Along with Wauraltee Beach on Yorke Peninsula, Perlubie Beach near Streaky Bay, SA, seems to get a lot of attention with its absolute water front camping, right on the sand. Photo’s of crystal clear blue waters and beautiful sunsets are plentiful on social media. So, with us staying in nearby Smoky Bay, we had to make a trip out to see what all the fuss with Perlubie Beach camping was about.
Location
Perlubie Beach camping area is about a 20 minute drive north of Streaky Bay, or 45 minutes south of Smoky Bay. Post-Covid, the area boomed in popularity, and in peak times it was reported to have up to 150 caravans lined up on the beach. I would have to imagine the entire beach end to end would be filled with campers in that scenario. So, it did make sense that the local council introduced a cap on the number of campsites available. A far better alternative to Wauraltee Beach in which beach camping was banned completely.
There are 30 sites marked out a long the northern end of the beach, but 10 of these are reserved for locals. Each of the sites is generously large, probably 25 metres wide. This gives each campsite has plenty of room to spread out without living on top of neighbours.
Whilst the beach is quite firm for the most part, it does soften up higher where you’d want to park the your car, or set up camp. 4WD is definitely needed.
Post Card Perfect?
As luck would have it, we arrived on a day with overcast conditions, and a fair bit of sea weed on the beach at the northern end, in front of all the campsites. Not quite the social media perfection I’d seen online. If social media is to blame for the explosion in visits, maybe my pictures will lower expectations somewhat!
Even so, despite the rather drab looking beach, I could definitely see the appeal here. The beach is protected, and stays shallow for a long way out. Perfect for families with young kids. It reminded me of Flaherty’s Beach, but on a smaller scale. And you can camp on the beach, which is amazing (provided the weather is kind)
Facilities
Perlubie Beach camping has a few shelters at the northern end for day use. These are just before the camping area starts. There is a toilet block at the entrance too. Even so, campers would need to bring their own toilet facilities, as you could be located up to 600 metres away from the toilet block, and it’s all private property (keep out) over the dunes.
When to Visit?
This one is both obvious and hard to predict – but it’s when the weather is perfect! But, because of the limited sites, booking ahead of time is likely going to be needed, particularly in peak times. So, you’re at the mercy of the weather gods in that case.
I do want to return to set up camp here one day. Though, we probably need to update our setup first. I’m not opposed to a long walk with a shovel, but it isn’t possible at Perlubie. On our visit, the weed built up on the beach seemed to be worse at the northern end of the beach. That might be weather dependent, but I think the sites further south would perhaps have more chance of not being weedy.
Perlubie Park
Following the restriction on number of campers allowed on the beach, a nearby campsite named Perlubie Park opened up. It’s pretty much an open paddock with a camp kitchen, and it seemed pretty busy when we went past. Whilst it’s only a few hundred metres from the beach, since its not on the beach, I don’t really see the appeal. If I’m going to get blasted by wind and sand (or dust at the campsite) I at least want a nice view to go with it! Still – it provides options and for $20 a night, its cheaper than the caravan park.
