Travelling the Lefevre Peninsula

For a coastal escape that’s easy on the budget but brimming with activity and natural wonder, head to the Lefevre Peninsula, 15km northwest of Adelaide’s city centre.

The township of Port Adelaide is the gateway to this fabulous peninsula. Picture yourself wandering the historic wharves and strolling down cobbled laneways, with contemporary breweries, hotels and heritage architecture.

Most of the peninsula has been developed, mainly as residential areas but with heavy industries on the Port River waterfront. Some areas of the coastline are still covered with mangroves, the peninsula’s eastern side forming part of the Port River estuarine ecosystem.

Not far away, the western coast is home to white-sand beaches that reach from Semaphore South Beach to the tip at North Haven Beach. Cafés, gelaterias and cute shops line the esplanade. The fishing is sensational year-round, with locals enjoying a quick cast after work or cruising around Gulf St Vincent on the weekends.

“I know a spot that’s guaranteed to get you a feed of whiting but you can’t tell anyone where it is,” were our host Adrian’s welcoming words when we hopped aboard the Reel Mad Fishing Charters boat at St Kilda boat ramp. St Kilda is around 20km north of Adelaide, 30km from Lefevre Peninsula’s centre.

Launching puts you close to the fishing grounds of Gulf St Vincent’s shallower eastern reaches. From the two-lane boat ramp, a long channel leads out into Gulf St Vincent at Barker Inlet and also provides land-based fishing opportunities on its rock wall.

Apparently, there’s generally no swell in the upper gulf, only wind waves, but the tide changes are quite strong. King George whiting, garfish, tommy ruff (Australian herring), crabs and squid are popular targets here. During summer, crabs are abundant around Semaphore Beach and West Beach.

Before launching or boarding a fishing charter at St Kilda, drop in at the Tackle and Tucker café at the carpark’s southern corner to stock up on bait and other angling needs, and for great fish and chips or a coffee.

Not far down the road is the St Kilda Adventure Playground, including barbecue spots. You could make a family day of it with fishing in the morning, lunch at the café, and an afternoon in the playground to wear the kids out. 

Together with Tracey ‘Skip’ Tito and Anna Fisher, of Off Track Wines and Zonte’s Footstep Winery, we were on a mission to catch some fish for the following day’s beach cookout. Tracey was trialling a new ‘Fishing Trips with Skip’ jaunt that will combine her fishing tutelage and catering talent with additional insight from Reel Mad’s Luke and Adrian, including secret fishing spots from all involved.

King George whiting are one of the main targeted species in the gulf. Adrian took us to his favourite spots near the St Kilda channel, where some sandy patches between the weeds produced plenty of fish.

King George whiting are bottom feeders, so the trick is to cast to the edges of the weeds, let the sinker tap the bottom, and then gently jerk the bait away in an enticing action. A paternoster rig with a lightweight sinker works wonders.

A bloodworm run was expected that night. From what I understand, this natural phenomenon occurs on the night run-out tides two to four days after a new moon, when the worms come out of hiding to procreate. We went fishing on August 5, but apparently the run can also occur in June or July.

Bloodworms make great bait, so naturally the fish will gorge themselves silly while it lasts … and you won’t catch anything in the following days. To harvest the worms, kayak or boat along the channel’s edge near the mangroves when the tide starts moving, scooping them up with a fine net as you move along.

The following day, with our whiting fillets in an icebox, Anna drove us through the McLaren Vale wine region, stopping at Zonte’s Footstep cellar door to meet her team before heading down to Sellicks Beach to cook our catch.

McLaren Vale is said to be the birthplace of wine in South Australia, with a Mediterranean climate that produces outstanding shiraz and grenache, as well as varieties such as fiano, vermentino, tempranillo and sangiovese.

In Willunga, Russel’s Pizza is said to be something of a local institution, serving wood-fired pizzas in its pretty cottage. Anna and Tracey agreed that the Salopian Inn restaurant, in the township of McLaren Vale, makes the tastiest pork buns, dumplings and gin cocktails.

They also suggested driving or walking up the ‘McMurtrie Mile’ (McMurtrie Road), where many of the better-known wineries reside.

The foodie and wine-lover theme continued aboard Brindabella, an 80ft  (24.4m) Sydney Hobart race yacht from the 1990s. Now owned by Johnny Hilhorst and Brigid Dighton, the maxi is berthed at the Royal South Australian Yacht Squadron (RSAYS) at the Lefevre Peninsula’s northern end.

As the sails unfurled, Johnny began pouring a Howard Vineyard sparkling blanc de blancs while Brigid offered platters of tasty local delicacies. You’d be hard-pressed to find a more pleasant way to spend a lazy few hours.

Another opportunity to sail into the sunset is aboard a cruise with Annie and Kevin Cook’s Viking Yacht Charters, also berthed at the RSAYS. Their catamaran Summer Breeze runs cruises that can be tailored to suit the event – 20 people when cruising the Port River, 12 when heading out to sea.

It was just a short drive to dessert at The Peninsula Hotel, Taperoo, roughly in the peninsula’s middle. This popular locale’s quirky look was inspired by mid-century designs and colours – a nod to the site’s 60-year history, including the previous The Boathouse Tavern.

Bistro guests can order their meals at a food-truck styled caravan, or you can tuck yourself into a booth like we did while enjoying a walnut brownie, served warm and topped with salted caramel ice-cream, caramel sauce, candied peanuts and fresh strawberries.

Across the carpark you’ll find The Peninsula Motel, a new building featuring the same design theme. We stayed in a ground-floor room that includes a cute outdoor seating area and direct access to the heated swimming pool.

The iconic Largs Pier Hotel is located centrally on the Lefevre Peninsula’s western shore. Just like in days gone by, guests can arrive by boat and tie up at Largs Jetty across the street. Boat launching is done at North Haven boat ramp, off Lady Gowrie Drive near the Cruising Yacht Club of SA.

Established in 1882, the Largs Pier Hotel holds a special place in Aussie music history, having hosted live performances during the early days of many bands’ careers in the 1970s and ’80s – Cold Chisel, AC/DC, The Little River Band and The Angels all found their first fans here.

Launching from Queens Wharf at the Port River Waterfront, the Port River Dolphin and Ships Graveyard Cruise takes guests on a 90-minute journey to spot Adelaide’s resident Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins, and to admire the wrecks along the riverbed at Garden Island.

There are five ships’ graveyard sites in Port Adelaide, where the remains of some 40 vessels lie partially hidden in the mangroves or lodged in silt along the Port River backwaters. The cruise also takes you along the river and past several historic ships, including the City of Adelaide – the world’s oldest surviving clipper ship.

Fishing Trips with Skip: fishingtripswithskip.com.au

Reel Mad Fishing Charters: facebook.com/reelmadfishingcharters

The Peninsula Hotel & Motel: peninsulahotelmotel.com.au

Largs Pier Hotel: largspierhotel.com.au

Off Track Wines: offtrackwines.com.au

Zonte’s Footstep: zontesfootstep.com.au

Port River Dolphin and Ships Graveyard Cruise: portrivercruises.com.au McLaren Vale wine region: mclarenvale.info

FULL ARTICLE APPEARED IN THE OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2024 (VOLUME 39.5) ISSUE OF CLUB MARINE MAGAZINE.