Yorke Peninsula

Wild and enigmatic Innes National Park inhabits the southern tip of this mostly agricultural peninsula. Every October experienced surfers compete in the Cutloose RipCurl Yorke’s Classic. For everyone else, the emus, kangaroos, ospreys and sea eagles, and southern right whales and dolphins passing by its coastline, are highlights of this unspoilt park. Around the rest of the peninsula, Adelaidians head for beaches tucked behind farmlands and families gather at holiday shacks to enjoy the solitude and fishing. Visitors from further afield head to the historic so-called Copper Triangle — Moonta (the mine), Wallaroo (the smelter) and Kadina (the service town). Largely settled by Cornish miners, the area drove the regional economy following a copper boom in the early 1860s.

The regional visitor centre (1800 654 991, 08-8821 2333; www.coppercoast.sa.gov.au; 50 Moonta Rd, Kadina; 9am-5pm Mon-Fri, 10am-3.30pm Sat & Sun) is in Kadina.

Getting there and around

Amazingly, there is no public transport to take you to the end of the peninsula. Premier Stateliner (08-8415 5555) operates a bus from Adelaide to Kadina, Wallaroo, Moonta and Moonta Bay (all $24, two to three hours) twice daily on weekdays and daily on weekends.

Yorke Peninsula Coaches (08-8823 2375) will take you as far as Warooka or Yorketown. It runs daily from Adelaide’s central bus station to Yorketown either along the east coast or down the centre of the peninsula.

SEASA (08-8823 0777; www.seasa.com.au) offers a brand spanking new ferry service between Wallaroo (on the Yorke Peninsula) to Lucky Bay (on the Eyre Peninsula) — a very handy route saving a lot of miles of driving (via Port Augusta) between the two peninsulas. Cars cost $95 and adults/children travel for $25/10.

West Coast

The west coast, facing onto Spencer Gulf, has several quiet swimming beaches and the small Copper Triangle historic towns of Kadina, Wallaroo and Moonta, which are all within a short drive of each other.

Kadina

Busy little Kadina has a number of historic sites and more shops and facilities than nearby towns. Kadina Heritage Museum (8821 2333; Moonta Rd; adult/child/concession $8/2/6; 9am-4pm Mon-Fri, 10am-3.30pm Sat & Sun), in the visitor centre complex, illustrates the lifestyle of the mining folk and includes the restored Matta House (1863), old farming machinery, a blacksmith’s shop and details on the Matta Matta mine.

Wallaroo

With its empty retail spaces, Wallaroo might be going backwards if it weren’t for the new ferry service to Lucky Bay, which is giving the town a much-needed boost. There are some gorgeous sandstone buildings and an elevated walkway on the main strip shaded by Moreton Bay fig trees.

The solid former post office holds the Heritage & Nautical Museum (8823 3015; Jetty Rd; adult/child $5/2; 10am-4pm Mon-Fri, 2-4pm Sat & Sun), with tales of the English square-rigged sailing ships that serviced this region.

Moonta

Moonta has something of the Old West about it. Bursting with character and streets of yesteryear, the town’s sandstone buildings give it an enduring appeal. In the late 19th century the copper mine at Moonta, 18km south of Wallaroo, was the richest mine in Australia.

Moonta Visitor Centre (8825 1891; Kadina-Moonta Rd; 9am-5pm) has a good selection of history pamphlets, and details on walks around Moonta Heritage Site (Arthurton Rd), 1km east of town.

At its peak, the town’s grand old school had 1100 pupils on its rolls, but these days it’s the excellent Moonta Mines Museum (8825 1891; Verran Tce; adult/child $5/2; 1.30-4pm Mon, Wed, Fri, Sat & Sun). Don’t miss the drawings from cartoonist Oswald Pryor that depict Cornish social history with a touch of mirth. Kids will love walking through the mock mining shaft. Moonta Mines Sweet Shop (10am-4pm) is across the road. On weekends, a tourist railway (adult/child $6/3, 50 minutes) runs from the museum to Kadina and Bute.

Nearby is an evocative and fully restored Miner’s Cottage (8825 1891; Verco St; adult/child $3/1; 1.30-4pm Wed, Sat & Sun). Just 3km from town on the Wallaroo Rd, a section of the 1980s Wheal Hughes Copper Mine (8825 1892; Moonta-Wallaroo Rd; adult/child/concession $18/10/15) offers a look into a modern mine (tours by appointment).

There’s a fenced in swimming area off the jetty down at the Moonta Bay foreshore.

East Coast

The east-coast road from the top of Gulf St Vincent down to Stenhouse Bay near Cape Spencer is generally within 1km to 2km of the sea. En route, tracks and roads lead to sandy beaches and secluded coves.

There are many small coastal townships, usually with a caravan park, cabins or camping ground, including tranquil Port Vincent. For some of the cheapest accommodation around call into cosy Tuckerway (08-8853 7285; 14 Lime Kiln Rd; dm $16), a simple bunkhouse with dorms and twins that’s close to a swimming beach.

Further south, Edithburgh has a tidal swimming pool in a small cove; from the cliff tops you can look across to Troubridge Island lighthouse and conservation park. Migratory birds stop to visit the island’s permanent inhabitants, an enchanting fairy penguin colony.

Innes National Park

The southern tip of the peninsula, marked by Cape Spencer, is part of the Innes National Park (admission per car $7). Take some of the sidetracks to camp sites and parking areas to drink in the wonderful coastal views where sheer vegetated cliffs plunge into indigo waters, and rocky islands off the coastline hide small coves, sandy beaches and look out onto rolling surf.

The park also has good fishing, reef diving and surfing. Stenhouse Bay, just outside the park, and Pondalowie Bay, within the park, are the principal settlements. Pondalowie Bay is the base for a large lobster-fishing fleet and also has a fine surf beach hosting regular surfing events. Beaches are swimmable, but keep an eye on the swell and wind direction.

The remaining hull ribs of the steel barque Ethel, a 711-tonne ship that ran aground in 1904, rise forlornly from the sands — her anchor is mounted in a memorial on the cliff top above the beach. Just past the Cape Spencer turn-off, a sign on the right directs you to the ruins of the Inneston Historic Site. Inneston was a gypsum-mining community that was abandoned in 1930.