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Formby Bay: One Of the Best Beaches In South Australia

Formby Bay: One Of the Best Beaches In South Australia

In the city of churches, we Adelaidians like to think we know most of the things to do in our beautiful little city. However, many of us rarely venture out into the ‘wilderness’ and out of the comfort of the metropolitan area. Boy are many of us missing out. Three hours away from Adelaide is a 6.5 kilometer stretch of sand so magnificent I want everyone from A-town to experience it. I am talking about Formby Bay.

A GUIDE TO FORMBY BAY

The Yorke Peninsula is a collection of unbelievably beautiful, untouched beaches and scenery. None more so isolated and pristine than Formby Bay.

HOW TO GET TO FORMBY BAY

To reach the bay a 30-minute drive from Marion Bay will lead to a small street sign pointing down a gravel road. As I turned down the road with my cousin in the car beside me, little did we know we were on the path to paradise.

The end of the road is met with a carpark, on the edge of a steep cliff. We noticed another car park but couldn’t see any people. It turns out to reach Formby Bay you need to park your car and head to the right along a well-maintained path, which is lined on either side by carefully placed rocks.

formby bay, yorke peninsula

REACHING THE SAND AT FORMBY BAY

We walked for fifteen minutes, stopping to marvel at the water clarity and the variation of colors the coastline was producing. The dry, white sand dunes contrast starkly with the refreshing crystal azure water. It was this contrast of dry rock, cliffs, and sand dunes that I enjoyed so much while catching waves in the crisp water of the ocean.

formby bay, yorke peninsula
formby bay, yorke peninsula

THE BEACH AT FORMBY BAY

The path turned into a boardwalk, which wound its way down to the shore. A small group of guys was waiting out a hundred yards in the water for a set of waves. Aside from this small group of surfers we had the entire 6.5 kilometer stretch of sand entirely to ourselves, not that we knew what to do with it all.

formby bay, yorke peninsula

What are my favorite pieces of gear for the beach?

There are three pieces of gear that I simply never forget when I go on a beach adventure. These are three items that I using right now and this list gets updated every year! Here are my beach essentials.

  • Quick-Dry Towel: A quick-dry towel is a must for travelers. It hardly takes up any room and dries in seconds.
  • Osprey Ultralight Dry Sack: The beach can be a great place to ruin your precious gear so having this ultralight dry sack for cameras, phones and valuables mean you have a safe place to store everything.
  • GoPro Hero 12: The best and easiest way to capture your underwater and snorkeling adventures.
formby bay, yorke peninsula

I threw on my fins and headed out into the mild break known as The Spit. I’m not sure if it picks up on other days, but as I body surfed towards the shore I enjoyed the perfect conditions.

formby bay, yorke peninsula

We baked in the 38-degree sun for several hours, soothing our skin in the crystal clear water every so often. After the group of surfers departed, only one other group of people joined us on the beach during the whole afternoon.

formby bay, yorke peninsula

Formby Bay quickly rose into my top South Australia Beaches thanks to its isolation, water clarity, waves, sand dunes, and cliffs.

Formby Bay is very close to Innes National Park, home to a diverse range of Australian wildlife and the location of some of South Australia’s best beaches. You might like to read an article I wrote called: The Ultimate Guide to Innes National Park or maybe you just want to see my 25 favorite photos from my week at Innes National Park by viewing the Gallery.

Formby Bay Map