Walk the Yorke is the Perfect Beginner Bikepacking Route

We Are Explorers acknowledges that this adventure is located on the traditional Country of the Nharangga people who have occupied and cared for the lands, waters, and their inhabitants for thousands of years. We pay our respects to them as the Traditional Custodians and recognise that sovereignty was never ceded.

Walk the Yorke isn’t just for hikers – with excellent signage, gentle terrain, and frequent opportunities to pass through town for an ice cream, this trail is a perfect multi-day bikepacking trip for newbies.

Quick Overview

Walk the Yorke is a 500km point-to-point walking and cycling trail that circumnavigates the Yorke Peninsula, an hour west of Adelaide in South Australia. The trail is a mix of gravel, singletrack, and bitumen and takes five days to cycle.

Quick Facts Walk the Yorke

Distance: 502km
Duration: 5 days
Elevation gain: 2500m
Nearest town: Port Wakefield (start), Moonta (end)
Navigation data: Ride with GPS Route

About Walk the Yorke

Walk the Yorke offers crunchy gravel and incredible views as it weaves between ocean and farmland, past quaint towns and spotless beaches. Three-quarters of the trail is off-road and is incredibly well signposted, as well as having over 200 interpretive signs describing the history and wildlife of the region.

At various points, cyclists follow alternate routes while walkers follow the beach. Bonus points go to the first person to ride all the beach sections on a fat bike.

This five-day itinerary allows riders enough time to enjoy a dip at the beach or a leisurely local Cornish pasty, but you could extend it out up to ten days. There’s minimal shade on the trail, so avoid riding it in summer, and be liberal with sunscreen all year round.

Mobile reception is patchy out of town, so I recommend downloading your maps in advance. Alternatively, you can purchase maps that cover the whole trail from the Yorke Peninsula Council website, as well as a free completion certificate to evidence your bragging rights.

Walk the Yorke History

The Yorke Peninsula is Narangga Country, and since the mid-1800s has been a hub for farming, fishing, mining, and tourism – you’ll see many caravans.

Walk the Yorke connects a series of pre-existing trails and roads and was opened in 2015 to showcase the beauty of the region.

While the trail has mainly been utilised as a multi-day hiking route, it’s slowly gaining popularity with bikepackers.

How to Get to Walk the Yorke

Port Wakefield is an hour’s drive from Adelaide, and there are commercial bus routes (e.g. Stateliner) that’ll transport you and your bike for around $60.

From the end of the ride at Moonta Bay back to Port Wakefield, you’ll need to arrange a car shuttle or another $60 bus ride, or ride 65km east on the road back to Port Wakefield.

Oh look, there’s a bus now

Where to Stay Along Walk the Yorke

This itinerary alternates between caravan parks and rough camping, but with caravan parks in almost every town and frequent free Walk the Yorke camping spots with rainwater tanks and drop toilets, you can choose your own adventure.

If you want to follow my itinerary, you’re in for a great trip!

Night one: Port Vincent Foreshore Caravan Park (not to be confused with the Port Vincent Caravan Park, which doesn’t allow tents on powered sites). The staff were lovely and seemed genuinely concerned for my safety when I arrived hours later than expected.

Night two: Foul Bay Bush Campground – which is well-maintained and has water and drop toilets

Night three: Corny Point Caravan Park – where a kind stranger loaned me an extension cord when my charger wouldn’t fit under the PowerPoint cowl

Night four: Port Victoria Oval Camping Site – $10, no booking needed

Night five: Moonta Bay AirBnB cottage – Treat yo’ self. If you’re planning to camp within the Dhilba Guuranda-Innes National Park instead of grabbing an AirBnB, you’ll need to pre-book

Read more: Remember to leave no trace

Skill Level

Intermediate

Walk the Yorke is well-marked and well-maintained, making it perfect for cyclists new to bikepacking, but it’s recommended to have some experience with off-road cycling and camping.

