This is my ideal beach. Now, I do admit to some bias on that account because this is probably the…read morevery beach which has formed my idea of what a beach should be. However! That in no way detracts from its awesomeness. The sand is soft, the water is clear, the waves are the perfect height for boogie boarding and, while there is a rip, it's hardly a dangerous one just so long as you're aware of it. Visibility is such that parents could feel quite safe letting their kids have a swim by themselves. There has been a lot of work on re-vegetation along the sand dunes here too which adds an extra element for exploration as well as the water hole/creek just nearby. Because Carickalinga is still (relatively) undiscovered, standard beach problems like overcrowding and litter are not really an issue here. I feel I should warn any aspiring surfers that this is probably not the beach for catching sweet waves, although I spotted a few people in kayaks who looked like they were having fun.

You know those "beach scenes" in the midday movies or soap tv shows? After visiting Pt Willunga…read morebeach I am now convinced they have all been filmed here. I can't help but pontificate about the ridiculous perfection that SA is lucky enough to have on it's south western coastline. Protected by rugged, undulating cliff faces a long and wide golden sandy beach gives way to quite large waves perfect for surfing and fishing but shallow enough at the beginning to allow kids and dogs plenty of naked frolicking on the shoreline. Put simply, this is the bestest beach in SA. There are 2 toilets near the car park and a restaurant that overlooks the beach (Star of Greece). I didn't notice a canteen whilst here but that may have been further along down south. It is dog leash free, but not too crowded that you feel like you are going to be mauled by an over-excited pup dashing along the sand. The sunrise and sunset reflect off the cliffs to create a gorgeous yellow hue in the warmer months and it's not full of bogans, tourists or anyone really, meaning you can stroll along this too good to be true setting for every romance novel in peace.

This is my favourite beach. I'm not one for flash, busy beaches like Bondi or even Glenelg. I love…read morethe quieter beaches where you can do your own thing without having masses of people everywhere. The beach has a shallow section due to a bit of a sandbar, then in drops off, but this makes it great for families. The little kids can play in the shallows while the big ones can body surf the waves. And we can't forget the most photographed ruins in SA, the old jetty pillions. Head down around sunset and you'll see a mass of photographers all trying to get the perfect shot! Get on down, but keep it secret, can have everyone knowing about this gem ;)

I do like beaches that are close to railway stations, namely because they are easy to get to. Then…read moreagain, they are also easy for everybody else to get to as well. Anyway, another thing I like are beaches near pubs, and this is certainly one of those beaches. When I was here it wasn't all that crowded, which does say something because it was a nice day, and I do rather appreciate those beaches that aren't all that crowded. Yeah, this beach was nice, and even though I never came down here as often as other beaches, I do like it.

What's not to like about a beach in Adelaide? We are spoilt,…read moreno doubt about that! This one has the beautiful white sand and is great for swimming. Just across the road is a fab pub (Seacliff Hotel). In the mornings it's a haven for dog walkers. A few minutes down the road is Jetty Road, Brighton, filled with cafes and a jetty to stroll on. Gets pretty busy in summer (as you'd expect). Beautiful, just beautiful.

I think I like the fact that there aren't kiosks and that sort of thing on this beach. I think…read morethat's part of why it's about a million times nicer than somewhere, like, say, Glenelg. You can come here, relax on the sand, have a swim, and like Penny says, feel reasonably confident that your little pile of clothes, towel, wallet and keys aren't going to disappear. Then again, I'm pretty paranoid, so I lock most of that stuff in the car and carry a car key in the pocket of my shorts. Yet another reason to not wear budgie smugglers. Parking on the sand is pretty novel, for me. And it's so much nicer than having to walk over hot asphalt barefoot.

This beach is fantastic!…read more If you're happy to drive a little further than the regular metropolitan beach areas, then come to Silver Sands, otherwise known as Aldinga Beach. The sand is clean and white, and the water is clear. The biggest novelty however is the fact hat you can park the car on the beach. As in on the sand. Near the water. It's alternative like that. Craaaazy. I rather like this quality of parking on the beach, as it really sets it apart from other beaches. I also find it convenient, and I rather like being 100% at ease that my belongings are not going to be snatched by lingering beach thieves. The only associated negative is that there are no real beach front stores or kiosks. Well not in direct/close proximity anyway. Yet than again, this down fall, believe it or not, does help to preserve the seclusion and privacy that is evident in the mannerism of this particular beach. Good work Silver Sands!

