Venturing out to Venus Bay, South Australia & Talia Caves
I know in the photos, it looks like we went to Venus Bay on a bright, sunny day, it was actually really cold and windy. For me to even contemplate getting into water, it has to be peak summer weather—like over 35 degrees. So there was absolutely no swimming for me that day. However, I did have a wonderful time soaking in the gorgeous ocean views. The vibrant turquoise colour of the water was mesmerising. I feel like my photos haven’t quite captured how stunning it was in person!
About Venus Bay in South Australia
The jetty and main town area of Venus Bay sits on a gorgeous, calm bay. In contrast, if you walk along the South Head Walking Trail or visit the Needle Eye Lookout, you can view a more dramatic coastline with tall, rugged cliffs and rough seas.
The town of Venus Bay, from what we saw, doesn’t offer much beyond the caravan park and the general store, which also happens to serve as a cafe, petrol station and bottle-o. If you’re planning to stay for a little while, I would suggest bringing enough supplies for the length of your stay.
The location is a popular fishing destination because of the abundance of fish readily available. Commercial fishing is one of the main drivers for the local economy, as well as tourism. I highly recommend sampling the seafood from Venus Bay, there’s nothing like fresh and locally caught. I can vouch for Venus Bay prawns being juicy and flavourful, I tasted some at the Elliston Hotel and they were delicious.
Where is Venus Bay & how to get there
The extremely small seaside town of Venus Bay in South Australia is situated on the top left coast of the Eyre Peninsula. From Elliston, it’s about a 40-minute drive north. From Streaky Bay, it’s about a 50-minute drive south.
If you’re travelling from Adelaide, you’re looking at just over a 7-hour drive. Alternatively, you could take a 1.5-hour flight with Rex from Adelaide to Ceduna. From Ceduna, you can hire a car and drive south a couple of hours to Venus Bay.
The best time to visit Venus Bay
Being a coastal town, the best time to visit Venus Bay is during the summer months. This way, you can take full advantage of the beach and ocean activities. However, it’s worth noting that this will also be peak tourist season, and the population can jump.
There’s only one caravan park in Venus Bay, and it may pay to book your accommodation in advance. During shoulder months like November and March, the weather can still be quite pleasant, and you’ll benefit from fewer crowds.
Considering how hit-and-miss the weather was in the Eyre Peninsula during our entire stay from late October to early January, we surprisingly had decent weather for our day trip to Venus Bay, around mid-November. It got fairly warm!
Where to eat in Venus Bay
Venus Bay Licensed General Store
Venus Bay Dog-friendly Cafe
The Venus Bay Licensed General Store is located opposite the caravan park and jetty area. It’s basically the one place that services the whole town and functions as a general store, cafe, petrol station and bottle-o.
From memory, the cafe offers a pretty broad menu with multiple whiteboards at the counter. As expected, they specialise in seafood dishes using the local catch, ranging from fresh prawns to the classic fish and chips. If seafood isn’t your thing, they also provide other meals like beef burgers, chicken schnitzels and more.
The disappointing thing about this place was that their undercover deck area was not dog-friendly. Your only option is to sit at one of the few outdoor tables at the front of the cafe along the pavement with little to no shade. Luckily, it wasn’t too crowded when we visited, and we were able to sit under the only table with an umbrella.
For lunch, I opted for a fish burger with chips and found the portion size to be quite generous. I tend to prefer fish burgers over fish and chips as they usually feel fresher with the salad and less oily with the bread. The battered fish, ‘flake’, had a flaky, soft texture and tasted fresh without being overly fishy. The chips were well-seasoned and crispy, making it an enjoyable meal overall.
Scenic Lookouts & Walking Trails in Venus Bay
Needle Eye Lookout
Venus Bay Dog-friendly Scenic Lookout
Needle Eye Lookout is located less than a kilometre away from the jetty, if you head south along Bay Road. It offers a different outlook from the protected bay area, allowing you to view a dramatic coastline of tall, rugged cliffs and rough seas.
South Head Walking Trail
Venus Bay Dog-friendly Walking Trail
This dog-friendly headland trail at South Head offers a cliffside walk with gorgeous scenery. It’s approximately a 2.3-kilometre loop and I would say it’s moderately challenging. While there are no steep ascents, the trail can be quite rocky and rough at times.
It also takes you extremely close to the cliff’s edge, so if you’re not good with heights, it might not be the best option. However, the trail does provide amazing views of Venus Bay’s rugged coastline and wild ocean outside of the protected bay.
