unlit campgrounds.
- Windproof jacket and beanie: on the Southern Ocean at Robe, Beachport and Cape Northumberland a cold south-westerly blows even in summer.
As of 2026-10. Closures, fees and booking rules change: check official sources before you go.
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