Family Activities
For Kids & Parents
The best family activities in Inman Valley
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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10 places
Alexandrina Cheese Company
A small family Jersey dairy in the Mount Compass hinterland, hand-crafting hard-style farmhouse cheese from a single herd of grass-fed Jersey cows.
Fleurieu Hills Vineyards
A high-altitude (300m+) single-vineyard estate in the Fleurieu hills, with a December cellar door pop-up coinciding with the cherry season.
Glacier Rock (Selwyn Rock)
A 280-million-year-old glaciated river bed
A Permian-era glacial pavement carved into 510 million year old bedrock on the floor of the Inman River - one of the oldest and most accessible glacial sites in Australia.
Harvest the Fleurieu
A family strawberry farm on the Victor Harbor Road with a pick-your-own patch (October-May), a market hall of local produce and an on-site cafe.
Inman Valley Hotel
A country pub in the rolling hills
A traditional country pub in the tiny hamlet of Inman Valley - a classic Fleurieu lunch stop after a bike ride along the Encounter Bikeway or a visit to Glacier Rock.
Minko Farm
A 400-acre working farmstay near Mount Compass with a small vineyard, cattle, horses and direct Heysen Trail access - an authentic farm immersion.
Mount Compass
A dairy town famous for Australia's only cow race
A friendly country crossroads halfway between McLaren Vale and Victor Harbor, best known for the annual Compass Cup cow race held every February.
Mount Compass Golf Course
An 18-hole public golf course on the eastern side of Mount Compass town, part of the local recreation precinct.
Mount Magnificent Conservation Park
A 90-hectare conservation park north-east of Mount Compass with a 3.5 km Heysen Trail summit loop offering big views to Lake Alexandrina, the Coorong and the coast.
Tooperang Trout Farm
A long-running family fish-your-own trout and yabby farm in the hills above Mount Compass - one of the more unusual family attractions on the Fleurieu.
Family Activities in Fleurieu Peninsula - frequently asked questions
What is the Fleurieu Peninsula best known for as a family destination?
The signature family day out is at Victor Harbor, where a Clydesdale horse pulls the heritage tram across the 630-metre causeway to Granite Island - the only horse-drawn tram of its kind running year-round in the Southern Hemisphere. The other classic is the Cockle Train, a heritage steam and rail service that runs along the coast between Goolwa, Port Elliot and Victor Harbor on one of Australia's oldest railway lines.
Which beaches are best for families with young children?
Horseshoe Bay at Port Elliot is a sheltered, crescent-shaped bay with calm water, a grassy foreshore and cafes right behind the sand, making it ideal for easy beach days. Carrickalinga and Normanville on the western coast also offer calm, shallow turquoise water and soft sand, with Carrickalinga's rock pools popular for little ones to explore safely.
Where can kids get up close to animals on the Fleurieu?
Urimbirra Wildlife Park, about five minutes from Victor Harbor in Hindmarsh Valley, is an open-range park home to kangaroos, wallabies, koalas, emus, wombats and dingoes. It is open daily, animal feed is available on site, and there are scheduled koala and snake-handling experiences, plus free barbecues and picnic areas for a family lunch.
Do you need to book the tram and the Cockle Train, and what days do they run?
The Victor Harbor horse-drawn tram runs to Granite Island every day of the year, with tickets bought on the day. The Cockle Train operates on a heritage timetable - typically Sundays, Wednesdays, school holidays and daily through the summer holiday season - so check the SteamRanger timetable before you go; tickets can be purchased on the day at the Goolwa, Port Elliot or Victor Harbor station offices.
Is winter still a good time for a family trip to the Fleurieu?
Yes - winter is whale season, when southern right whales gather close to the Encounter Coast off Victor Harbor, generally from May to October with the best viewing from June through September. The South Australian Whale Centre in the heart of Victor Harbor has interactive exhibits for kids, and June's Winter Whale Fest brings family events along the coast, so the colder months are far from quiet.