According to the Elliston council website, the South Head Walking Trail is a great viewing spot for whales, dolphins, and Australian sea lions. You may be able to spot one or more of these beautiful creatures near the bay’s entrance, with better chances from May to October. We didn’t see any 🙁
We started the walk from the trailhead on the corner of Weyland Drive and Matson Terrace. Although we walked from the jetty, there’s a carpark at the trailhead. Alternatively, you can start at the other end, where there’s a carpark at the corner of Weyland Drive and Ocean View Road. We walked along the streets to get back.
I don’t recall any trail markers along the walk, just the map at the trailhead. For the most part, it’s pretty obvious where to go, although towards the tip of the headland, there were sections that were less clear, and we had to hunt around a bit.
As mentioned, the walk is dog-friendly and you can actually do the trail with your dog off leash.
A little tip
This was a great walk to do with the puppers. If you decide to do this walk, I would suggest:
- Plenty of sunscreen and protective clothing, as there’s no shade along the trail and the vegetation is mostly low-lying shrubs and bushes. On a side note, it might be a lovelier walk to do in springtime when the wildflowers are in bloom.
- Lots of water to stay hydrated, especially since it can get hot and sweaty walking in full sun.
- Wear long pants to protect against overgrown and scratchy bushes and shrubs in some parts of the trail that are narrow.
- Sturdy footwear, as some sections of the trail can be rough and rocky.
- Insect repellent, for flies. It was windy when we went but I can imagine they’d be out in force on a still day.
Where to stay in Venus Bay
Coffin Bay Dog-friendly Caravan Park
If you’re travelling with a dog in a caravan and looking to stop overnight or more, the only caravan park available in the area is the Venus Bay Beachfront Tourist Park. They do allow dogs on sites but the manager’s approval must be sought at the time of booking. It seems that they may not allow larger breeds or any dogs at all during peak periods.
It’s worth noting that we stayed in Elliston, so I can’t offer any personal opinions or experiences with this particular caravan park.
Visiting nearby Talia Caves
Eyre Peninsula Dog-friendly Natural Attractions
On the way back to Elliston, we stopped by Talia Caves where you can visit:
- The Woolshed (cave)
- The Tub (formerly a cave)
- Monument Lookout and Talia Beach.
Talia Caves is about a 20-minute drive south from Venus Bay and about a 35-minute drive north from Elliston, where we stayed. Once you turn off Flinders Highway, it’s about a 6-kilometre drive to Woolshed Cave along an unsealed road that’s fairly corrugated. If you’re planning to take your caravan with you, it’s something to bear in mind.
The great thing about Talia Caves is that dogs are allowed as long as they are leashed. Plus, it’s absolutely free to view these attractions.
The Woolshed
This is a highly popular tourist spot, and just before we visited, I kept seeing The Woolshed Cave constantly on my feed. It’s definitely an Instagrammable attraction.
The carpark to the cave is at the top of the cliff, and there’s a long set of stairs that wind down to the bottom. I thought the coastal scenery was amazing. We went when the tide was low, but it might be more epic when it’s higher and the water channel to the cave is more filled.
It was quite a fun place to explore with all the large granite boulders, interesting rock formations, crevasses, little rock pools, and large cavern. You can walk right into the cave, but the sides are steeply sloped, sandy, and a bit slippery with just thongs.
The Tub
A bit further down from The Woolshed Cave is The Tub, named because of its bowl shape. Over time, the thinner roof of the cave eroded and eventually collapsed. I saw a video of a guy walking inside The Tub; he climbed down the side of the wall using a branch. We’re not that adventurous!
We did walk past The Tub and down towards the red rocky shoreline, which kind of felt like an alien landscape. It was fun to watch the rough waves crash onto the rocks.
Monument Lookout & Talia Beach
After The Tub, you can drive further down the unsealed road and check out Monument Lookout. There’s a monument to commemorate a sister who lost her life when the cliff edge collapsed under her. The spot overlooks Talia Beach and offers fantastic coastline and ocean views. We didn’t go to Talia Beach, but it did seem like a beautiful long beach with white sand.
And that’s a wrap!
I hope you’ve enjoyed exploring the tranquil holiday destination of Venus Bay through this journal entry. It’s definitely worth a stop if you’re travelling through the Eyre Peninsula.
Have you been to any of these places before? Please feel free to share your experiences in the comments or pop in any questions you might have; I’d love to hear from you.
Safe travels and happy exploring! Thanks for joining me, hope to see you again!
Sheryl
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