COORONG/SALT CREEK – (2 ½ hours drive south of Adelaide)
The Coorong National Park is 150 km’s of southern ocean coastline, consisting of a long and narrow peninsula spanning from the Murray Mouth near Goolwa to the northern beach of Kingston in the states South East.
Being such a large and remote place, there are plenty of opportunities to sandboard. It is advisable to plan your trip properly and take time to observe restrictions and abide by the parks’ rules and camping regulations. Also, it is important to stay well clear of the vegetation and ride only on sand. As crazy as it sounds, sandboarding is considered an offence in this park due to the ‘idea’ that it “destroys vegetation, prevents regrowth and encourages erosion.” If you are only riding pure sand then the only thing you’ll leave behind are tracks, and with the hostile elements of nature at hand even your tracks will be gone in a matter of one day!
Salt Creek and surrounding areas can be accessed by 2WD and a bit of walking but a 4wd is more suitable to gain access to the coastal dunes. Tea Tree and 42 mile crossings are open during the dry season (avoid the wet season, these tracks are mostly impassable in the middle of winter) If you are going to camp, permits are necessary and can be obtained from the National Parks Office in Meningie PH: 08 8575 1200.
If camping isn’t your thing there are alternatives like B&B’s, motels and caravan parks.
There are some big dunes to be found along this entire stretch of coastline so take time to explore its beautiful scenery and respect the history of this very spiritual place. There are many dirt roads that lead into the park on the way to Kingston. Maps of the area can be found at the local servo.
ROBE to NORA CREINA – (3 ½ to 4 hours drive south of Adelaide)
There are plenty of coastal tracks (some are a bit rough) to the back beaches of Robe, which lead to a variety of sandboarding spots. Little Dip Conservation Park is mostly accessed by 4WD but there are areas that can be searched on foot, i.e. park and walk to the beach.
Further down the coast is a little “shanty” town called Nora Creina, which sports a lovely sign discouraging sandboarding in their area, so watch out for conservationist hillbillies! Consider riding outside of restricted zones if you want to explore this place (the dunes here are quite flat anyway), otherwise move on to the Buggy Park behind Lake George and towards Beachport, where sandboarding is much more accepted and where bigger slopes can be found.
BEACHPORT to LAKE GEORGE – (4 - 4½ hours drive south of Adelaide)
The area between Lake George and Beachport offers some great sandboarding spots. The Sand Buggy Park can be accessed by 2WD from the main Robe/Beachport road, turn off and follow the dirt track towards Lake George Resort. From there you can drive around where possible and explore around the lake. Or drive to the buggy club itself then a quick walk over to the dunes. Alternately, if you have a 4WD you can explore a lot more of the area, but abide by the markers or you will be lost! (Don’t worry, many of the locals cruise by often and will help if you get into trouble).
The local vicinity of Beachport itself has plenty of dunes to ride, with close 2WD access and easy walking distance. Try Penguin Island for steep/deep sand for carving and other locations such “the Reeds”, “Backlers”, Salmon Hole/Posties, 500’s, “the Berm” and many more great spots situated along the back beach. EXPLORE!!
Other spots accessed by 4WD and/or walking are 3 Mile Bowl, 5 Mile Drift, the Euro/10 Mile Drift, (heading back to the Buggy Park), and watch out for maniac moto X’ers!
Make enquiries at Beachport’s take-away - the GREEN ROOM - to get in contact with local knowledge and advice.
Also, 4WD tours are also available through Bompa’s B&B.
SOUTHEND to CANUNDA – (4 ½ - 5 hours drive south of Adelaide)
A bit more remote for sandboarding is Southend, a small fishing town on the opposite side of ‘the bay’ to Beachport. This rugged stretch of coastline goes all the way to the back of Millicent and is the start of the Canunda National Park. Experienced 4WD-ing is recommended for this terrain. There are some sand-spots near the town itself but only a few small dunes. Roads to the back beach will take you to Cullen’s bay by 2WD or turn off to Khyber Pass for some 4WD action. There are no easy roads to get into or out of the park itself so be prepared. There are HEAPS of sand dunes around here but the biggest dune called Emu Hill can only be accessed by motorbike. 4WD tours are available throughout the entire Canunda National Park and Beachport. For bookings call Cookies Bushranger Tours PH:08 8735 6132.
MILLICENT to CARPENTER ROCKS (4 ½ - 5 hours drive south of Adelaide)
For the adventurous 4WD’er, you will find some excellent dunes to ride between Millicent, Lake Bonney and Carpenter Rocks. 2WD sand access can be found near Oil Rig Square and Devil’s Gap. Turn off from Millicent towards the coast to Canunda National Park, past the rubbish dump and drive around a bit until you find a rather big dune to slide down.
Other than that it’s off-road all the way to some big sand dunes!
CARPENTER ROCKS to PORT MAC DONNELL (5 ½ hours drive south of Adelaide)
It starts to flatten out here a bit. A few smaller dunes are known to exist north of Pt Mac Donnell. Have a look around and you might find something worthwhile near Nene Valley.
Other than sandboarding, there are some excellent surf spots around this area, which are very accessible.
Author: Joanne Harvy
