Sssh! Don’t tell anyone. If anyone ever asks this place doesn’t exist.
If you are in SA and you are looking for a great place to stretch out and relax then I couldn’t think of a better place than Rapid Bay.
Rapid Bay is south of Adelaide on the way to Cape Jervis and the Kangaroo Island ferry.
Wikipedia states “South Australia Colonial Surveyor General Colonel William Light made his first landfall on mainland South Australia at Rapid Bay on 8 September 1836. The site was named after Light’s ship, the 162 ton brig Rapid. To mark this historic landfall the Colonel’s initials, “W.L.”, were carved into a large boulder – a replica is visible in the township, while the original is stored in the South Australian Museum, in Adelaide. The first European child born on mainland South Australia was delivered at Rapid Bay on 7 November 1836. His name was John Rapid Hoare“.
It’s an old BHP constructed town and the jetty was built to load ore onto ships. The town was handed to the SA government in 1982 at no cost.
What’s left is a very quiet* little beachside camping spot. It’s just $7/adult and $3.50/child per night.
There’s a new jetty beside the old one that is used for fishing and has a scuba diving platform. We saw some scuba divers and a seal while we stayed here. I’ve heard dolphin sightings are also common.
Our girls loved playing in the beach and riding their bikes. We had a great spot to relax and could keep an eye on the girls.
We took a drive to the nearby town of Cape Jervis. The girls loved watching the ferry coming and going and I was amazed and the shear size of the wind turbines at nearby Starfish Hill wind Farm.
Cape Jervis has the most modern looking lighthouse I’ve ever seen. I’d like to know its history.
*Apparently long weekends and holiday times can be quiet busy here. We were here in the middle of the SA school holidays and it was fine.
Not nomads yet! 