Wildlife & Nature
Whales, Penguins & More
The best wildlife & nature in Goolwa
From southern right whales calving in Encounter Bay to the little penguins of Granite Island and the leafy sea dragons of Rapid Bay, the Fleurieu is one of Australia's richest wildlife destinations.
The Fleurieu Peninsula is one of the best places in South Australia to get close to wildlife in the wild. Each year between roughly May and October, southern right whales travel to the sheltered waters of Encounter Bay off Victor Harbor to calve - you can often spot them from clifftop lookouts at the Bluff and Granite Island without ever leaving land.
Beyond the whales, the peninsula's natural diversity is remarkable for its size. The Coorong, at the southern edge near Goolwa, is an internationally significant wetland alive with pelicans, black swans and tens of thousands of migratory shorebirds. Deep Creek and the southern conservation parks shelter kangaroos, echidnas and a rich birdlife, while little penguins, New Zealand fur seals and bottlenose dolphins patrol the granite islands and reefs of the coast.
Spring carpets the bushland reserves in native wildflowers and orchids, and the rock pools of Aldinga Reef and the western beaches reveal their own miniature worlds at low tide. Whether you're whale watching, birdwatching or simply walking quietly through the bush, the Fleurieu rewards anyone who slows down and looks closely.
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13 places
Alberto Forest
A revegetated forest area on Hindmarsh Island created by community Landcare planting - a quiet bushland walk with birdlife and views to the Murray channel.
Black Swamp
A heritage-listed wetland with small waterfalls, prolific birdlife and Aboriginal scar trees where canoes were once cut.
Bristow Smith Reserve
A riverside nature playground with a wooden boat
Goolwa's premier riverside park features an award-winning nature playspace built around a 10-metre restored wooden fishing boat, right on the Murray River with BBQs, shelters and a shallow swimming beach.
Canoe the Coorong
Kayak tours into the Coorong wetlands
Guided kayak tours from Hindmarsh Island into the Coorong National Park - a Ramsar-listed wetland system of lagoons, sand dunes and waterbirds.
Coorong National Park
A 130-kilometre lagoon and dune system stretching east from the Murray Mouth - one of Australia's most significant wetlands, reachable from Goolwa via the barrage and across Hindmarsh Island.
Goolwa Barrage
Walk the wall where the Murray meets the sea
A 630-metre concrete barrage built in 1940 to keep salt water out of the Lower Lakes, the Goolwa Barrage is a favourite wildlife spot where fur seals, pelicans and cormorants gather and visitors can walk right out over the lock gates.
Goolwa Beach Dune Boardwalk
A 170 m timber boardwalk over the Goolwa dunes to a lookout with panoramas of Sir Richard Peninsula, the Hindmarsh Island Bridge and the Coorong.
Hindmarsh Island
Goolwa's Murray island with a controversial bridge
A large inland river island in the lower Murray near Goolwa, connected to the mainland by the 2001 Hindmarsh Island Bridge - a gateway to the Coorong and Murray Mouth.
Murray Mouth
Where Australia's greatest river meets the Southern Ocean
The opening where the River Murray - Australia's longest river - meets the Southern Ocean, about 10km southeast of Goolwa in the Coorong National Park.
Narnu Farm
A heritage Hindmarsh Island farm with twice-daily animal feeding (deer, pigs, emu, lambs, chicks), a nature playspace, sports arena and farm-stay cottages.
Spirit of the Coorong Cruises
Daily 2, 3.5 and 6-hour cruises from Goolwa Wharf through the barrage and into the Coorong - the only operator running scheduled cruises through the Murray Mouth.
The Sanctuary Forest Bathing Yundi
Guided forest bathing (Shinrin-yoku) sessions in pristine riverine bush at Yundi - less than an hour from Adelaide.
Tooperang Observing Site
A dark-sky astronomy site run by the Astronomical Society of South Australia, with public observing nights in the rural Tooperang hamlet.
Wildlife & Nature in Fleurieu Peninsula - frequently asked questions
What wildlife is the Fleurieu Peninsula known for?
The Fleurieu is best known for the southern right whales that come into Encounter Bay off Victor Harbor each winter to calve, the little penguins of Granite Island, and the leafy sea dragons that live under the Rapid Bay jetty. Inland, Deep Creek National Park is home to western grey kangaroos, short-beaked echidnas and around 100 bird species, while Seal Island in Encounter Bay supports fur seals, sea lions and bottlenose dolphins.
When is the best time to see whales on the Fleurieu Peninsula?
Southern right whales travel to the sheltered waters of Encounter Bay roughly between May and October, with the peak months usually July and August. You can often spot them for free from clifftop lookouts such as the Bluff and from Granite Island, and Big Duck Boat Tours runs boat trips out of the Granite Island Causeway during the season.
Can you still see penguins on Granite Island?
Granite Island once had a large little penguin colony, but numbers have fallen dramatically from well over a thousand birds in the early 2000s to only a few dozen in recent years. Sightings are no longer reliable, so the island is better visited for its walking trails, granite formations and whale watching, with the horse-drawn tram (running since 1894) and the causeway both connecting it to Victor Harbor.
Where can you see leafy sea dragons on the Fleurieu?
The Rapid Bay jetty is often called the seadragon capital of the world, with a resident population of leafy sea dragons living among the pylons beneath the newer public jetty. Experienced divers see them most easily, though snorkellers can also spot them in calm conditions by getting down near the bottom - the bay is well protected from most winds except northerlies.
Where is the best place to snorkel and see marine life on the Fleurieu Peninsula?
Aldinga Reef Aquatic Reserve, declared in 1971, is one of South Australia's oldest and most accessible marine sanctuaries, where at low tide you can walk straight onto the intertidal reef to explore rockpools or snorkel the shallower sections in calm water. The reef supports wobbegongs, blue devil fish, leatherjackets and big schools of zebrafish and old wives, while more experienced divers head out by boat to the Aldinga Drop Off.