Innes National Park, Maritime Heritage, and South Australia’s Coastal Playground
| Region | Yorke Peninsula |
| Trails Available | 8 trails |
| Activities | Walking, Scuba Diving |
| Key Areas | Dhilba Guuranda–Innes National Park, Stenhouse Bay, Inneston |
| Distance from Adelaide | Approximately 2.5–4 hours west |
| Accommodation | Camping, mid-range and premium options — See accommodation options |
A Peninsula of Wild Beaches, Cornish Heritage, and Coastal Discovery
The Yorke Peninsula extends like a leg into the waters between Spencer Gulf and Gulf St Vincent — a region of golden beaches, productive farmland, and a rugged southern tip where Dhilba Guuranda–Innes National Park protects some of the most dramatic coastal scenery in South Australia. The peninsula has been home to the Narungga (Nharangga) people for thousands of years, and its European history is equally rich: the copper mines of Kadina, Moonta, and Wallaroo attracted thousands of Cornish miners in the 1860s, creating a cultural heritage that persists in the region’s architecture, festivals, and identity.
Today, the Yorke Peninsula is one of South Australia’s most popular coastal holiday destinations, prized for its Mediterranean climate, world-class surfing beaches, exceptional fishing, and the blue swimmer crabs and King George whiting that draw seafood lovers from across the state. The Walk the Yorke trail — a 500-kilometre continuous leisure trail following the coastline — provides the framework for exploring the entire peninsula on foot. But it is Innes National Park at the peninsula’s southern tip that concentrates the region’s most spectacular walking experiences, combining wild ocean scenery, gypsum mining heritage, and abundant wildlife into a compact and accessible destination.
Dhilba Guuranda–Innes National Park
Innes National Park is the jewel of the Yorke Peninsula — a rugged coastal park where towering cliffs face the Southern Ocean, wild surf beaches attract both surfers and beachcombers, and the mallee woodland supports populations of western grey kangaroos, emus, and the threatened western whipbird. The park’s trails range from short headland walks with sweeping ocean views to historic walks through the abandoned gypsum mining settlement of Inneston, where the ruins of a once-thriving community are slowly being reclaimed by the bush. The Thomson-Pfitzner Plaster Trail follows the route of the tramway that once carried gypsum from mine to coast — a walk along the industrial lifeline of a forgotten community.
• West Cape Headland Hike — Cliff-top walking at the peninsula’s wild southern tip
• Gym Beach Hike — Innes — Coastal walk to a dramatic surf beach
• Royston Head Hike — Innes — Headland walk with panoramic ocean views
• Stenhouse Bay Lookout Walk — Innes — Views over the bay and the Southern Ocean
• Inneston Historic Walk — Through the abandoned gypsum mining settlement
• Thomson-Pfitzner Plaster Trail Hike — 6 km — Following the historic gypsum tramway route
• Thomson-Pfitzner Plaster Trail Hike – Innes — 6 km — Through mallee woodland along the old railway
Maritime Heritage and Diving
The waters around the Yorke Peninsula are rich with maritime heritage — the treacherous coastline claimed dozens of ships during the nineteenth century, and several of these wrecks are now accessible to divers through underwater maritime heritage trails. The peninsula offers two designated underwater trails that allow divers to explore historic shipwrecks in the clear waters of Spencer Gulf and the Southern Ocean. Combined with the Narungga heritage of the peninsula’s indigenous maritime culture, the Yorke Peninsula offers a comprehensive story of humanity’s relationship with these waters.
• Adelaide’s Underwater Heritage Trail — Maritime heritage diving (multi-region including Yorke Peninsula)
The Yorke Peninsula’s trails lead to where the farmland ends and the ocean begins — to the wild cliffs of Innes National Park, the abandoned mining settlement of Inneston, and the headlands where the Southern Ocean crashes against ancient rock. It is a peninsula where Cornish mining heritage, Narungga culture, and the raw beauty of the southern coast combine to create a walking destination that rewards every visit, whether you walk a single headland trail or set out along the 500-kilometre coastal route that circles the entire peninsula.