Nice beach but the water was pretty stirred up and cloudy with a fair bit of seaweed floating about…read morewhich set off my beach safety alarms a bit. That said, it's a lovely walking beach with a cute little jetty and beautiful views. Very close to the town centre too so quite easy to get to.

Normanville is a beautiful beach located in Southern Australia. It is about an hour drive from…read morePort Elliot. It was a beautiful scenic drive, I might add. Normanville beach is the largest coastal settlement on the southern Fleurieu Peninsula. The town is a lovely beach community that is slow in the winter, when I visited, but very active and popular in the summer season. Three small creeks, the Yankalilla River, Bungala River and Carrickalinga Creek, reach the beach, with their entrances usually blocked by sand. I saw many beautiful plants and rocks in this area. I hear this is a great area for fishing either by pier or boat. You can launch your boat from the main beach if you like. The main beach access is at Normanville where there is a large parking area. There are public toilets, a play area, and a small jetty that is nice to walk along. I was looking for whales, but didn't see any on this trip. This beach is dog friendly, my friends brought their dog without issue.

When I tell you I love this place, I LOVE this Place! Water? Perfect. Sand temp? Perfect. Waves?…read morePerfect. This beach? Perfect. Would recommend for Family trips, Going with Friends, And just to relax, Everything about this beach is perfect.

It takes a lot for me to give a beach 5 stars, I mean... I really hate sand. I've never got the…read morewhole beach thing - the water always seems too cold, sand is annoying, and I'm always chucking glances over at my stuff to check someone's not stealing it. Despite this, I love Moana Beach. My family home is just 5 minutes up the road, so it's always been the beach I come back to. The best bit about the beach in my opinion, is the dog exercise area, a section of the beach where your dogs can just roam free all year round. For the hairy friend in my life, this is just absolute heaven. Outside of daylight savings hours the entire beach becomes leash free. My huge hairy border collie X old english sheep dog looks like a drowned rat in seconds. During Summer the beach is packed, and the Moana Surf Life Saving Club patrols the beaches. Across the road is a great little cafe (Deep Blue Cafe) where you can get a meal, or just grab an ice cream. Moana is definitely my favourite beach, but if we could just get the water the temp it is in Fiji perhaps I'd consider going in!

I won't necessarily say that this is a particularly popular beach, namely because it does tend to…read morebe rather quiet when I end up here. However, it was one of those beaches that my friends and I tended to gravitate to on those rather nice summer days that we seem to regularly get down in Adelaide. Well, one of the reasons is that the beach is rather quiet, but it is also quite close to the city as well, meaning that it is a short drive to actually end up here. Okay, there doesn't really seem to be much in the way of facilities round here, but as a beach, yeah, it isn't bad at all.

30/12/2011 It's the day before New Years Eve 2012, and I…read morejust had a long drunk night in the city clubs last night. So what other way to recover from a hangover than to go surfing at West Beach!! LOL Just as I was getting ready for another one of my favourite TV series marathon in the cosy lounge room, I heard my older brother telling to get my ass off the couch and into the car, 'cos the three of us were headed down to West Beach again (we've been here a dozen times before, it's that good!). Everytime we all go there, we love bringing back the old school art of 'Skim Boarding', with one board each. Yes, it's dangerous. But it's oh....sooo fun!! (I don't recommend you try it unless you are sure you know what you're doing, this review is promoting the beach!) I hope I start the New Year without nearly breaking my wrist, lower back or ankle though, so I always stretch up these parts before pretending to be Kelly Slater. I'm always in the zone when I come to this beach. Back to the beach: This beach is normally empty with lots of space, but when there are lots of people, they are quiet, and considerate when they walk past us - which is saying a lot considering that we were too busy being real aggressive with our boards towards the waves. A few do stop and say hello, and start a conversation, appreciating how we were having a good time. The best part? This beach is so fun that several hours are lost being here and you'll head home hungry from all the calories you burnt. I especially love the clean water here, and the occasional hot chicks in bikinis that walk past! *wink* On New Years Eve 2011-2012 tonight, I am exceptionally thankful for my older brothers and cousins for the time we've spent here in West Beach and all the awesome times we had together here! Cheers! To end, here's a summary of this beloved beach... Speechless. West Beach, everytime I leave, I miss you too much or you make me not say anything at all. Heart-pounding, dangerous, breathtaking, pleasurable, bliss, sexy! It's the range of activities that anyone can do here that makes it 5 stars. Apologies for this long review, this beach is really that good. Lucky this didn't turn from a beach to a hospital review.

