I went on family trips up and down the coasts of South Australia as a kid, but as I grew older the city life and metropolitan beaches took precedence. Looking back now I have serious regrets for not continuing to explore the amazing coastline and rural areas of my beautiful state. I can’t turn back the time now and swap city hangs for beach adventures but I can make the most of it while I am home in Adelaide for a month.
I asked my younger cousin if he wanted to make the three hour journey to Yorke Peninsula with me and he was in. A tent, sleeping bag, and a box of food and we were on our way to Innes National Park near Marion Bay.
The camping fees were $12 a night plus the $10 one-off entry fee. I had been to Innes before but couldn’t really remember what it was like so it was a whole new experience for both of us. We spent four days in the National Park and only occasionally bumped into people, often enjoying long beaches to ourselves. It was quite surreal. Knowing that Adelaide a city of over 1 million people was only a three hour drive away, while we kicked a ball around on a 4 kilometer long white sand beach with crystal clear turquoise water was quite bewildering.
I was taken by surprise by the infrastructure in the park. Perfectly maintained boardwalks let you down to each beach and smooth roads wound around the park. A drop toilet and toilet paper at each campsite made the tent experience comfortable.
The only negatives – extreme number of flies and the heat at night in the tent – are factors most Aussies will shrug off. Oh and we ran into a few snakes dead and alive but once again this was laughed off. If you can handle a few interesting wildlife encounters, heat and flies you will enjoy world-class beaches by yourself or only a couple of others.
During the trip we saw countless emus, kangaroos, lizards, birds and also dolphins, snakes, crabs. Innes National Park really is like a drive through Australian safari. Kangaroos and emus cross the road stopping to watch you drive past, which is a really cool experience and can’t imagine how amazing it would be if you were a tourist experiencing Australia’s wildlife in a natural setting compared to a petting zoo.
I will definitely write a detailed blog post of all the things to know and the spots you can’t miss at Innes National Park in the coming days.