You're truly spoilt for choice when it comes to beaches in South Australia, from incredible cliffs to sandy dunes there is something for everyone along the SA coast. We spent 2 months driving from WA to VIC along the coast so we got a taste of it all. These were our favourite ones!
Sellicks Beach
Starting with our favourite beach in the South Australia. This beach is made up of incredible cliffs that drop down to the beach below - one of the few in the city area that can be driven on by cars (we saw every kind of car on this beach so it's not just for the 4WDs).
We were there the week of Christmas to the New year, so it was incredibly busy as it is located in a holiday hotspot. So much so that have volunteer traffic controllers that manage the flow of cars and collect a payment for vehicles wanting to drive down to the beach. (for what we can tell it was just on weekends and public holidays). We drove past this beach frequently and on weekends there were hundreds, if not thousands of vehicles on the beach. It was $8 for the day but locals can go for free if they have a permit. If you don't want to take your car it's free entry just park in one of the designated car parks and walk down.
We got lucky on a quiet day to take this picture, just before the Christmas rush which is why there is no one in it.
Southport Beach
We spent a lot of our time in Adelaide here, with crystal clear and calm waters it was the perfect spot for stand up paddle boarding or swimming. We also saw some of the most epic sunsets we have seen here.
The main staircase down to the beach is a very popular spot for the classic “stairway to the Ocean” shots, which of course we took plenty of shots of.
The only downside of this spot is that there isn't a lot of sandy beach so you are limited if you want to leave your stuff or sun-bake on the beach as the tide comes up quite high. We noticed most people left their belongings on the rocks at the end of the staircase.
Whalers Way - Port Lincoln (Eyre Peninsula)
This one was a bit tricky to find, PLUS we had to scale down a cliffside to get here. Its actually on private land so you have to pay a fee to enter the area. It cost us $40per vehicle for a day pass. It’s gated off and locked with a passcode padlock so no chance of sneaking in without paying the fee.
We found the particular spot below by luck. We stopped at a lookout and spotted the pool below. There were several other really cool rock pools at the bottom, but this was the best one. We climbed down a very sketchy ladder to a ledge and then found our way down by climbing over rocks. Overall it was pretty difficult and was a bit of a risk, but the photos were amazing. Would I do it again? Definitely!
Port Noarlunga Beach (North)
Another must visit a beach in the Adelaide area. This beach has an impressive jetty that takes you out to a reef that is perfect for a snorkel. You have to time it right with the tide to get the perfect snorkel conditions.
Unfortunately we forgot to take any pictures of this beach as we were having a good time, so you're just going to have to trust our word on this one. (or check out the location tag on Instagram)
Port Willunga
Overall it's a pretty standard beach but what sets it apart is a number of caves that have been carved into the cliffs that drop down to the beach. That makes for good shelter and places to leave your belongings when swimming (and of course a good picture opportunity). If you want to snag a cave make sure to get there early as it is a very popular swimming and fishing spot.
Ethel Wreck Beach / Innes National Park
This beach is located within the Innes National park on the Eyre Peninsula. With large waves it's a very popular surf spot. The staircase down the cliff's side is very steep and isn't for the fainthearted and might puff you out on the way back up, but worth the trek down.
The waves were a little large for us so we didn't go for a swim and just enjoyed the sun and the beach. We saw a few dolphins enjoying the waves as well.
There were plenty more beaches we checked out along our travels but these were our top picks that we highly recommend you check out if you are ever exploring South Australia
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