Family Activities
For Kids & Parents
The best family activities in Fleurieu Peninsula
The horse-drawn tram at Victor Harbor, steam trains at Goolwa, calm bays for swimming, farm animal experiences and playgrounds - the Fleurieu is a family holiday legend.
The Fleurieu Peninsula is a brilliant place to travel with children, with a stack of things to do that work for all ages and most weather. The classic family day out is at Victor Harbor: ride the heritage horse-drawn tram across the causeway to Granite Island, then hop aboard the Cockle Train, a historic steam-and-heritage railway that runs along the coast to Goolwa.
There's plenty more to keep kids busy. Think mini golf and foreshore playgrounds, the trout farm at Tooperang where you can catch your own, wildlife parks, and gentle, swimmable beaches up and down the Gulf St Vincent coast. Markets, farm gates and pick-your-own orchards turn a simple drive into an adventure, and the region's many short, flat walks and rail trails are easy going for little legs and prams.
Rainy days are well covered too, with museums, galleries, indoor play and family-friendly cafés in the larger towns. Most attractions are close together and easy to string into a single outing, and lots of beaches, walks and parks are free. For the most popular activities and the Cockle Train, check seasonal timetables and book ahead during school holidays.
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41 places
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.
NRMA Victor Harbor Beachfront Holiday Park
$$Beachfront villas, cabins and safari tents
Beachfront holiday park directly opposite Granite Island, with villas, cabins, safari tents and powered sites - a longstanding Victor Harbor family favourite.
Port Elliot Historic Railway and Seaport Centre
$Inside Australia's oldest public railway terminus
The 1853 Port Elliot Railway Station, now home to the National Trust's Historic Railway and Seaport Centre, tells the story of the horse-drawn tramway that connected the Murray River to the sea.
Port Noarlunga
One of the most iconic beaches on the Fleurieu - a long, sheltered bay framed by ochre cliffs, a 1921 timber jetty, and the Port Noarlunga Reef just offshore.
SeaLink Cape Jervis Ferry Terminal
The departure point for daily SeaLink ferries to Kangaroo Island - the defining infrastructure of Cape Jervis township and a Backstairs Passage viewing point in its own right.
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.
Smiling Samoyed Brewery
Microbrewery in an old Myponga dairy factory
An award-winning microbrewery housed in a converted dairy factory in Myponga, famous for its beers named after the owners' Samoyed dogs.
Soldiers Memorial Gardens
Riverside park at the heart of Strathalbyn
A beautiful riverside park at the centre of Strathalbyn, following the River Angas through the heritage town with lawns, ponds, picnic tables and the town's war memorial.
South Australian Whale Centre
$The story of Encounter Bay's whales
Interpretive whale centre on the Victor Harbor foreshore, home to an excellent education gallery and the best vantage point for winter whale spotting.
SteamRanger Cockle Train
$Heritage steam trains along the coast since 1887
The historic Cockle Train follows the coast from Goolwa to Victor Harbor on tracks laid in 1887, run by SteamRanger Heritage Railway.
Strathalbyn Historic Town
South Australia's Scottish heritage town
One of the prettiest towns in Australia: a riverside heritage town settled by Scottish pioneers in 1839, with over 30 heritage-listed buildings and a reputation as the state's antiques capital.
Strathalbyn Sunday Market
A monthly antiques, collectables and craft market on the lawns of Lions Park, third Sunday of every month - one of the longest-running country markets on the Fleurieu.
Urimbirra Open-Range Wildlife Park
Hand-feed kangaroos and wombats at Victor Harbor
A family-run open-range wildlife park 5km north of Victor Harbor with kangaroos, wombats, koalas, dingoes and over 70 bird species - most of them close enough to feed.
Victor Harbor Holiday Park
$$Cabins and caravan sites in central Victor Harbor
A family holiday park on Bay Road, Victor Harbor with cabins, ensuite villas, powered sites and camping - a short walk to the town centre and the causeway.
Victor Harbor Horse Drawn Tram
$The 1894 tram to Granite Island
The only operating horse-drawn tram in Australia, running since 1894 across the causeway to Granite Island.
Wirrina Cove Marina
The small marina and public boat ramp at Wirrina Cove, a base for fishing charters and recreational boaters, next door to the Wirrina resort precinct.
Yankalilla Craft & Produce Market
A small monthly craft and produce market at the historic Agricultural Hall, third Saturday of every month, with local growers, makers and bakers.