Second Beach was our first 4WD beach drive on the Yorke Peninsula, a few minutes south of Port Victoria on the second morning. Tyres down at the track, onto the white sand, and we had turquoise water and an empty beach for a swim and lunch under the awning. It’s the thing the peninsula does best, and it’s free.
What we like
- Drive onto white sand for free
- Turquoise water for a swim
- Empty beach, even at Christmas
- Minutes from Port Victoria
- Air refills at the foreshore kiosk
What we don’t
- No camping since February 2025
- No facilities on the beach
- Soft sand at the entrance
About Second BeachAbout
Second Beach is a stretch of Wauraltee Beach on the west coast of the peninsula, just south of Port Victoria. The coast road runs behind the dunes, and a signed access track drops through them to the sand, where you can drive along the beach with the water on one side and the dunes on the other. Keep off the dunes, which are fenced for revegetation, and watch your speed: it’s 40 km/h on the beach and 25 km/h within 50 metres of anyone. Since 3 February 2025 overnight camping and large camping vehicles aren’t allowed anywhere on Wauraltee Beach, Second Beach included, so it’s a day beach now, and a good one.
Quick facts
- AddressSecond Beach, Wauraltee Beach, Yorke Peninsula, SA, AustraliaSee on the trip map →
- Phone receptionPatchy
- FacilitiesBeach AccessFishingParkingNo ToiletsNo Drinking WaterNo CampingNo Shade
- Good to know4WD only, tyres down40 km/h on the sand, 25 near peopleNo camping since 2025
- FeesFree
- 9.5/10Overall rated
Getting There
From Port Victoria, take the coast road south and turn off at the Second Beach sign. The track runs down through the dunes to the beach, and the soft sand at the top is where you want your tyres already down. Below the tide line the sand firms up and the driving is easy. When you’re done, the Port Victoria foreshore kiosk has air refills to pump back up for the road.
On the BeachOn the beach
We drove along the firm sand near the water until we had the beach to ourselves, which didn’t take long, and parked with the awning facing the sea. The water goes from clear to turquoise a few steps out and the sand is white and soft, and between Christmas and New Year there was hardly anyone else on it. We swam, had lunch under the awning, and put the solar panel on the bonnet to top up the batteries while we did.
Things to Do NearbyThings to do
Port Victoria, minutes north, has the hotel, the jetty and the foreshore kiosk with air refills, and the Walk the Yorke board for the section to Balgowan. The Bamboos is the nearest council camp up the coast, and Watsacowie Brewing Company in Minlaton is where we went for a paddle after the beach. The rest of the leg is in our Yorke Peninsula guide.
Summary
Drop your tyres, drive onto the white sand, swim, have lunch and charge the batteries, then pump back up in Port Victoria. It’s a free beach day with the car beside you, a day trip only since 2025, so keep to the speed limits and off the dunes.
This is what the Yorke Peninsula does best: a sandy track off the road, tyres down, and you’re on a white beach beside turquoise water with hardly anyone else on it.
We swam, put the awning out for lunch and charged the batteries off the bonnet. Overnight camping ended here in 2025, so it’s a day trip now, and a great one.
- 4WD tourers
- Families
- Anglers
Yes. It’s free, it’s minutes from Port Victoria, and a beach day with the car on the sand is the best thing the peninsula offers.
Recommended Gear for Second Beach
A tyre deflator gets you onto the sand and a compressor gets you home if the kiosk is closed. Our Kings 270 Tourer awning was the only shade on the beach, and the Kings 160W solar panel on the bonnet kept the fridge going through lunch.
