Adelaide to Marion Bay
This is a coastal drive linking Adelaide to the Yorke Peninsula - with plenty to enjoy along the way.
Head north along the suburban coastline to Port Adelaide, the maritime heart of South Australia. Soak up the Port's history by taking a walking tour through streets lined with some of the finest Victoria-era buildings in the state. Wander along the docks or take a river-boat cruise and you're likely to be followed by the famous Port River dolphins. These playful creatures are habitual show-offs and often leap into the air or ride the bow wave. The narrow stretch of river also provide ideal dolphin viewing from the shore.
Continue the marine theme with a tour of the Garden Island Ships' Graveyard, where the rusting hulks of once-proud vessels lie. Don't leave Port Adelaide without visiting a few of its five musuems. The South Australian Maritime Museum is a stand-out, with well researched and ever-changing exhibitions.
On your way north, stop at St Kilda to take the boardwalk through one of the largest uninterrupted stretches of marine mangroves in the world.
Ninety minutes from Adelaide around Gulf St Vincent is the thriving sea port of Ardrossan on Yorke Peninsula, famous for its delicious blue swimmer crabs - it's catch and cook your own! Climb the man-made hill lookout for sweeping sea views and a look at the large pit where dolomite is mined.
On the way to Port Vincent make sure you call in at Black Point - they're both a couple of the most enviable spots for a beachhouse getaway. Port Vincent is set in a sandy sweeping bay, ideal for swimming and providing shelter for fishing boats.
Twelve kilometres south along the Peninsula is Stansbury, which offers safe swimming, good fishing anda caravan park right on the foreshore. The development of oyster farms now supplying fresh local oysters is an added delight.
Heading towards the heel of Yorke Peninsula's boot, stop at tiny Edithburgh, the first town in the peninsula's south. Its restaurants and pubs feature abundant local seafood.
A boardwalk with disabled access runs from Sultana Point to the beach, where floating pontoons are great for swimmers and boaties.
The inland town of Yorketown is at the centre of one of South Australia's most productive agricultural regions, and some of the world's finest barley is grown here because of the ideal climatic conditions at ripening time. A short detour from Yorketown take you to the Bublacowie Military Museum - a collection of memorabiliita and the moving stories of the men and women of the penninsula who fought in wars, from the Boer War to the Gulf War.
Marion Bay's relative seclusion (about three hours from Adelaide) makes it the ideal relaxing getaway. Set in coastal scrubland, Marion Bay boasts a lively beachside tavern, which serves good pub food. The bay has a jetty and boat ramp to capitalise on the autumn mullet run, as well as a sheltered swimming beach and a surf beach.
Maps
You'll find a Google interactive map of Adelaide and the Yorke Peninsula on their home pages on SouthAustralia.com, and you can download a map of the Adelaide city centre or Yorke Peninsula.
