Hillocks Drive at Butler's Beach, Yorke Peninsula, South Australia
31st May 2025
A small section of coastline along Hillocks Drive, Butler’s Beach, Yorke Peninsula, South Australia.
This is a magical spot on the Yorke Peninsula. The sign in says Butler’s Beach but it is all about the coastal road along the property called Hillocks Drive. This place had everything I was looking for on the trip:
Camping in solitude
free access to water
toilet and shower facilities
the ability to ride my bike pretty much everywhere
ocean views
colour in the landscape
wildlife
rocks to climb :)
affordable…so reasonable
I had no plan to stay there until I decided to ride my motorbike up a road I had driven past since my childhood.
Foul Bay, Yorke Peninsula, South Australia.
When we were children growing up in Adelaide we would often spend our school holidays at Foul Bay on the Yorke Peninsula in friends and relatives shacks. During my stay at Swincer Rocks this trip I did a ride over to Foul Bay to take a look. After I left Foul Bay I rode up towards the National Park along a dirt road I have passed over many times during my childhood.
About 10 kilometres down that road from Foul Bay there is a sign to a private property called Butler’s Beach and I decided today was the day to drive up it to see what was there!
I think from memory that this was the view into Coffin Beach….but may not be.
The owner was working at reception that day and she gave me a description of the property. It contains about 5 kilometres of coastline on the Yorke Peninsula which after staying there I can assure you is some of the most interesting and beautiful on the peninsula. It is also home to 14 tidal rock pools that you are challenged to discover.
I booked to stay there after I left Swincer Rocks. In the above photo, near the centre, you can see a calmer water surface and that is one of the tidal rock pools. I have better photos of others later in this post.
A section of Hillocks Drive.
Along the property coastline there is a well maintained dirt road called Hillocks Drive with turnoffs to view points and camping spots. On the road and especially some of the turn offs there can be a fair bit of deep drifting sand that might bring you unstuck on a motorcycle if you are not prepared. By the end of my stay I actually enjoyed the sandy sections as it was good practise. I do not get to ride in sand much.
If you are a bike rider please do not spoil it for the rest of us. This is not the place to go off track or race around. There are so many places that turn motorcycles away and this one at the moment welcomes them. Please help to keep it that way by being so well behaved you make Bob and Marge look bad :) (if you know you know)
The contrast in the vegetation along the shoreline and cliffs was stark. You had plants that looked quite dead right up against thriving ones with vibrant colours.
As I walked along the shore line colourful shells and rocks were everywhere. I got distracted so many times.
A Pacific Gull shot with my 70-300 lens at Butler’s Beach.
I did not take my wildlife camera lens on this trip to save on weight. I ended up really regretting not having it as I missed out on so many photos. I am already planning what to take out of my gear to make room for that big wildlife lens. I got lucky with this photo of a Pacific Gull as it flew very close to me whilst I sat on the sand.
The contrasting colours of the rocks, ocean and vegetation were just stunning to my eye. Can you tell I really love this place? I cannot wait to return both on my own and also with my wife. If my wife comes with me we will stay in one of the Ocean Pods. The views and location are amazing for those not interested in camping.
A sunset at my campsite during my stay.
When I first arrived at Butler’s Beach it was dark and I ended up getting lost and pitching my tent at the wrong spot. In the end I loved the location I ended up. I had it all to myself and the management had no issues with my error and there I stayed for my whole visit.
Sheltered picnic table with a bbq are to the back….gas provided FOC.
The little red circle highlights my tent and bike in the background. The camping area (one of many and most are individual) the week before I arrived was full during school holidays.
Perfect timing as they were all gone by the time I had arrived :) I had use of the cooking area, table and toilet all to myself.
The Rock Pools
This rock pool is about 15 metres wide.
When I photographed the above rock pool I should have placed myself in the photo to give you some idea of the size and its location. In an attempt to show you how wonderful this spot was I have cropped in the original heavily. The water is about 15 metres wide.
A great swimming spot if it was warm enough. Too cold for this boy from the Queensland tropics :)
A rock pool totally shielded from the ocean.
This is the un-cropped version of the previous photo. The rocks surrounding the pool were stunning. Next time I visit I will take photos that better reflect the beauty of this place. It is special.
Another rock pool but not so sheltered.
Of the 14 rock pools, I visited about 6 (or were visible when I was there). This one was right next to the ocean with the sound of crashing waves as the soundtrack to my experience there. Note the small section of white water on the surface of the rock pool.
Water lapping into the rock pool as waves hit the rocks.
Water would enter the rock pool as waves cashed into the rocks. I have a fear of sharks (not of crocodiles for some reason) and I know SA has some very big and unfriendly ones in it’s waters. Being protected from the ocean is a good thing in SA in my opinion. This would be an ideal spot to let your children swim if you share my fear of things in the ocean.
The calm of the rock pool in comparison to the ocean.
Hopefully the above photo gives you some idea of the size of this rock pool and it’s proximity to the much rougher ocean waters.
David cannot resist climbing rocks!
A White Faced Heron I tried to get closer to.
I was walking along the shoreline when I spotted a White-faced Heron high up on the rocks. I thought to myself that would be a great photo with the ocean in the background and the bird isolated on the rocks! Can I climb up high enough to get the right angle?
I love to climb in the rainforest on the rocks at home. Learning to climb there on those often very slippery and unstable rocks has made me pretty fearless when it comes to searching for a spot to take a photo, so I set up onto those rocks to see if I could get the photo I wanted.
I found my spot, the light was perfect….but the bird was gone.
Unfortunately by the time I got to the spot I wanted the bird was gone….and the light was perfect….damn! No photo but I really enjoyed the climb :) My wildlife lens is definitely going with me next time.
It is all about the tides
Something man made washed up on the hightide.
Your experience, especially with the rock pools, will vary depending on the tide. This means that every location at Butler’s has many facets to it that you can explore between low and high tides.
At low tide you can search for what has been revealed on the shoreline or isolated in the rock pools. You can watch rocks dissapear under the waves of a rising tide.
A rising tide crashing into the rocks.
You can watch and listen to the ever increasing strength of waves crash into the coastline as the rising tide fills and then in some cases covers the rock pools.
From Sunset to Sunrise
The view of sunrise from my camp site.
My time at this place was not planned. It did indeed reduce the amount of time I could spend at the Flinders Ranges but in the end was the highlight of the trip. Every day there I would be up before sunrise eating breakfast ready to explore Hillocks Drive.
My camp site at sunset.
During the day I might drop back into my campsite for lunch but I would soon head out again only to return to my tent when the last of the light was about to fade.
Experiencing nature fist thing in the morning.
If you want to experience the elements and nature as I do, then this is a great place to camp. BTW the above photo highlights why regardless of how smelly my riding boots get I do not leave them outside my tent overnight.
I am not into fishing but if you are then I think this is a great spot to visit. From what I saw people catch, what was swimming in the rock pools and lying on the shore, I think there is lot to keep your lines tight if that is your thing.
Just what you need and nothing more….the perfect balance.
Having access to the water shown above everyday was a God send. The shelter shed was great to get out of the sun. Off in the background is the toilet which did it’s job.
I will return to this wonderful place. A big thanks to the wonderful staff at Butler’s Beach there that did everything to make my stay enjoyable….they even helped with a replacement for a lost bolt on my motorbike.
