Yorke Peninsula and Clare Valley
Discover Yorke Peninsula and Clare Valley
Yorke Peninsula begins at the head of the Gulf of St Vincent and to north of the state capital of Adelaide. It is west of the city of Adelaide between the Fleurieu Peninsula and Eyre Peninsula in South Australia. Shaped like a leg, Yorke Peninsula has over 700 km of coastline and is a distinctive part of South Australia’s coastal landscape. Yorke Peninsula is rich in agriculture and marine resources and has a healthy fishing industry supporting recreational fishing, crayfish, crab and oyster businesses. Extractive industries also exist in the region including limestone, dolomite, gypsum and sand. High quality salt is harvested at Price by Cheetham Salt, this is the only remaining food-grade salt producer in Southern Australia.
What to Experience in Yorke Peninsula and Clare Valley
Taste of Yorke Peninsula and Clare Valley...
Make sure you have Cornish Pasty during your Yorke Peninsula stay. These are a legacy from the Cornish miners that settled in the towns of Moonta, Kadina and Wallaroo to work in the prosperous Copper Mines. Cornish Pasties can be purchased from a number of cafes or bakeries throughout Yorke Peninsula. Barleys Stacks Wines, south of Maitland near Ardrossan, harvests, processes and bottles its wines on site. Varieties include Shiraz, Cabernet, Chardonnay, Viognier, Port, Liqueur Chardonnay and Ratafia. Yorke Peninsula is generally a safe region. Take standard precautions. Please be aware of the speed limit signs when driving. Ensure you are carrying a fully inflated spare tyre, suitable basic tools to change a flat tyre and always a supply of drinking water, most especially in the summer months. As Yorke Peninsula is a farming region, please take care when driving throughout the area as farmers may be moving equipment or stock on the roads. Cellular (mobile) telephone network reception may not be available in many areas especially those distant from cellular network repeater towers normally located along the major highways and near larger townships. Hilly terrain will also effect reception. In an emergency seek higher ground. Some networks provide a poor coverage in regional and rural areas. It is generally considered that the best reception is available from either Telstra or Optus when in areas such as Yorke Peninsula.
Festivals & Events
Experience the vibrant festivals and cultural celebrations of Yorke Peninsula and Clare Valley.
Kernewek Lowender (Copper Coast Cornish Festival) is the world’s largest Cornish Festival. It is celebrated in South Australia’s Copper Coast every 2 years. Rich in Cornish heritage, the towns of Moonta, Wallaroo and Kadina, known as ‘Australia’s Little Cornwall’, host the week-long Kernewek Lowender – which translates from the Cornish language to English as ‘Cornish Happiness’. Paskeville Field Days is a 3-day event held biennially in late September in Paskeville, 28 km southeast of Wallaroo. Its focus on agriculture and features extensive displays of the latest agricultural machinery and equipment, technology, information and services in 30 ha of static displays. This is one of Australia's iconic agricultural field day events and is a significant event for the region. Make sure you have Cornish Pasty during your Yorke Peninsula stay. These are a legacy from the Cornish miners that settled in the towns of Moonta, Kadina and Wallaroo to work in the prosperous Copper Mines.
Essential Information
Getting There
Multiple OptionsYorke Peninsula begins 90 minutes drive from Adelaide's CBD or from Adelaide Airport. Coming from Adelaide, A1 Port Wakefield Rd takes you from the northern suburbs onto the 4-lane dual carriageway national highway that passes through the towns of Lower Light, Dublin, Windsor, Wild Horse Plains and on to Port Wakefield. From Port Wakefield you can continue onto the Copper Coast towns of Kadina, Wallaroo and Moonta, or head south along the coast to picturesque seaside townships or right down the Bottom End to Dhilba Guuranda–Innes National Park. The trip from Adelaide to Dhilba Guuranda–Innes National Park, at the foot of Yorke Peninsula, will take around 3 hours or more by car. Most major roads on the peninsula are surfaced with asphalt. Buses travel daily to the Yorke Peninsula from Adelaide Central Bus Station. Most towns are serviced by the buses, but not always every day due to different schedules. Many secondary and minor roads on the peninsula are un-surfaced graded dirt roads....
Getting Around & Staying
Getting Around
Many secondary and minor roads on the peninsula are un-surfaced graded dirt roads. Some of these roads may run for extended distances and care should be used to avoid accident due to the sometimes slippery conditions. Windscreen breakage is also possible from stones being thrown up by the wheels of passing vehicles. Always moderate your speed and take care not to cause either yourself or other road users any damage by not fully understanding the prevailing local conditions. These unsealed roads are frequently surfaced by grading machines and care should be used when driving near any roadworks that are in progress. Speed limits on Yorke Peninsula are 50 km/h zones within towns, and on open roads are often 100 or 110 km/h – 110 km/h zones, however, are more often than not found in the Clare Valley while the 100 km/h zones are on the Yorke Peninsula.
Safety Information
Safety Overview
Yorke Peninsula is generally a safe region. Take standard precautions. Please be aware of the speed limit signs when driving. Ensure you are carrying a fully inflated spare tyre, suitable basic tools to change a flat tyre and always a supply of drinking water, most especially in the summer months. As Yorke Peninsula is a farming region, please take care when driving throughout the area as farmers may be moving equipment or stock on the roads. Cellular (mobile) telephone network reception may not be available in many areas especially those distant from cellular network repeater towers normally located along the major highways and near larger townships. Hilly terrain will also effect reception. In an emergency seek higher ground. Some networks provide a poor coverage in regional and rural areas. It is generally considered that the best reception is available from either Telstra or Optus when in areas such as Yorke Peninsula.