Coorong National Park
| Location | Coorong National Park |
| Start Point | Salt Creek |
| End Point | 42 Mile Crossing campground |
| Distance | 25 km one way |
| Time | 2 days |
| Difficulty | Intermediate |
| Activity | Walking |
| Region | Fleurieu Peninsula / Limestone Coast |
| Accommodation | Camping, mid-range and premium options — see Fleurieu Peninsula and Limestone Coast accommodation |
| Key Feature | Multi-day coastal bush walk through Coorong wetlands to ocean beach |
Two Days Through the Heart of the Coorong
The Nukan Kungun Hike is the Coorong’s signature multi-day walk — a 25-kilometre, two-day trail that starts from Salt Creek and links some of the most popular trails in the national park before concluding at the 42 Mile Crossing campground, where a further 1.3-kilometre walk over the sand dunes leads to the wild ocean beach of the Younghusband Peninsula. It is a walk through the full diversity of the Coorong landscape — wetlands, bush, dunes, and finally the vast Southern Ocean beach that stretches unbroken for over a hundred kilometres.
The Coorong National Park is a wetland of international importance, recognised under the Ramsar Convention for its extraordinary biodiversity. The long, narrow lagoon system — fed by the Murray River and separated from the Southern Ocean by the Younghusband Peninsula — supports hundreds of species of waterbirds, fish, and invertebrates, and has been a vital resource for the Ngarrindjeri people for thousands of years. The Nukan Kungun Hike takes walkers through this remarkable system at walking pace, allowing time to absorb the scale, the silence, and the birdlife that makes the Coorong one of Australia’s great natural places.
The Walk
The trail begins at Salt Creek and winds south through the park, linking established walking trails and passing through varied habitats — samphire flats, mallee scrub, open grassland, and the dune systems that separate the lagoon from the ocean. Secluded bush campsites are dotted along the trail, providing overnight options for walkers who want to take their time and experience the Coorong at dawn and dusk, when the birdlife is most active and the light transforms the landscape.
The trail concludes at 42 Mile Crossing campground, but the real finale lies 1.3 kilometres further — over the sand dunes to the ocean beach. Standing on the Younghusband Peninsula beach, with the Southern Ocean stretching to the horizon and the Coorong lagoon behind you, the scale of this landscape becomes visceral. This is one of Australia’s great wilderness beaches, and reaching it on foot after two days of walking through the park that protects it is an experience that resonates long after you return home.
Planning Your Walk
The Nukan Kungun Hike is popular with school groups and walking groups seeking a manageable multi-day experience. Carry sufficient water and food for two days. Camping is available at designated sites along the trail and at 42 Mile Crossing campground. The trail is suitable for intermediate walkers with basic bush camping experience. Combine with the Ngrugie Ngoppun Walk and Lakes Nature Walk for a comprehensive Coorong experience.
The Nukan Kungun Hike is two days of walking through one of Australia’s great wetland systems — from the quiet creeks and bush camps of the inland Coorong to the wild ocean beach of the Younghusband Peninsula. It is a walk that reveals the Coorong at its most intimate and its most vast, and leaves you with the understanding that some landscapes can only be truly known on foot.
Where to Stay
Planning an overnight trip? See our Fleurieu Peninsula Accommodation Guide for the best places to stay near this trail.