Walk the Yorke is suitable for adaptive bikes, although adaptive cyclists may want to take alternate routes around the muddy and sandy sections. For readers unfamiliar with the term, adaptive bikes are bikes designed for people with disability or balance issues; they’re typically trikes or quads, and are sometimes hand-powered.

Essential Gear for Bikepacking Walk the Yorke

You’ll never be too far from civilisation, so you’ll only need basic bikepacking gear and your swimmers. Technically you could skip the cooking and mess kits if you’re willing to alternate between country pub schnitties and muesli bars for dinner.

• Gravel bike (50mm tyres recommended) or MTB
• Bike helmet
• Bike lights
  
• Repair kit
• GPS or phone navigation app
• Bikepacking bags and/or panniers
• Clothes for off and on the bike
• First aid kit
• PLB
• Tent, sleeping pad, sleeping bag
• Cooking and mess kits
• Food (remember you’ll be able to top up in towns)
• Hygiene items
• Camera
• Swimmers
• Sunscreen

This Overnight Hiking Packing List with 20+ Essentials, while prepared for hiking trips, also applies to bikepacking and is a great resource to make sure you don’t leave anything behind.

What It’s Like to Bikepack Walk the Yorke

Day One – Port Wakefield to Port Vincent

Distance: 108km
Elevation gain: 711m
Duration: 8-9 hours
Route: Ride With GPS

Port Wakefield must have the highest bakery to population ratio in Australia, but none are open yet so I start the day with a servo bacon and egg roll and a comically large coffee.

The route begins near the caravan park, and I miss the first turn despite the bright yellow trail marker. Correcting my mistake I follow doubletrack through the bucolic landscape for 4km, then, just as I congratulate myself on choosing the perfect tyres, I hit a 3km stretch of mud that slows and humbles me.

Mud behind me, I ride over mixed surfaces past wombat holes, trailside melon vines, and salt farms. I carb-load at Ardrossan before enjoying some idyllic sea cliff trails. 

The final leg is bitumen and strong headwinds, and I nearly take a local up on his offer to hold onto his car to ‘save some pedalling’ before rolling into the caravan park in Port Vincent.

Day Two – Port Vincent to Foul Bay

Distance: 116km
Elevation gain: 545m
Duration: 8.5-9.5 hours
Route: Ride With GPS

The next day I ride out at dawn, snatching golden strands of singletrack that hug the coast. I stop to take photos of the old lime kiln at Wool Bay, and as I answer some questions from curious tourists I realise that I haven’t seen any other bikepackers – just an older couple on electric fat bikes and a gaggle of school kids riding MTBs.

You never know what you’re going to see out here

I pedal past a golf course with black sand greens and a section of trail adorned with mosaics. There’s a patch of unrideable sand after Sultana Point, but the sight of a murmuration of swallows twisting around the wind farm to make up for it. 

I swing by the unique Troubridge Hill Lighthouse, and then my teeth get a good rattling on the corrugated dirt road to the miss-named Foul Bay.

I’ve got the campsite to myself, and thanks to my early start, I’ve got some time to relax and reflect before bundling myself into the tent for the night. 

Day Three – Foul Bay to Corny Point

Distance: 115km
Elevation gain: 628m
Duration: 8-9 hours
Route: Ride With GPS

Another early start helps me make good time to Marion Bay for a second breakfast and to patch my rear tyre at a beachside pergola. At Stenhouse Bay I ignore the signs pointing me down the road and duck into the tunnel-like singletrack towards the abandoned gypsum-mining township of Inneston.

From Inneston I return to the recommended bike route along dirt roads and singletrack, with a group of hiking scouts holding their hands up for a series of high fives as I pass. The trail then heads inland, following rural roads past unperturbed sheep before a quick loop around the headland to check out the lighthouse.

I set up camp at the caravan park in Corny Point, then have a chat and beer with some caravaners; I’m eating two-minute noodles while they’re having the biggest lobsters I’ve ever seen.

