If you’re looking for a peaceful and relaxing few nights off grid with picturesque lake views, drop in to Cockatoo Lake in South Australia’s south east for a good dose of nature.

The reserve is around 30 kilometres north of Naracoorte and is managed by the Naracoorte Lucindale Council. You can get there from two different directions, either from the Padthaway side or from Naracoorte.

Access is via a partly bitumen and then dirt road, which is maintained extremely well and is smoother than many highways we’ve travelled on.

The address you can put in your GPS is 1822 Grubbed Road, Keppoch, and the entrance into the lake reserve is via a gate which should be shut again once you’ve entered because of stock roaming all around the lake.

At the lake edge you can find space for caravans, tents, motorhomes and assorted set ups and facilities include a shelter shed, rubbish bins, a boat ramp, and 2 flushing toilets.

The water level was down quite a bit when we were there, even though it was at the end of winter, a sign of how dry conditions have been in South Australia in 2025. Even so the birdlife was plentiful and we spotted a spoonbill, seagulls, black swan, small water birds, ibises, kookaburras, various cockatoos and hawks.

When the water level is high it’s obviously a popular spot for locals and visitors, with signage letting people boating or using jet skis know to use the lake in an anticlockwise direction. The lake is stocked with yabbies and fish with a daily personal bag limit on yabbies of 200. I’m not sure what fish can be found in the lake but the rules apply as per PIRSA regulations, with undersize fish having to be returned to the water.

Near the boat ramp you can also find a donation box, where you can leave some cash to help with the maintenance and upkeep of facilities. There’s also a slide and monkey bars and lots of grassed areas for kids to play on.

Set around the reserve at campsites are fire bins to use with your own supply of wood, but only gas fires are to be used during fire danger season. We didn’t have an issue with mosquitoes or other pests, but that would probably be something to be prepared for if you were visiting during summer months. One bonus of visiting in the off peak time is that we were only one of two vans set up by the edge of the lake.

The reserve had full phone reception and dogs are welcome providing they are kept on leash with the sheep grazing all around the lake, in fact we woke up in the morning to find our van was surrounded by them.

Cockatoo Lake is only a little over 3 hours from Adelaide, and a terrific spot to just chill for a while and enjoy the natural surroundings, peace and serenity.

Enjoy

Glenys