Family Activities
For Kids & Parents
The best family activities in Fleurieu Peninsula
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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35 places
PS Oscar W
$$A 1908 wood-fired paddle steamer still steaming
One of only a handful of original Murray River paddle steamers still in regular operation, the wood-fired PS Oscar W offers one-hour heritage cruises from Goolwa Wharf on weekends.
Sellicks Beach
A long sweep of sand below the cliffs
A wide, family-friendly drive-on beach at the southern end of the metropolitan coast, famous for its cliff-backed sands and clifftop sunsets over Gulf St Vincent.
Signal Point Gallery
Contemporary gallery on the Goolwa Wharf
A contemporary and touring exhibition gallery housed in a landmark building on the Goolwa Wharf, looking out over the Murray River.
Smiling Samoyed Brewery
Microbrewery in an old Myponga dairy factory
An award-winning microbrewery housed in a converted dairy factory in Myponga, famous for its beers named after the owners' Samoyed dogs.
Soldiers Memorial Gardens
Riverside park at the heart of Strathalbyn
A beautiful riverside park at the centre of Strathalbyn, following the River Angas through the heritage town with lawns, ponds, picnic tables and the town's war memorial.
South Australian Whale Centre
$The story of Encounter Bay's whales
Interpretive whale centre on the Victor Harbor foreshore, home to an excellent education gallery and the best vantage point for winter whale spotting.
SteamRanger Cockle Train
$Heritage steam trains along the coast since 1887
The historic Cockle Train follows the coast from Goolwa to Victor Harbor on tracks laid in 1887, run by SteamRanger Heritage Railway.
Strathalbyn Historic Town
South Australia's Scottish heritage town
One of the prettiest towns in Australia: a riverside heritage town settled by Scottish pioneers in 1839, with over 30 heritage-listed buildings and a reputation as the state's antiques capital.
Urimbirra Open-Range Wildlife Park
Hand-feed kangaroos and wombats at Victor Harbor
A family-run open-range wildlife park 5km north of Victor Harbor with kangaroos, wombats, koalas, dingoes and over 70 bird species - most of them close enough to feed.
Victor Harbor Holiday Park
$$Cabins and caravan sites in central Victor Harbor
A family holiday park on Bay Road, Victor Harbor with cabins, ensuite villas, powered sites and camping - a short walk to the town centre and the causeway.
Victor Harbor Horse Drawn Tram
$The 1894 tram to Granite Island
The only operating horse-drawn tram in Australia, running since 1894 across the causeway to Granite Island.
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.