Heysen Trail Fleurieu

The southern end of South Australia's great long-distance walking track, the Heysen Trail reaches the sea on the Fleurieu Peninsula, winding through coastal heath, clifftop farmland and conservation park between Cape Jervis and the beaches beyond. Walkers take it in day sections - the stretch through Deep Creek, high above the Backstairs Passage with Kangaroo Island across the water, is among the finest coastal walking in the state. Wildflowers colour the heath in spring, and echidnas and kangaroos are common. The full trail runs twelve hundred kilometres to the Flinders Ranges; this is its wild coastal beginning.

The trail closes every year for the Fire Danger Season. The Mount Lofty Ranges district, which covers the Fleurieu and the Cape Jervis end, shuts from 1 December and typically reopens around 1 May — walking it in that window is not an option, not a judgement call. Closure dates differ by fire ban district and shift year to year, so check the Friends of the Heysen Trail before you plan. There is no water on most sections; carry your own.