Beaches
Southern Ocean Coves
The best beaches in Fleurieu Peninsula
From the turquoise coves of Second Valley to the wide drive-on sands of Aldinga and the sheltered cup of Horseshoe Bay at Port Elliot, the Fleurieu's beaches are as varied as its landscapes.
The Fleurieu Peninsula has two very different coastlines, and that's what makes its beaches so good. On the sheltered Gulf St Vincent side you get calm, swimmable water and long stretches of sand — Aldinga, where you can still drive onto the beach, plus Sellicks, Maslin, Moana and the dramatic cliffs and jetty ruins of Port Willunga, home to the wreck of the Star of Greece.
Around the southern tip and along the Encounter Coast, the wild Southern Ocean takes over. This is the surf and big-sky country of Goolwa Beach, Middleton, Waitpinga and Parsons Beach, where the swell rolls in uninterrupted. In between sit the gentle, family-friendly coves: Horseshoe Bay at Port Elliot, Normanville, Second Valley and the rock pools of the western beaches.
Before you go, check the tides and conditions — the Gulf beaches are best around high tide, while many surf beaches have strong rips and are unpatrolled. Plenty of beaches are dog-friendly and have easy parking, making the Fleurieu one of the most rewarding stretches of coast in South Australia for a swim, a surf, a walk or simply a sunset.
Browse beaches by area
8 places
BIG4 Port Elliot Holiday Park
$$Beachfront caravan park at Horseshoe Bay
A family caravan park right on the beach at Horseshoe Bay, Port Elliot - cabins, ensuite sites, caravan and camping sites, and a direct walk to the sand.
Carrickalinga Beach
A wide white-sand beach north of Normanville
A wide, flat, white-sand beach stretching 3km along the Gulf St Vincent north of Normanville - safe for swimming, excellent for beach walks and one of the Fleurieu's best family beaches.
Horseshoe Bay
Port Elliot's sheltered family cove
A near-perfect horseshoe of sandy beach framed by sandstone headlands at Port Elliot, one of the safest swimming beaches on the Encounter Coast.
Kuti Shack
$$Beachside seafood shack at Goolwa Beach
Seafood kiosk and cafe at the Goolwa Beach carpark from the Goolwa Pipi Company - specialising in pipis (kuti) pulled from the beach out front.
Middleton Beach
The Fleurieu learn-to-surf beach
A long, gently-shelving sand beach between Port Elliot and Goolwa, widely regarded as the best learn-to-surf beach on the Fleurieu Peninsula.
Normanville Beach
Wide white sand just an hour from Adelaide
One of the longest, safest swimming beaches on the Fleurieu - a broad arc of white sand backed by dunes and a historic jetty.
Sellicks Beach
A long sweep of sand below the cliffs
A wide, family-friendly drive-on beach at the southern end of the metropolitan coast, famous for its cliff-backed sands and clifftop sunsets over Gulf St Vincent.
Yilki Store
$Beachfront cafe and store on Franklin Parade
A beloved Encounter Bay beachfront cafe, grocery and takeaway - open from 6am for breakfast, coffee, burgers and famous fish and chips.