We acknowledge and pay our respects to the Kaurna people, the traditional custodians whose ancestral lands Lake Bumbunga is found
Head about 2 hours north from Adelaide, around 25 minutes from Port Wakefield and you’ll find the striking pink of Lake Bumbunga cutting through the scenery.
Lake Bumbunga is made up of three salt pans which have been harvested for over 30 years for use in swimming pools, water softener and of course fish and chips! It’s name is reportedly derived from the Parnpangka people (local indigenous) term for ‘rain water lake’.
Tips for your visit to Lake Bumbunga
Take your sunscreen, hat and definitely sunglasses. It’s pretty bright and glary. Do not drive on the lake! It’s for your feet only…..and you’ll probably end up on the list of people who have tried it and ended up bogged.
Take some waterproof shoes, and probably not thongs for kids. You can walk out quite far on the salt lake but it’s pretty hard and sharp under foot. I was ok to walk in thongs but my four year old couldn’t manage the shallow water in hers so ended up wearing her sneakers. If you’ve got some old sneakers or some of those jelly shoes pack them.
Do some photo research before you go and take your good camera. You can take some really cool perspective photos (think people standing on heads and in hands) My lame attempt is below but if I’d planned it a bit better we could have taken some props and got some cool shots.
See if you can find the Loch Eel Monster (visible from Highway 1) – apparently been there since the 70’s and made from rubber tyres, make for a cool pic!
If your kids are anything like ours, one of their favourite things to do is slip, slop, slap and wrap and head down to the beach for the day. It’s even better when you find a beach that has some awesome rock pools to explore. The team at Kids in Adelaide have searched high and low (and under a few rocks) to find some of the best rock pools in South Austraila for you to explore this summer. Of course it goes without saying, always make sure your kids are super careful around rockpools (the best way to do this is carefully walking around the rockpools rather than running or jumping) as the rocks can be slippery and sharp. A pair of old sneakers or water shoes come in handy! Also remember rockpools are home to a bunch of different critters so let’s keep their homes safe by making sure all rocks that are turned over are put back, leave all rocks and shells where you found them. Take only your rubbish and a whole bunch of photos home with you. Here’s some of our favourites…. happy exploring!
Marion Bay Caravan Park is on the doorstep of the Dhilba Guuranda-Innes National Park which boasts amazing beaches for walkers, swimmers, families, surfers and everyone in between. There are great photography opportunities for the young budding photographer with animals and landscapes a plenty. We recently stayed at Marion Bay Caravan Park and were so impressed by the friendly hosts, the stunning views and how kid friendly the Park is. We alternated our time on the beach right out the front of the Park (including an attempt at stand up paddle boarding!), enjoying the jumping pillow, playground and pedal karts and mostly just soaking up the views from the deck of our Villa. Our kids are huge toasted marshmallow fans so were thrilled to learn that outside of fire ban season, they light up a fire pit each evening next to the camp kitchen. By the way, the camp kitchen is huge, well appointed and CLEAN! We stayed in one of the villas right on the beachfront, however the other cabins and camping sites are all in great locations, spacious and well appointed. If you are travelling with kids, we highly recommend one of the beachfront villas, the views and layout…
Find it at: West Tce, Port Broughton We love a regional playground! The playground on the foreshore at Port Broughton is EXCELLENT - you could spend a good few hours here. You'll find it at the end of the Port Broughton Jetty, with a bakery (with decent coffee!) across the road. Winner! This playground is actually split into two fully fenced sections with about 100 metres between each. Don't ask us why, we're sure there is a reason but our kids loved running back and forth between the two areas, so our first tip is to find yourself a position BETWEEN both playgrounds to make it easy on yourself! Between the two sections, they have all ages covered. There are ramps and climbing equipment for toddlers, through to a seated flying fox for older kids. You'll also find swings, slides, instruments, play tables, a double swing and more. Both sections are under shadecloth, which is a major win for us! If you are so inclined, there is also a section with exercise equipment (does anyone actually ever use those for their intended purpose or do kids just play on them like ours did?) as well as a half basketball court…
I'm a Mum of 2 girls and also one 4 legged ratbag of a dog called Rudy. I work from home and family balance out the work/school hours with lots of beach time, walks, bike rides skates, scooters and surfs. We like being outside. Our favourite places in Adelaide are the Adelaide Hills and Dhilba Guuranda-Innes National Park
2 Comments
Martha
on 08/04/2018 at 1:27 PM
Wow Cindy, thanks for the advice. Jeofery and I will be sure to take the kids there next August. Say hi to the family for me. Xox
Wow Cindy, thanks for the advice. Jeofery and I will be sure to take the kids there next August. Say hi to the family for me. Xox
Thanks for the great post! Btw, is there a specific entrance to Lake Bumbunga? All the entrances were closed when we went there 🙁