Adelaide to Cape Jervis drive: How long does it take and what can I see?

The Adelaide to Cape Jervis drive takes 1h24m. But if you’re not in a hurry to catch the Kangaroo Island ferry, stop off at Onkaparinga Gorge, the McLaren Vale wineries, Fleurieu Peninsula beaches and Deep Creek Conservation Park on the way.

Kangaroo Island has rightly become one of South Australia’s top holiday destinations. Its combination of wildlife, national parks and local food producers is a winning combination.

To book a Kangaroo Island day tour from Adelaide, click here.

Getting to Kangaroo Island is fairly easy if you take the Qantas flight from Adelaide to Kingscote Airport. But otherwise, you need to take the SeaLink Kangaroo Island ferry or Kangaroo Island Connect ferry from Cape Jervis to Penneshaw on Kangaroo Island.

How to get to Cape Jervis, South Australia

Cape Jervis is at the tip of the Fleurieu Peninsula, south of Adelaide. Luckily, the Adelaide to Cape Jervis drive is a pleasant one. Given that the final Sealink Kangaroo Island ferry of the day departs from Cape Jervis at 7pm, it’s easy to turn the Adelaide to Cape Jervis drive into a day out.

The drive from Adelaide to Cape Jervis, if taking the quickest possible route without stopping, is 107km long. According to Google Maps, this should take one hour and 24 minutes.

Adelaide to Cape Jervis drive attractions

But, if you leave Adelaide reasonably early in the morning, you can cram plenty in before reaching Cape Jervis. Divert inland near Port Noarlunga, and you can go walking to Onkaparinga Gorge in the Onkaparinga River National Park. This is at the northern end of the McLaren Vale, the South Australian wine region famous for world class shiraz.

Dozens of McLaren Vale wineries are open to visitors. Inkwell, d’Arenberg and Maxwell Wines all offer strong visitor experiences on top of the usual cellar door tastings. Others worth a look include Hugh Hamilton Wines, Beach Road Wines, Chalk Hill Wines and the Woodstock Winery.

Adelaide to Cape Jervis drive: Beach stops

You can also spend some quality time on one of the Fleurieu Peninsula beaches. Sellicks Beach, Myponga Beach and Rapid Bay tend to be relatively uncrowded. Normanville near Yankalilla is busier – there are two caravan parks in Normanville – but the 7.3km beach is stunning.

At the southern end of the Fleurieu Peninsula, the Deep Creek Conservation Park is the highlight. Close to Cape Jervis, the Deep Creek Conservation Park combines coastal clifftop scenery with wildlife sightings. You’ve got a good chance of seeing western grey kangaroos and short-beaked echidnas here.