Granite Island Recreation & Nature Park | Victor Harbor | Review
The Granite Island Recreation & Nature Park can be seen from Victor Harbor and is best known for being home to the magical Little Penguins.
The island is a must visit destination if spending time at one of South Australia’s most popular coastal towns, Victor Harbor. It’s an ideal spot for taking the kids out for an active day of discovery and exploration, with the walking trails easy to follow and stairs to climb should you wish to reach the higher points.
The view from the far side of the island is wild and wonderful while the rocks down where the causeway meets the island is the perfect spot to splash about and get your feet wet on a warm day. This location is equally breath-taking in the cooler months – just be sure to rug up against the chill!
South Australia’s Granite Island is situated off Victor Harbor. You can catch a ride on the horse drawn tram to travel across or simply walk along the causeway.
Granite Island’s Little Penguins
Also known as the fairy penguin, blue penguin or little blue penguin, the Little Penguin is the smallest penguin species in the world. Standing around 35cm tall and weighing about 1.2kg, it is a familiar sight to many visitors along Australia’s southern coastline. By comparison, the Emperor Penguin – the largest penguin species – can grow to more than 110cm tall and weigh up to 30kg.
Little Penguins are found only in Australia and New Zealand and are the only penguin species that breeds in Australia. They favour rocky shorelines, such as Granite Island, where suitable nesting and breeding sites are available. The size and success of a colony depend heavily on access to good feeding grounds and safe habitat.
The Granite Island Little Penguin population has declined significantly, from around 1,600 birds in 2001 to just 20 adult penguins recorded in the most recent census in October 2021. Encouragingly, this is a small increase from 16 penguins counted in 2020. Active burrows on the island continue to be closely monitored using remote camera technology.
Port Elliot
Port Elliot is less than 10 minutes drive from Victor Harbor and is also a must-visit if you are in the Fleurieu Peninsula.
Location:
Granite Island is located off the coast of Victor Harbor (approx. 100km south of Adelaide)
For more information and all enquiries please visit the Parks SA – Granite Island website.
All images by Play & Go Adelaide 2012.
At Play & Go Adelaide we make every effort to provide accurate information to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication. We recommend confirming times, dates and details directly before making any plans as details may be subject to change.
SUBSCRIBE
Follow Play & Go on Facebook and Instagram
Want to get all the latest events and activities straight to your inbox?
Subscribe to our weekly email newsletter below to keep up to date with our latest posts and find out all the best events & activities for Adelaide families. Newsletters are only sent once a week, and you may sometimes get a special offer exclusively for our subscribers only!
