Things to do in Port Wakefield, South Australia

The best things to do in Port Wakefield, South Australia are walking around the heritage buildings and tackling the first leg of Walk the Yorke via the Clinton Conservation Park.

Port Wakefield is a crossroads town at the top of the St Vincent Gulf in South Australia. You’ll reach it on the drive north from Adelaide to Port Augusta, but it’s also where you turn west for the Yorke Peninsula. If you’re heading to Copper Coast towns such as Kadina, Port Hughes, Moonta and Wallaroo.

But are there any things to do in Port Wakefield? Or, given that it’s only 100km north of Adelaide, should you just plough on through?

Fishing nets at Port Wakefield in South Australia. Photo by Josh Geelen.

Things to do in Port Wakefield: Heritage buildings

The answer really depends on how much time you’ve got. Because if you’re on a limited timeframe, Port Wakefield can be safely marked as inessential. Walk around the town centre, and there are a fair few heritage buildings to coo at. These include St Alban’s Anglican Church, the mid-19^th century Rising Sun Hotel, the Old Port Wakefield Police Station and Court House.

The Court House is now the Court House Museum, but it is essentially only open by appointment. It’s probably not worth making that appointment, all told.

Also worth a look is the Matthew Flinders Monument, which commemorates Flinders’ exploration of the St Vincent Gulf.

Walk the Yorke in Port Wakefield, SA

For long distance walkers, Port Wakefield is the trailhead of Walk the Yorke. For the uninitiated, Walk the Yorke is a series of coastal walking trails, stretching more than 500km around the Yorke Peninsula to Moonta Bay.

The first stretch is the 32.8km walk from Port Wakefield to Port Clinton. A more manageable chunk is the first 15km to Port Arthur, which should take around three hours and 45 minutes. This walk heads along the Samphire Coast and the edge of the Clinton Conservation Park.

Port Wakefield attractions: Clinton Conservation Park

Much of the Clinton Conservation Park is mangrove swamp, but it’s a massively important breeding ground for marine life and a rest spot for migratory birds.

It’s hardly one of Australia’s great natural attractions, but worth a look if you’re interested in mangrove ecology.

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South Australia things to do Yorke Peninsula