Semaphore is great. There's a cinema there if you feel like watching a movie (mind you, the cinema…read moreis heaps cheap! 9 bucks per person.. which is great if you're on a budget) There's also plenty of food shops and there's also a library. The beach is pretty good but the only thing is that the water does get a bit mucky. Near the beach there's a place called semaphore waterslide complex which my mum used to work at when I was a kid. It's pretty good considering the admission is free. There's a ferris wheel, a sideshow game, kiddies ride, mini golf, jumping castle and waterslide. If you're struggling for money then it's probably not the best idea to take your kids here as it can be quite costly. Semaphore really does come alive at night, there's a big new park which the kids will love and also a skating ramp thingo. There's plenty of seating area too. I just remembered that next to the waterslide complex there's a massive undercover carousel. There's also a train near the kiddies park which does train rides.

This is my most local beach, albeit half an hour away, but is straight down 1 main road and the…read moreeasiest for me to get to from the north east. Semaphore is a bit quieter than the tourist beaches of Glenelg, Henley etc, and is the most Northern (as well as Largs) before hitting Port Adelaide. It suits all my needs, whether I want to run my dog, ride my bike along the esplanade, jog along the beach, sunbak, swim, jump small waves. This beach has it all, including so much parking so close and free! Semaphore is really safe so is the best family beach. It has lots of sandbanks which keep water shallow and there are no rips or large waves. The water is quite warm in summer and there is plenty of smooth sand to play games on. When you park your car there is heaps of grass for brushing off the sand from your feet, benches for picnics, some trees and paths through the small sand dunes to the beach. Other Semaphore attractions - summer carnival, The Palais, steam train, waterslide complex, carousel, playgrounds, jetty, cafes/kiosks.

(Disembarked/Embarked 12/18/24 WE @ 8:00am/6:00pm): No particular cruise terminal name on record as…read moreyou arrived at Pennington Bay via water shuttle! A friend and I were on Day 5 of our 12-Day Southern Australia Explorer cruise with Princess Cruises https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=8jVT2inwc8GIQ6sH2UG9Vw&select=QROVmppb8toYD0v-C7bi0w when we took a water shuttle into Pennington Bay before we disembarked for our second official port day - Kangaroo Island! Although this was my first time here, I was slightly surprised by the lack of a true port area or terminal. However, there appeared to be a real initiative to build up the port with hopes of attracting more tourist traffic and general commerce. Having said that, how was our experience with this entry way into Pennington Bay for our arrival onto Kangaroo Island!? PURCHASE There was nothing in sight to try and spend your money on even if you wanted to - 'nuff said. SERVICE The friendly cluster of staffers who greeted us at the pier were helpful as they directed us where to go to meet our tour buses. Upon our return, the outside port security guards were straight business and ushered us in while the Princess Cruises staff were wonderful as always. From start to finish, everyone we came in contact with was awesome - thank you! PARKING (FREE) I honestly didn't notice any onsite parking anywhere. Instead, at the end of the walkway from the water shuttle, there was a passenger drop-off/pick-up location just past the security gates. Beyond this area, it was the road that took you away and elsewhere - 'nuff said. ATMOSPHERE, DÉCOR, AMBIENCE A rather make-shift boat pier with the basic elements needed to be able to accept a water vessel, offload its passengers onto a stable pathway fortified by sheltering rock walls where you eventually ended up at the end of the path to a wider opening to randomly queue for a tour bus that whisked you away for some adventures. There was a structure possibly as an office or supplies that offered minimal shelter from the elements should you need it. Plenty of natural lighting since you were outdoors while I didn't see any lights to fill in the rest. There weren't any TVs nor background music. ATTIRE Totally casual, so I would normally be in a t-shirt, boardshorts, and flip-flops. OVERALL The lack of an actual cruise pier/terminal in Pennington Bay left little to be desired. I've taken many water shuttles into ports throughout my cruising life, and this was one if not the most sparse example to date. Again, there seemed to be an initiative brewing to make this a more major port, so hopefully that would happen in the near future. Otherwise, we arrived and left safely. Aesthetic-wise, your excitement was when your tour bus took you away from the area. I found good value based on the prices, service, and experience noted above (TOTAL paid experience was around $0.00AUD / 04.00USD BEFORE any discounts/tip). And, although they accepted credit cards, not mine of choice... AMEX! 3.0 STARS

The port for Kangaroo Island, everything that comes on and off the island through Penneshaw Bay…read more Ferries transport people, sheep & freight. A small downtown with a gas station, car rental, shops & cafes.