Point Turton Caravan Park

Location, location, location. The Point Turton caravan park is this epitome of this saying. Situated on the foreshore it is perfectly placed between the jetty and the tavern so you can park the car up at the caravan park and not need it again until hitching up again.

The park overlooks the calm, sheltered waters of Hardwicke Bay which has a modern boat ramp area to launch for fishing or sailing in the bay. It’s also a popular spot for kayaking, windsurfing and diving.

The caravan park has sites on the ocean front if you’re lucky enough to score one, but there are other spots where you will have glimpses of the bay too.

In the park there is a terrific camp kitchen with full cooking facilities, including a pizza oven. There is also a communal campfire to gather around near the kitchen, situated at the end of the ablution block. The laundry like a lot of caravan parks has a book swap facility, but this one, was one of the most organized and extensive that I’ve ever seen and included DVD swaps. This is a pet friendly park too.

The jetty was built in 1876 to ship out the locally grown barley and though small, has plenty enough space for anglers to have a go at catching squid and fish and it’s popular with locals and visitors at any time of day. One of the benefits of staying in a park which overlooks a jetty is that you can take a look at conditions and decide whether to venture out or not.

The Point Turton Tavern sits just behind the caravan park and is an easy walk to enjoy a drink or two with delicious food and their menu specialises in South Australian seafood and wines. The tavern makes the most of views over the bay from both indoors and at alfresco tables, (and thanks to local friends Kym and Ken for their company during our visit and hospitality the next day).The town also has a general store and bakery.

Point Turton is yet another picturesque and friendly town on Yorke Peninsula, and the pelicans certainly like it. Many of them seem to make clever use of vantage spots on top of the light poles to get a good view of the daily fish catches on the jetty and as the boats return to the boat ramp.