Unofficial guide · verify with Parks SA
Dhilba Guuranda-Innes National Park (formerly Innes) is Narungga country at the south-western tip of Yorke Peninsula — co-managed with traditional owners since November 2020. Dhilba is the southern clan group; Guuranda means southern land (roughly Dil-pa Koor-ran-da). Start at Stenhouse Bay. Payvehicle entry separately from camping. Gym Beach is on its own road — you cannot drive there through the rest of the park.
This guide is independent and unofficial. Figures below are indicative and tagged [VERIFY]. For live fees, fire and bookings use Parks SA (NPWSSA / Department for Environment and Water).
Last reviewed · verify live park facts with Parks SA
Some stay, tour and gear links may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Park vehicle entry, official Parks SA camping bookings and Inneston heritage lodges are never affiliated.
Official alerts checked 16 Aug 2026 on the Parks SA Dhilba Guuranda-Innes page: feral bee activity elevated; Pondalowie surfers viewing platform closed (storm damage). Dated snapshot only — [VERIFY] live alerts before you travel.
Posted on Parks SA park page (still listed 16 Aug 2026)
Parks SA warns of higher than normal feral bee activity in the park. Take care at camps and around hives or swarms. [VERIFY] live alerts before you book or arrive.
Official alert →Official alert published 11 June 2025 — still listed on the park page 16 Aug 2026
The Pondalowie Bay surfers viewing platform is closed due to storm damage. The boardwalk and beach access may still be usable — treat the platform as closed until Parks SA removes the alert. [VERIFY] live.
Official alert →Start here
Day plans →
Keep them apart
Fees →
Adelaide ~3–3.5 hrs
Drive notes →
What actually bites here
Safety notes →
These fields are Dhilba Guuranda-Innes–true (they would be false on Blue Mountains cliff circuits or Wilsons Promontory vehicle limits). Live open/closed belongs on Parks SA — we own the go/no-go framing they do not write as a first-visit script.
Drive times are typical planning ranges from Adelaide (Parks SA: about 300 km via Port Wakefield, Ardrossan, Minlaton and Warooka — plan on roughly 3–3.5 hours each way). Private vehicle only. These are not a “we left at 6:12” field diary.
Only if you already slept Marion Bay or Stenhouse. Visitor Centre (if open) + Stenhouse Lookout + one cape. Not a same-day Adelaide return.
Stenhouse loop + Cape Spencer or Ethel. Leave Gym Beach off the list. Works as a Marion Bay overnight morning or a very honest reverse if you left Adelaide at dawn — see the day-trip trap article.
Stenhouse + one west-coast beach (usually Pondalowie boardwalk). Parks SA lists ~300 km / ~3–3.5 hours each way from Adelaide — that commute is not “in the park” time.
Official camp or Inneston lodge (Parks SA) or Marion Bay commercial bed. Buys a second morning without stacking the reverse. Peak windows book out.
Organised by intent — not a raw Booking search wall. No invented pump or clinic prices. Last reliable services sit in peninsula towns, not at Pondalowie.
A same-day trip from Adelaide works if you allow 3–3.5 hours each way. Trying to squeeze Stenhouse, every beach and Gym Beach into a Sunday return usually ends in a late, tired drive home.
Visitor Centre, Stenhouse Lookout Walk, then Cape Spencer or Ethel if you still have time. Leave Gym Beach for another trip.
Lookouts and lights in the morning, Pondalowie boardwalk in the afternoon. Best with a Marion Bay night.
Stay near Stenhouse: stromatolites, jetty, formed lookout loop. Skip remote rock ledges.
Official Pondalowie / Casuarina site or Inneston lodge, then Royston Head or the Plaster Trail on day two.
Keep these apart. Facts last checked 16 Aug 2026. Dollars change. This is not a live fee table — always re-check Parks SA before you pay.
Product · day visit
$14.40
per vehicle · Parks SA listed
Checked 16 Aug 2026 · re-check live
Product · overnight pad
from $27.50
per night · Parks SA listed
Checked 16 Aug 2026 · re-check live
Product · Inneston roof
Third product
Official Parks SA booking only
Not camping · not day entry · never affiliated here
Walk permits:No other fees or walk permits for standard day walks (Parks SA: other fees and permits — none for this park).Book and pay only on parks.sa.gov.au.
Official camping and Inneston heritage lodges are booked only through Parks SA. Peak windows (Christmas/New Year, Easter, school holidays) fill early. This site never sells or affiliates park camping, vehicle entry or lodge fees.
