We’d heard many great things about Wauraltee Beach from friends who frequently camp there, so decided to give our new soft floor camper trailer a shake down trip and check it out. A mate leant me his kayaks to try a bit of fishing too, which was a first for me (and it showed).
Getting to Wauraltee Beach
Wauraltee Beach is based on the western side of the Yorke Peninsula, about 200km from Adelaide. The most direct route from Adelaide is via Maitland, heading south until you hit Black Bobs Road, which takes you directly to the beach.
On this visit, we instead drove directly to Minlaton, to check out the awesome Watsacowie Brewing! They allow dogs on leads – so we were able to head in, grab a pint and a few take aways for the weekend. It’s a really impressive setup and I’ll definitely be dropping in again. It was a short drive north back to Wauraltee Beach.
Where to Camp at Wauraltee Beach?
There are two options for camping. One is before the beach entry on top / behind the dunes, which is a council camping ground. This area requires a $20 per night permit, and there is a toilet block at the entrance too. The toilet block is a fair walk (200+ metres) from the main camping area.
The more popular (and free!) option is to camp on the beach itself. The beach is very firm and other campers had no issues getting their caravans down there. We opted to get away from the crowds near the entrance and head a few kilometres north up the beach. We had beach left and right to ourselves as far as we could see. It does get a little softer up high on the beach where we set up camp, but really no risk of any serious bogging.
On long weekends, Wauraltee can be very busy. Caravans and Campers lined up for kilometres. The kind of situation we avoid, so it won’t be on my long weekend destination list.
The primary factor in camping location is going to be Yorke Peninsula’s famous wind. On our last day, as we were packing up, the wind came in strong. It wouldn’t be pleasant to be on the beach, camping in those conditions. If wind was forecast, I would probably pick Burners Beach or one my other favourite Yorke Peninsula camping areas that has better protection.
Things to do at Wauraltee Beach
With a 4 year old and 2 year old twins, a primary reason for picking Wauraltee Beach for this trip was the beach being very safe for kids. The water laps gently up to the shore, and stays shallow for quite a distance. They were more interested in making sand castles than swimming though! We had one particularly hot day, and I took a quick swim when I tumbled out of the kayak. I can attest that the water was quite refreshing!
Wauraltee Beach fishing isn’t the greatest. It’s very shallow and calm, so I’m not sure conducive to great fishing. It more than likely does get mullet coming through in Autumn though. We got out on the kayaks to try for some squid along the weed line, but didn’t have any luck. I have heard of people catching some though, so they must be there at times.
We generally just sat back and enjoyed the scenery, did a few kayaking trips, and got an early bonfire going on the beach to cook dinner on. There was some recent rough weather before our visit, and the beach had a fair bit of washed up seaweed. The water itself was still very clear though.
The sun sets right over the water here and can be spectacular. On our visit, we probably didn’t have the right cloud cover to really light up the sky, but I’m nitpicking. Look at this weather!
Amenities
I can’t recall seeing any rubbish bins here, so the aforementioned toilet block seems to be the only amenity. When camping on the beach, you’ll need to be completely self sufficient. Due to the popularity this beach is getting for camping (as one of the very few free camping options on Yorkes), I feel it is in danger of getting shut down. If everyone does the right thing and takes out all their rubbish with them, and respects the dunes, hopefully it will continue to be accessible.
Would We Go Back?
Wauraltee Beach is a perfect location for young kids, so yes, we’d definitely head back. I’d love to snag a few days of perfect conditions for splashing around in the water, but that may be like winning the lottery!
