Description
Update to trek note: It is no longer possible to drive the full length of the beach between
Beachport and
Robe and a detour is necessary between Stinky Bay and Little Dip National Park. Fortunately, a major detour is avoided by being able to access a short private track across Nora Creina property. The owners of Nora Creina, the Cullen family, are supportive of recreational four wheel drivers and are pleased to allow access along the short track, which is less than a kilometre long. This track is also used by several holidaymakers who own
shacks along the track.
If you are planning a trip in the area and wish to cross the Nora Creina property, please remember that, as on any private property, you are a guest of the owner. Please drive carefully and stay on the marked track. Keep your speed down and stay away from the holiday
shacks. Move peacefully across the property, leaving the gates as you find them.
Starting in
Robe, a modern seaside town in south east SA, this trek heads south into
Little Dip Conservation Park and then onto a wild windswept beach. The route follows the beachline all the way to
Beachport although most people go out for a day trip and head back into
Robe for shelter. There are camps at Little Dip CP, the Gums, Stony Rise, Lake
Robe, Long Gully, freshwater Lake and Old Man Lake. Some have pit toilets.
There is no specific route as there are numerous tracks leading onto and off the beach - its more of an adventurous explore along the coastline.
How to Use this Trek Note
In this trek note, we provide Place to Place distances (see Directions tab), a downloadable plot file, and POI files to enable you to use this as your driving itinerary, or as a base guide to add other side trips. As with all ExplorOz Trek Notes, you can reverse the order of the direction notes by clicking the arrow alongside the words Start/Finish at the very top of the information on this page.
To see the route, click on the Map tab. Then use the Moving Map Control to take a virtual tour of the route. You can also click on the "What to See & Do" & "Where to Stay" tabs to see more about each Place that the route follows. Click each listed item to open a separate page (and download) for each Place for further information to enrich your understanding of the area.
If you use the Print button at the top of the page the text from all sections will be reformatted into one easy to read document (except for detailed Place information – do these separately). If you are an ExplorOz Member, you'll also be able to download any individually selected
Places (or all in one batch download) as POI/waypoint files to use in your GPS (all popular formats available).
Environment
To get started, head out south from the centre of
Robe (GPS 37 10'02" S, 139 45' 37" E) along
Robe Street. At the road junction about 1km from the main road keep straight on and onto the dirt road. (Right is the rubbish tip and another way to the beach).
To avoid this section of beach you can still access the Little Dip CP and the other camps around Long Gully by taking the Nora Creina Road out of
Robe. In some
places you can avoid driving along the beach by taking the track that runs behind the first line of dunes.
The small fishing village of Nora Creina is 24km south of
Robe along the gravel track or 27km via the beach run. A track on the right leads about 50m to the beach and bay (GPS 37 19'33" S, 139 51' 01" E). The main track heads south though the village, past the bay track junction and crosses the sand. Turn left onto Stinky Beach. 6km later you pass a headland and then 2km later you go up off the beach, around a headland and back onto the beach. This next section is soft! There is an inland track as an alternative. Pick it up from the beach or as you cross the headland. Nine Mile Drift is inland to your left. There is an access track off the beach but without a map you could get lost. Contact the Millicent Sand Buggy Club PO Box 487 Millicent SA 5280 for details.
About 17km south of Nora Creina is a steep sandhill - follow tracks through the dunes then drop onto the beach. 3km south of here is a large
aboriginal midden on the right. The track skirts around it. 2km on the track leaves the beach and heads behind the dunes meeting up with a main gravel track. Turn left - 6km to
Beachport.
If you come off the beach and end up on the shores of
Lake George just head south on the track skirting the lake - you'll eventually come get to town. (GPS 37 28' 54" S, 140 00' 40" E).
Lake George is a great place for bird watching. The smooth flat waters and strong seabreezes make this a popular
places for windsurfers. There are some good shady camp sites tucked under the trees along the shores.
Preparation
Due to the tricky beach conditions along this coast it is advisable to travel in convoy if you intend to complete the full length into
Beachport. And be sure to be fully prepared for beach driving with an air compressor, deflating your tyres before starting and take plenty of water, spares and recovery equipment. Also - sand flags are essential.
Permits
No permits are needed for this trek note. If you are planning a trip in the area and wish to cross the Nora Creina property, please remember that, as on any private property, you are a guest of the owner. Please drive carefully and stay on the marked track. Keep your speed down and stay away from the holiday
shacks. Move peacefully across the property, leaving the gates as you find them.
Fuel Supplies & Usage
 | Robe, Beachport |
Diesel | 4cyl 8 litres |
ULP | 4cyl 9 litres |
LPG | 4cyl 12 litres |
|---|
| 6cyl 9 litres | 6cyl 11 litres | 6cyl 10 litres |
| 8cyl 9 litres | 8cyl 10 litres | |
Best Time To Visit
Closest Climatic Station
Robe Comparison
Distance from Trek Mid Point 21.22km NW
| | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun |
Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
| Mean Max. °C |
22.5 | 22.6 | 21.1 | 18.8 |
16.4 | 14.3 | 13.6 | 14.3 |
15.7 | 17.6 | 19.5 | 21.2 |
| Mean Min. °C |
13.6 | 13.7 | 12.7 | 11.5 |
10.2 | 8.8 | 8.1 | 8.5 |
9.2 | 10.3 | 11.4 | 12.7 |
| Mean Rain mm |
20.1 | 18.6 | 26.8 | 46.1 |
72.9 | 95.3 | 103.9 | 85.6 |
59.0 | 44.1 | 30.4 | 27.9 |
Best time to travel Ok time to travel Travel NOT recommended
Services & Supplies
The following locations have various services and supplies:
Robe,
Beachport