Have you ever, ever felt like this?

Day Four – Corny Point to Port Victoria

Distance: 104km
Elevation gain: 387m
Distance: 7-8 hours
Route: Ride With GPS

I treat myself to a slightly later start, but the caravanners are still sleeping when I leave. It’s easy miles to Point Turton, but strong winds from there on. I check out Flahertys Beach on my way past and stop to take some snaps of the colourful tractors at Hardwicke Bay. 

Things are going well, but as I approach Port Rickaby I hit a long patch of unrideable sand where a dune has migrated inland. The resultant hike-a-bike makes for slow, hot, and somewhat dispiriting progress, so I find a path of dappled shade and rest.

I’m pretty wiped by the end of the stretch of sand, so I’m glad that the remaining 25km is forgiving riding. I roll into the parched but charming town of Port Victoria, grab some dinner, and sleep for 12 hours among the scrub by the sports oval.

Certainly wasn’t the Hilton but it did the job

Day Five – Port Victoria to Moonta Bay

Distance: 60km
Elevation gain: 252m
Duration: 4-5 hours
Route: Ride With GPS

I’m well rested as I start the day on a smooth shared-use path, but in a moment of overconfidence, I try to fix a wobbly cargo cage without stopping and crash into a bush.

This mishap is soon forgotten along the gravel paths that traverse the sea cliffs. There are a few more short patches of sand, but I’m on the home stretch now and I keep thinking about how incredible it is that this trail exists.

32km in, I discover that I’ve planned my route incorrectly. I’d expected to head along a bush track, but the signage clearly directs bicycles to follow the road, cutting 15km off the remaining distance (don’t worry, the GPS tracks shared here are correct). 

Two hours later and I’m cruising down the road into the tourist town of Moonta Bay, with a huge grin on my face as I pass the official end of Walk the Yorke and ride out to the end of the L-shaped jetty. 

A stingray glides beneath me; it’s the perfect ending to 500km of challenge and beauty.

Tips For Bikepacking Walk the Yorke

• You’ll be going through towns fairly often, so you’ll have plenty of opportunities to stock up on food and water. Don’t overpack!
• Speaking of water, despite being girt by sea, the peninsula is pretty parched. Make sure you’ve got a good amount of water with you
• If you’re travelling during school holidays, you’re better off bush camping – caravan parks in the area are likely to book out, and many set a minimum two-night stay
• As evidenced by the wind farms, the peninsula can get pretty windy. I found it was windier later in the day, so take that into account when planning your start time

These guys nearly blew away, good thing they’ve always got a wool coat

• The trail is very well marked, but there may be detours due to local conditions. Check the section information and trail notes before heading out
• Don’t forget to apply for your completion certificate once you’ve rolled into Moonta Bay

FAQs Bikepacking Walk the Yorke

How long does it take to cycle Walk the Yorke?

It took Jonathan five days, but you could easily stretch the trip out longer to complete it at your own pace.

Do you need a GPS to ride Walk the Yorke?

While Walk the Yorke is well signposted there are often detours in place. It’s a good idea to take a GPS and a copy of the trail notes and section information with you.

Is Walk the Yorke suitable for beginner cyclists?

Yes! This is the perfect route if you’re just getting started in overnight bikepacking. Grab a buddy and give it a go!

I’ve already done Walke the Yorke, what’s another good bikepacking route?

If you’re based in South Australia your next ride should absolutely be along The Mawson Trail. The 877km trail takes you from wine country to the Outback!

The Wonders of the Yorke Peninsula

• A Seven Day Treasure Hunt Hiking South Australia’s Walk the Yorke
• How To Spend a Week on The Yorke Peninsula
• Best Camping on the Yorke Peninsula (Including Free Campgrounds!)
• Exploring a Playground of Cliffs and Coves From Pondalowie Bay Bush Campground