Use Parks SA accommodation channels for campgrounds and heritage lodges. Verify current fees, vehicle entry rules and fire bans on official pages.
Official accommodation (Parks SA) →Marion Bay sits outside the entrance when park pads are full or you want a commercial bed. Warooka and Minlaton work as mid-peninsula bases. Booking.com links may earn a commission — park camping does not.
Where to stay →Many visitors day-trip from Adelaide successfully. One night in Marion Bay or an official park site buys a calmer Stenhouse + Pondalowie morning — see the overnight itinerary.
Overnight plan →The main sealed road runs from Stenhouse Bay (centre, jetty, lookout) west past Inneston, Cable Bay, Shell / Dolphin / Royston, the capes and Ethel, to Pondalowie. Gym Beach is not on that road — you reach it from Marion Bay Road via Corny Point.
Interactive map — pin may be approximate. Confirm trailheads and road status before you drive.
Popular with Adelaide day-trippers, families, surfers and fishers. Stenhouse and Pondalowie get busy on peak weekends. Arrive earlier rather than circling. Never leave bags visible. Do not park on vegetation or block emergency access.
Fire and heat are the main seasonal hazards here. No snow. No crocodiles. No snow. No crocodiles. No tide-dependent access road. Dominant risks: fire, heat, cliffs, unpatrolled surf, freak waves, slippery rocks, feral bees at some camps, snakes.
Sun hat, water, wind shell, closed shoes, and Emergency+ / offline maps before you lose Wi-Fi. Heat, cliffs and unpatrolled surf are the packing class here — not alpine snow. Optional kit searches live on the gear hub only. Park fees never affiliated.
Printable checklist: vehicle entry vs camping, Stenhouse-first order of stops, Gym Beach separate road, fire/comms and official Parks SA links to verify before you leave.
Free direct download — no email required. Also available anytime from Maps & resources · Itineraries · Privacy.
Tap a question to expand the answer.
Day visitors pay a vehicle entry fee (or show a valid Parks SA multi-park or single-park vehicle pass) before entering. Parks SA lists $14.40 per vehicle (checked 16 Aug 2026) — re-check live. There is no separate walk ticket. Camping and Inneston lodges are different official bookings. The temporary free coastal-park entry period ended at Easter 2026 — do not assume free entry.
Parks SA lists about 300 km by road via Port Wakefield, Ardrossan, Minlaton and Warooka — plan on roughly 3–3.5 hours. Private vehicle only — no public transport and no ferry into the park.
No. Gym Beach campground is only accessible from the Corny Point / Gym Beach Road off Marion Bay Road. Do not attempt it on the internal Stenhouse–Pondalowie network.
Camping is a separate Parks SA booking (accommodation listed from $27.50 per night — checked 16 Aug 2026, re-check live). You often can include vehicle entry when you book overnight online — confirm on that booking, do not assume.
Official visitor guidance: patchy and unreliable, especially in low-lying areas. 000 needs reception. Download Emergency+ and offline maps before you lose Wi-Fi. This site does not publish carrier maps.
Firewood collection is prohibited. For 2025–26, Parks SA lists wood/solid-fuel fires banned in this park from 22 November 2025 to 1 April 2026 — re-check the current fire-restrictions PDF. Gas is allowed except on Total Fire Ban days. The park closes on Catastrophic Fire Danger days and may close on Extreme days — CFS or 1800 362 361.
No. Dogs and other pets are not permitted (assistance dogs excepted under Parks SA rules).
Official campgrounds or Inneston heritage lodges via Parks SA only. Closest commercial town is Marion Bay, immediately outside the entrance. Warooka, Minlaton, Yorketown, Port Vincent and Ardrossan sit on the Adelaide drive.
No. This is an independent unofficial guide. For live fees, bookings and closures use parks.sa.gov.au only. We do not publish a contact email.
Fees, fire restrictions, alerts, beach access and walk status change. Always verify with Parks SA (NPWSSA / Department for Environment and Water) before you travel. Facts on this site last re-checked 16 Aug 2026.
GetYourGuide add-ons only. Packing searches live on the gear hub. Official camping and lodges stay on Parks SA.
Optional — useful for first visits from Adelaide without a car
A tour does not replace checking Parks SA alerts, weather, or cliff safety yourself.
Some stay, tour and gear links may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Park vehicle entry, official Parks SA camping bookings and Inneston heritage lodges are never affiliated. Affiliate disclosure · Privacy