Cape Jervis
The southern tip of the Fleurieu - windswept cliffs, historic lighthouse, and the ferry terminal to Kangaroo Island.
The end of the peninsula
Cape Jervis sits at the very southern tip of the Fleurieu Peninsula, where the ranges drop dramatically into Backstairs Passage. It is the departure point for the SeaLink ferry to Kangaroo Island, just 45 minutes across the water.
Lighthouse & coastal trails
The 1871 Cape Jervis lighthouse (replaced by a modern tower in the 1970s) marks the entrance to the Heysen Trail - the 1,200km walking track that runs from Cape Jervis to Parachilna Gorge in the Flinders Ranges. Short coastal walks reward with clifftop views of Kangaroo Island and The Pages islets, home to a large colony of long-nosed fur seals.
Things to do in Cape Jervis
26 places
Bullaparinga Cemetery
One of the Fleurieu's earliest rural cemeteries - laid out in 1858 with first burials in 1859, set in the rolling Delamere hills.
Cape Fishing Charters
A custom-built charter vessel fishing Backstairs Passage and The Pages from Cape Jervis - seven days a week, tackle provided.
Cape Jervis Holiday Units
Five two-bedroom cabins on a 2.5-acre gum-tree property near the Sealink Kangaroo Island ferry terminal, with sea views.
Cape Jervis Tavern
$$Last pub before Kangaroo Island
The only pub in Cape Jervis - counter meals, takeaway and seven simple motel units a short drive from the SeaLink ferry terminal.
Delamere Art Wall
An outdoor community art project beside the Delamere General Store with rotating works by local Fleurieu artists.
Delamere General Store
The community heart of tiny Delamere - a country store and cafe with provisions, takeaway, and the outdoor Delamere Art Wall next door.
Delamere Uniting Church
A pretty old rural Uniting Church on Yoho Road, the village's second historic house of worship alongside the Anglican St James.
Fishery Beach
A sheltered fishing beach a few kilometres east of Cape Jervis, the site of an 1840s whaling station and the shipping port for the historic Talisker Mine.
Morgan Beach
A small 800m sandy cove beneath 50-metre bluffs near Cape Jervis, popular for fishing, swimming and sunset views past the Starfish Hill Wind Farm.
Rapid Bay Jetty Dive Site
One of Australia's most famous shore dive sites - the new Rapid Bay jetty is the world's leading place to find leafy seadragons in the wild, alongside cuttlefish, blue devils and seahorses.
Ridgetop Retreats
$$$$Max Pritchard eco cabins in Deep Creek
Four award-winning Max Pritchard eco cabins perched on a ridge in the stringybark forest of Deep Creek National Park, near Delamere.
SeaLink Cape Jervis Ferry Terminal
The departure point for daily SeaLink ferries to Kangaroo Island - the defining infrastructure of Cape Jervis township and a Backstairs Passage viewing point in its own right.
Southern Fishing Charters
A 15-metre Westcoaster deep-sea charter vessel from Cape Jervis for serious offshore fishing in Backstairs Passage and beyond.
Southern Ocean Retreats - Glenburn Cottage
A four-bedroom cottage sleeping up to 10 within Deep Creek Conservation Park - wood heater, self-contained kitchen, classic bush retreat.
St James Anglican Church
A State Heritage-listed stone church at Delamere - foundation stone laid 19 September 1870, dedicated 4 May 1871.
Stringybark Campground
Deep Creek's most developed campground - 16 sites, hot showers and toilets - the central base for hikes into the park.
Talisker Conservation Park
A 212-hectare bushland reserve at the south-western tip of the Fleurieu, with an interpretive trail through the ruins of the 1860s Talisker silver-lead mine.
Tapanappa Lookout
The signature clifftop lookout in Deep Creek Conservation Park - dramatic views over the Southern Ocean cliffs and across to Kangaroo Island, a short walk from the Tapanappa campground.
Trig Campground
A spacious kangaroo-frequented campground in Deep Creek Conservation Park with fire pits and a picnic shelter - quieter than Stringybark, with no showers.
Tunkalilla Beach
A wild 5km Southern Ocean surf beach inside Deep Creek National Park, accessible via Tunkalilla Road and the Heysen Trail - one of the most remote beaches on the Fleurieu.
Heysen Trail - Cape Jervis Trailhead
The southern start of the 1,200km Heysen Trail
The official southern trailhead of the Heysen Trail, a 1,200km walking route that runs from Cape Jervis to Parachilna Gorge in the Flinders Ranges.
Blowhole Beach
A wild, remote cove inside Deep Creek National Park
A secluded sand-and-pebble cove on the southern Fleurieu coast, reached only by 4WD track or a steep 3km return walk down from Cobbler Hill - and gloriously empty when you get there.
Cape Jervis Lighthouse
The 1871 original & 1972 concrete replacement
The headland lighthouse marking the southern tip of the Fleurieu Peninsula, with an original 1871 structure and a 1972 concrete tower that still operates today.
Deep Creek National Park
Fleurieu Peninsula's biggest wilderness park
The largest conservation area on the Fleurieu Peninsula, with 15 walking trails through eucalypt forest, waterfalls, ocean clifftops and views to Kangaroo Island.
BIG4 Cape Jervis Station & Caravan Park
$$Working station accommodation above Backstairs Passage
Working station-turned-holiday park perched above Cape Jervis, with motel rooms, cottages and campsites overlooking Kangaroo Island and the Heysen Trail.
Rapid Bay
Leafy sea dragons & a legendary jetty
Sheltered bay famous for its old T-shaped jetty, one of the best dive sites in Australia and a reliable place to spot the elusive leafy sea dragon.
Stories from Cape Jervis
The wild south coast drive
The Main South Road between Yankalilla and Cape Jervis is one of South Australia's great scenic drives - windswept pastures, hidden coves, a 170-year-old flour mill, and the southernmost tip of the peninsula where the Heysen Trail begins.
April 2026 · 6 min read
The lighthouse keepers of Cape Jervis
The original Cape Jervis lighthouse was built in 1871 on the windswept headland where the mainland runs out. For a hundred years it was kept by families whose lives ran to the rhythm of the Backstairs Passage weather. The keeper logs read like a soap opera.
April 2026 · 9 min read
The Heysen Trail: 1,200km on foot
From the Cape Jervis ferry terminal to a remote gorge in the northern Flinders Ranges, the Heysen Trail is one of Australia's longest walking trails. The Fleurieu has its first hundred kilometres.
March 2026 · 6 min read
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Sources
- Cape Jervis - Wikipedia article - Wikipedia (accessed April 2026)
Image credits
- Sealink Port, Cape Jervis , CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons