On the south coast of South Australia lies a magic little coastal town by the name of Fowlers Bay, and its got some of the best 4WDing that we’ve done in a long time. Having come from Western Australia, we are all too familiar with beach and coastal driving, and the 4WD tracks around Fowlers Bay combine so much of what we enjoy.
Starting at Fowlers Bay, you can head out into the huge dunes, and then continue out toward Point Fowler for a long, enjoyable 4WD.
Before we go on, here’s a post covering a heap of the 4WD tracks in South Australia.
Entry into the Fowlers Bay Dunes
The dunes are pretty large, and take you to Point Fowler or the beach
This is a fairly slow going track with lots of limestone rocks, but nothing is overly complicated. Stop at the different bays if you can, and you might be rewarded with a sea lion colony that just kick back and laze around all day (except when hunting).
We stumbled across a small Sea Lion colony heading out to Point Fowler
They all headed out for a dip
These are pretty incredible animals, and they can move fast when they want to
Point Fowler is stunning, albeit incredibly windy and then you wind your way back along the coast, until you hit the dunes again and then the beach.
The tracks are quite slow and rocky at Point Fowler
Looking towards Scotts Beach from Point Fowler way
When the tides are correct, you can drive all the way from Point Fowler to Scotts Beach (around Scotts Bay). We did this on our stay at Scotts Beach, and found it a much quicker and more enjoyable drive than the inland track.
You can drive all the way from Point Fowler to Scotts Beach when the tide is down
Continuing West, you can drive out to Scotts Point, and then follow the coastline all the way to Mexican Head, and then a cove where some Sea lions live, and the tracks just keep going and going.
There’s more tracks than you can poke a stick at around here
The 4WD tracks around Fowlers Bay are extensive, and to drive from Fowlers Bay out to the point, then back along the coast to Scotts Bay and around to Scotts Beach will take you at least an hour, and longer if you are stopping regularly to look at the various views.
From Scotts Beach to Mexican Hat is only about 15 minutes drive, with a few more minutes to get to the Sea lions (although the track is less easy to find!).
Overall, a stunning part of the world that can only be truly seen and enjoyed with a 4WD. If you get an opportunity to explore it, do so; it’s incredible.
Tyre pressures and clearance
All of these 4WD tracks are fairly easy for a 4WD with good quality tyres, and the right tyre pressures. I’d be going down to around 25 PSI for the rocky sections, and taking it nice and slowly (you don’t want to go any faster as its uncomfortable anyway).
For the beach and dunes you might have to go a bit lower, but for the most part its all very easy 4WD tracks. We didn’t see too many rocks that would cause you a problem for clearance, but pay attention as they are sharp and you can do some nasty damage if you aren’t careful.
Fowlers Bay is stunning
We really loved Fowlers Bay, and once again it showed how much better access you have with a 4WD. My Dad was keen to take us here as he spent a number of holidays enjoying the area when he was younger, and I can see why its so firmly etched in his mind.
We really loved the Fowlers Bay region
We’d love to come back, and highly rate the area, and the 4WD tracks!
