Innes National Park
- Introduction
- Fact file
- A look at the past
- Aboriginal culture
- Natural features
- Native plants and wildlife
- DEH (08) 8204 1910
- NPWSA Stenhouse Bay
- (08) 8854 3200
- CHECK out the surf break at Pondalowie Bay
- WALK along the cliffs to Cape Spencer Lighthouse
- VIEW the wrecks of the Ethel and SS Ferret in Ethel Bay
- TAKE in the panoramic vista from The Gap lookout
- LISTEN for western whipbirds in the mallee woodlands
Introduction
Innes National Park, at the south-western extremity of the Yorke Peninsula, comprises a coastal environment of saline lakes, salt flats, mallee woodlands, drooping she-oak groves and dense heathlands. High cliffs rise from stretches of sandy beach, which are fringed by rocky headlands of ancient granite. There are great places to surf, swim, dive, fish, take a walk or explore a historic site.
Fact file
Access
From Adelaide via Port Wakefield, Ardrossan and Warooka
Best Season
All year
Location
280 km south-west of Adelaide;
192 km south-west of Port Wakefield
Park Information
Permits
Camping permit required
Size
9230 ha
Where to Stay
Marion Bay Caravan Park
(08) 8854 4094
Marion Bay Seaside Apartments
(08) 8854 4066
A look at the past
Matthew Flinders charted this coastline in 1802 but for the next hundred years the south-western tip of the peninsula was left almost untouched while the northern and central sections were cleared for farmland. In 1900 the Waratah Gypsum Company built a town at Stenhouse Bay. Soon after, William Innes established Inneston and began mining gypsum; ruins and mining relics are still visible here. In 1965 a relict population of the rare western whipbird was found surviving in the area’s woodland thickets. This led to the protection of the last remaining piece of intact vegetation on the peninsula in 1970. Stenhouse Bay became the headquarters of the national park.
Aboriginal culture
The Yorke Peninsula is the land of the Narangga nation and the southernmost band, the Dilpa, cared for the land around the present-day Innes National Park. The Narangga traded with the neighbouring Kaurna people to the north. Around the coast and lakes of Innes there are old campsites and shell middens, reminders of where the Dilpa people lived and fi shed. The Narangga retain an ongoing connection with the park.
Natural features
Tall weathered cliffs face the swirling mass of the Southern Ocean as it breaks over reefs, and in places there are picturesque bays backed by dunes. Over 100 salt lakes, some little more than salt-encrusted swamps, dot the terrain, particularly on the park’s eastern borders. At the western end of Marion Lake (excluded from the national park) there are living stromatolites.
Native plants and wildlife
Near the coast the heathlands are ablaze with colour in September and October. Away from the coast the undulating hills are covered in low scrub – tea-tree and dense mallee woodlands – the last refuge for native plant species that have disappeared elsewhere on the peninsula. The mallee thickets provide a habitat for malleefowl and the rare western whipbird. The nocturnal western pygmy-possum feeds on insects and nectar from native flowers in the mallee heathlands. Emus and western grey kangaroos are a common sight. In winter, southern right whales are often seen offshore.
Featured Activities in the National Park
Beach and bushwalking
Around the perimeter of the park an interpretive trail highlights the tragic maritime history of this treacherous coast where there are no less than 40 shipwrecks. There are other cliff-top walks at The Gap, West Cape Lighthouse and Cape Spencer Lighthouse, and trails leading through different coastal habitats at Browns Beach and Royston Head. Historic trails are located at Inneston and Stenhouse Bay.
Fishing
There is excellent fishing and catches of Australian salmon, garfi sh, tommy ruff, mullet, King George whiting and mulloway can be expected. The jetty at Stenhouse Bay is a great place to start.
Scenic views
The Gap lookout is a short walk from the carpark and has fantastic views along the cliffs from Reef Head to Cape Spencer Lighthouse. You can look down into the chasm from behind a safety fence. The lookout at Ethel Beach is reached from the turn-off at Deep Lake. The 1904 wreck of the Ethel lies on the sandy beach below; nearby is the 1920 wreck of the SS Ferret.
Surfing
Pondalowie Bay, known as Pondy, and Chinamans Hat beach are among the state’s top surfing locations. West Cape is another spot to try.
Campsites
Explore Australia’s National Parks
Buy nowRRP $49.95