Pink Gum Campground in Onkaparinga River National Park
After finishing the Eyre Peninsula and Yorke Peninsula, we were headed towards Victor Harbour to stay with family for Christmas, but needed somewhere to stop on the way as we had a few days up our sleeve.
Sarah stumbled across Pink Gum Campground in the Onkaparinga River National Park, and we agreed to call in and book a stay if it was nice.
As it turns out, this is a magic spot, with some truly fantastic walks and great scenery, and we were very glad of a change from the blowing winds of the coastline!
Where is Pink Gum Campground?
You’ll find this great camp site in the Onkaparinga River National Park, roughly 45 minutes south of Adelaide, in a beautiful part of the world.
About the Onkaparinga River National Park
This spectacular national park surrounds the Onkaparinga Gorge, which can be accessed in a number of locations.
We only did the one side due to it being a 30 minute drive around, but would certainly be keen to head back to see more.
It’s got stunning wildlife, fantastic scenery, amazing hikes, a great camp ground (Pink Gum) and really is a pretty brilliant place to spend a night or two!
What amenities are at camp?
There’s one flushing toilet here, with fire pits that are locked out of season, and a bit of signage. There’s also a water tank for non potable water, but no rubbish bins or dump point.
What does it cost to camp, and do you need to book?
Camping is $27 per night per site, and most of the sites are suitable for two vehicles, which would bring the price down quite a bit.
Do you need a 4WD?
No, not at all. It’s only a few hundred metres off a good bitumen road, and the gravel road in is well kept. You most certainly do not need a 4WD
Check it out on Youtube
Want to see more? We’ve got a vlog of our visit too:
Is it caravan friendly?
There’s a number of sites that are suitable for caravans, and I reckon you’d even get two on some of them fairly easily.
Hikes nearby
From Pink Gum Campground, there’s a heap of hikes that you can do.
The shortest, and easiest one for great views is to head down to the rock climbing area, which is following the track down the hill, which is wide enough for a vehicle to go down (but gated).
Following a reasonable descent, you’ll get to the top of the rock climbing area, and can see some pretty amazing views looking down. You can climb down the stairs for a better look, but it doesn’t go too far.
We did the river hike from Pink Gum, which is 4.5km and quite nice.
It was warm on the day that we went, with most of the hike not being shaded, but you make your way from camp (don’t go to the car park and go from there!), all the way to the bottom of the gorge, where you can have a splash if the water is high enough, and then walk back.
There’s a heap of other walks that are longer, or further away, but its certainly a pretty spectacular region. Punchbowl lookout, and Sundews Trails will be on our places to check out (on the other side of the park) next time we go past.
What else can you do?
We actually headed to Hahndorf for the day from here, as it wasn’t too far and we were keen to see what it had to offer. Asides from this, there’s a heap of wineries and vineyards that you can visit, and its possible to visit the southern parts of Adelaide without too much trouble as well.
We actually considered staying here whilst we did the Adelaide Zoo, and some other touristy things, but haven’t got that far just yet.
