Dhilba Guuranda–Innes National Park

The first peoples of this area area were the Narrunga Aboriginal people, who consisted of four clans: the Kurnara of the north, the Windera of the east, the Wari of the West and the Dilpa of the south.

The first European settlers cultivated land around Cape Spencer for grazing by sheep around 1847. The national park is named after William Robert Innes, who found commercially exploitable deposits of gypsum in the area at the beginning of the 20th century, which were then exploited until the 1930s. The main tourist settlement in the park, 🌍 Inneston was founded in the early 1900s for this exact purpose was converted into a tourist town after the demise of mining.

The park was then established in 1970 to protect the remaining patch of coastal wilderness. In 2020, the park became a part of a joint-management program where the park was co-mananged by the National Parks and Wildlife Service and the Narungga traditional owners, to celebrate its 50th anniversary. It was also renamed from Innes National Park to Dhilba Guuranda–Innes National Park in recognition of this.

The coastal stretch from Willyama Bay to Cape Spencer contains several bays, including Cable Bay and Stenhouse Bay, along with notable headlands like Rhino Head. Between Cable Bay and Stenhouse Bay, there's a line of cliffs; between Cape Spencer to West Cape, you'll find tall cliffs and sandy beaches.

The area from Pondalowie Bay to Gym Beach is dominated by sand dunes, except for Royston Head and the cliff line extending to Dolphin Beach. There are saline lakes between the national park's boundary and the road system.

Approximately 140 bird species have been sighted in the national park: these include emus, ospreys, peregrine falcons, little penguins and wedge-tailed eagles. Notably, the park is home to the rare Australian endemic species of the painted snipe and the vulnerable hooded plover. The once widespread western grey kangaroo experienced a significant decline in the first half of the 20th century, but its population within Dhilba Guuranda–Innes National Park is stable. Reptiles found in the park include species such as brown snakes, shingleback lizards and eastern bearded dragons.

The park is also home to over 300 plant species.

There isn't a particular time of year to specifically visit the park, but the wind can get strong during the winter, making it cold.

• National Parks and Wildlife Service SA website
• 🌍 Dhilba Guuranda–Innes National Park Visitor Centre, Stenhouse Bay Road, Inneston (turn left at first roundabout, 3.5 km (2.2 mi) upon entry), ☏ +61 8 8854 3200, DEWInnesNationalPark@​sa.​gov.​au. Daily 10AM–3PM. The first thing that you'll come across when driving into the park. Enquire here for campground bookings, maps and other visitor information that you might have. (updated Jun 2023)
• Park map

There are two lighthouses in Dhilba Guuranda–Innes National Park. Both of which are automated, but the reason why both are popular with tourists is for the views they provide.

• 🌍 Cape Spencer Lighthouse, Cape Spencer Rd. While the cape is known for its lighthouse, the primary reason for the cape's popularity is its well-positioned lighthouse which provides picturesque photo opportunities (such as that seen in the banner). Like most other lighthouses, Cape Spencer Lighthouse was built for navigation aid purposes and was fully automated in 1975. (updated Jun 2023)
• 🌍 West Cape Lighthouse, West Cape Rd. The park's other lighthouse which may not be impressive, both in the sense of looks and significance, but what the lighthouse does have is a nearby 360° lookout of the ocean and classic Yorke Peninsula coastal scenery. (updated Jun 2023)

• Inneston Historic Walk (coloured   on map) – a 1-km walk within the historic town of Inneston passing through various now-abandoned buildings. Some of them may be visitable, but make sure you don't accidentally intrude into a building that has now been renovated into a lodge.
• Pondalowie Boardwalk (coloured   on map) – a 1.2-km (return) walk that takes roughly about 40 minutes to complete. The boardwalk passes through high and ecologically pristine sand dunes before terminating at a long viewing platform near the beach (which is accessible via three sets of stairs from the platform). (except beach)
• Stenhouse Bay Lookout Walk (coloured   on map) – the closest walk to the visitor centre, 2 km return and takes 40 minutes. It passes both Stenhouse Bay Lookout and the Stenhouse Bay Jetty.
• West Cape Headland Hike (coloured   on map) – this hike gives you views of Pondalowie Bay, Wedge and the Althorpe Islands. It's a 30-minute and 1-kilometer loop and does not require high fitness levels.

• Gym Beach Hike (coloured   on map) – this is the longest trail in the park and is a good 5.5-km bushwalk one way. It takes about 2 hours to complete one way, and is the only piece of infrastructure anywhere in the park that connects Gym Beach with the rest of the park (the only other way to access Gym Beach is via a separate road from Marion Bay). The trail passes through very high sand dunes – if you're into birdwatching, then make sure to bring a camera along.
• Royston Head Hike (coloured   on map) – a 4-km return hike linking the cliffs of Royston Head with the carpark. The trail contains many informative signs along the way about the local plantlife along the way.
• Thomson-Pfitzner Plaster Trail Hike (coloured   on map) – this trail is 7 km (one way) from the visitor centre to the remains of Inneston. It is relatively easy, but also very uninteresting compared to the others. You don't need to hike this trail to get to the ruins as there is parking right next to the town itself.

