Southend on the southern shore of Rivoli Bay

On the southern shore of Rivoli Bay, Southend combines beach experiences, water sports and nature trails with an active lobster fishing port. This offers different ways to plan your trip: time by the water, a short walk with coastal views, or a drive along four-wheel-drive tracks in Canunda National Park. You can consider which experiences matter most to your travel group before choosing a holiday rental in Southend.

Make the water and beach the focus of your holiday

Southend is ideal for boating, sailing, windsurfing and many other water sports. There is also an expansive, safe swimming beach. If you like to alternate between activities on the water and time at the beach, you can enjoy both as part of the town’s character. When planning together, you can make water sports a focus while other members of your group opt for the beach.

Watching the boats is another special experience by the water: between October and May, you can see returning boats unload their daily catch from the jetty or Jetty Lookout. This seasonal period provides a specific guide if you would like to plan your trip around an interest in port life.

The Cape Buffon Walk: a short loop with far-reaching views

The Cape Buffon Walk is located near Southend at the northern end of Canunda National Park. This easy 2.5-kilometre loop passes limestone cliffs, rock pinnacles and lookouts above Rivoli Bay. It makes a good option in its own right for anyone who wants to experience the coastal landscape on foot without planning a long hike.

Most walkers take 30 to 45 minutes to complete the trail from the starting points on Cape Buffon Drive. A short climb leads to a trig point. From there, the panorama stretches across cliffs and beach extending into the dunes of Canunda National Park, and over Rivoli Bay towards Beachport. This lets you factor both the length of the loop and the climb to the lookout into your day’s plans.

If you would rather take a drive than go for a walk, Canunda National Park has well-signposted four-wheel-drive tracks from Southend to Carpenter Rocks. The loop walk and the four-wheel-drive tracks suit different interests: one takes you on foot past lookouts, while the other follows a marked route for four-wheel-drive vehicles. Which option suits your trip depends on whether you would rather explore the coast on foot or by vehicle.

Port life and the Geltwood Anchor Memorial

The Geltwood Anchor Memorial is also located on Cape Buffon Drive. At a lookout there, opposite the National Park Ranger Headquarters, you can see one of the Geltwood anchors and information boards. This stop offers a different focus from the beach, water sports or walking: here, the memorial, anchor and information boards take centre stage.

When choosing a holiday rental, you can use your travel interests as a guide: do you want to spend your time at the beach and on the water, or would you also like to include the Cape Buffon Walk and the tracks in the national park? Southend offers different ways to explore, from the swimming beach to the lookout on the loop walk.

More places to discover: Beachport, Penola, Millicent, Coonawarra.

Back to the main travel overview: Wattle Range Council.