DEEP IN THE CREEK

AT THE BOTTOM OF SOUTHEAST SOUTH AUSTRALIA IS THE FLEURIEU PENINSULA AND NEARBY KANGAROO ISLAND. IT'S A STUNNING ENVIRONMENT WITH PLENTY OF NATURAL BEAUTY, WILDLIFE AND PIONEERING HISTORY SURROUNDING DEEP CREEK NATIONAL PARK

- KEV SMITH

GENERALLY while touring I have a place in mind I want to explore, or I just need somewhere to camp. However, while heading south from Adelaide I was drawn to the bottom of the Fleurieu Peninsula, not for the wineries (although they looked pretty inviting) but for the fact I may see Kangaroo Island. Little did I know at the time, the Fleurieu Peninsula is known for its stunning rugged coastline, white sandy beaches, oodles of wildlife, and a few spectacular campsites.

According to the map, the obvious place to head to was Deep Creek National Park for a few days to explore and see what this area has to offer.

Being only 100km south of Adelaide, it seemed the perfect option. Online bookings are essential, but, of course, the usual problem of a very poor network signal at the bottom of the Peninsula made booking quite difficult.

CAMPING

THERE are five campgrounds within Deep Creek, so unless you've been here before it's a bit hard to work out which is the one for you, and because you need to book online it's also a bit of a gamble. My option was limited to the Trig campground, and boy I wasn't disappointed. Trig caters for all styles of camping right through to off-road 'vans, where most sites are private with huge grass trees or gums screening the other sites. There are firepits at nearly all campsites and several toilets around the campground; and if you're lucky enough to snag a site at the popular Stringybark campground, you get hot showers too.

If you're after a bit more comfort, Goondooloo Cottage near Goondooloo Ridge picnic area was built with ironstone walls, slate floors and tree-trunk posts to portray an early settler's cottage, and it's filled with modern-day comforts. It has large panoramic windows overlooking the windswept paddocks towards Pages Island and across the southern ocean.