Most lodges are concentrated around the old settlement of Inneston. You will most likely have to stay for a minimum period of two nights (the booking system will not allow you to book for one night), so if you are thinking of staying for just one night, consider camping or finding a motel in Marion Bay.

• 🌍 Engineers Lodge, Pondalowie Inneston Rd (in Inneston), ☏ +61 8 8854 3200. A 3-bedroom self-catered lodge designed to accommodate up to 10 guests with good views of Inneston Lake from the verandah. Includes showers, toilets, solar lighting and gas appliances. $183 per night; min 2 nights. (updated Jun 2023)
• 🌍 Gatehouse Lodge, Pondalowie Inneston Road (in Inneston), ☏ +61 8 8854 3200. A smaller 2-bedroom lodge with limited facilities but contains an electric fridge (useful during summer). You will, however, need to bring your own pillows, blankets, sheets and towels. $149 per night; min 2 nights. (updated Jun 2023)
• 🌍 Mallee Lodge (in Inneston), ☏ +61 8 8854 3200. A smaller 2-bedroom lodge with one queen bed and two single beds. Limited facilities available (including cutlery, showers, etc.) but you need to bring your own pillows, blankets, sheets and towels. $181 per night; min 2 nights. (updated Jun 2023)
• 🌍 Managers Lodge, Pondalowie Inneston Rd (in Inneston), ☏ +61 8 8854 3200. Another self-contained 3-bedroom lodge that can accommodate 10 guests. All cutlery and the like are supplied, but you will need to bring your own pillows, blankets, sheets and towels. $183 per night; min 2 nights. (updated Jun 2023)
• 🌍 Norfolk Lodge, Pondalowie Inneston Rd, ☏ +61 8 8854 3200. A 2-bedroom lodge with a capacity to host 4 guests. Contains limited but basic facilities and you will need to bring your own pillows, blankets, sheets and towels. $178 per night; min 2 nights. (updated Jun 2023)
• 🌍 Post Office Lodge, Pondalowie Inneston Rd, ☏ +61 8 8854 3200. A one-bedroom lodge with only the capacity to host two guests. All facilities are provided, including linen and bedding. $122; min 2 nights. (updated Jun 2023)
• 🌍 Shepherds Hut Heritage Accommodation, Browns Beach Road, ☏ +61 8 8854 3200. Apart from being the only lodging site not in Inneston, this old stone building only has the capacity to accommodate 4 guests. There is also no electricity and you will need to walk to the nearby campground for toilets. $66.50; min 2 nights. (updated Jun 2023)

Camping at Dhilba Guuranda–Innes National Park is similar to any other South Australian national park, except not a single campground has a shower. It's a great way to better connect with the coastal wilderness of the park, but also to save some cash if you're travelling on a budget.

Not all campgrounds are wheelchair-acessible – campgrounds that are wheelchair accessible are marked with a icon.

• 🌍 Cable Bay Beach Campground. Unpowered campground with nine campsites and is accessible by both 2WDs and 4WDs. $24.50 campsites can accommodate 5 guests while $35.50 campsites can accommodate 8 guests. $24.50/$35.50 per night (price varies, depending on campsite). (updated Jun 2023)
• 🌍 Casuarina Campground, Browns Beach Road. Contains 10 unpowered campsites. Maximum 5 guests per campsite. $24.50 per night. (updated Jun 2023)
• 🌍 Gym Beach Campground, Gym Beach Rd. The park's most secluded campground, containing six campsites. Depending on which campsite you select, they can either accommodate 5 or 14 guests. All sites are unpowered and the campground is not accessible by road to the rest of the park (see Get in), hence making it the most secluded campground. $24.50/$35.50 per night (price varies, depending on campsite). (updated Jun 2023)
• 🌍 Pondalowie Bay Campground, Pondalowie Bay Rd. One of the larger campgrounds with 26 unpowered campsites, all of which can accommodate 5 guests each. It's also very close to Pondalowie Bay Lookout (≈900 m west; should take about 12 mins one way), which is a great place to take sunset photos. $24.50 per night. (updated Jun 2023)
• 🌍 Shell Beach Campground. Contains 8 unpowered campsites each capable of accommodating 5 guests. It is also near Shepherds Hut, so don't mind if anyone not from your campground uses your bathroom. $24.50 per night. (updated Jun 2023)
• 🌍 Stenhouse Bay Campground (near visitor centre). The closest campground to the visitor centre and is one of the larger campgrounds with 27 unpowered campsites. Most campsites can accommodate up to 5 persons, but the $35.50 campsites can accommodate up to 8. $24.50/$35.50 per night (price varies, depending on campsite). (updated Jun 2023)