Hills and Lake Tourist Drive
Distance: 102km
Time: allow 3 hours
Starting in Strathalbyn take a journey through farmland and vineyards to Lake Alexandrina – a bird watcher’s and boaties paradise.
Pick up a copy of the Alexandrina Bird Trail at the Strathalbyn Visitor Centre or down load it here.
Then travel through to the beautiful gum tree studded hills around Ashbourne and back to Strathalbyn.
Petrol is available in Strathalbyn, Langhorne Creek and Milang.
Start your journey at the Strathalbyn Railway Station, follow the brown Tourist Drive 55 signs.
Leaving the station, turn right following the road over the railway line, right into Wellington Road to Langhorne Creek.
Through town is the old Bleasdale Winery, with its impressive red gum wine press. Book a behind the scenes tour to find out about the history of winemaking in the Langhorne Creek area.
Continue along Lake Plains Road to Milang. At the end of the road, a beautiful view of Lake Alexandrina awaits you, this is Australia’s largest fresh water lake.
Bird watchers note the abundant wildlife in the marshlands adjacent to the roadway.
Turn right towards the town of Milang, once a thriving river port established in the 1850’s. The Milang shacks on the foreshore are popular with photographers and the Milang Railway museum is home to a train driving simulator (one of only 7 in the world).
Foreshore Reserve on Woodrow Drive or Soldiers Memorial Gardens are a lovely place for a picnic or barbeque.
Follow Daranda Terrace towards Clayton Bay along the shores of Lake Alexandrina.
Clayton Bay foreshore offers good picnic spots and fishing from the jetty can be rewarding. Or you might prefer to enjoy a glass of wine and a bite to eat on the deck at Sails at Clayton Bay Cafe.
Follow Island View Drive through Clayton Bay towards Finniss. Turn left onto the Finniss - Clayton Bay Road.
In the Finniss area there are many trees known as ‘Canoe Trees’, so called because of the scarring caused from local Ngarrindjeri aboriginal people removing bark sheets to make rafts for fishing and transport in the shallow lagoons of the nearby waterways. The Finniss wetlands are popular with photographers and bird watchers.
Turn left on to Winery Road; Caution is needed on this road after rain as there are 2 fords that cross Winery Road.
You will pass One Paddock Currency Creek Winery, a popular cellar door in winter with the open fire place and platters, travel to the end of Winery Road and turn right. You are now on Alexandrina Road, heading towards Strathalbyn.
Drive 7km turning left into Bull Creek Road. This tree lined road will take you through lush farmland to Ashbourne.
On the way you will pass Cox Scrub Conservation Park - popular for bushwalkers and bird watchers. Two walking trail loops are accessible from Bull Creek Road.
Look out for the historic bridges over the Finniss River and Bull Creek. Both Bridges were built in 1866.
Once in Ashbourne take the first turn right, this is a beautiful drive through hilly country with a lookout on the hills overlooking Strathalbyn.
Take in the panorama of the area with views out to the sand dunes of the Coorong National Park. Once in Strathalbyn turn right onto West Terrace then left at the roundabout. This will take you back to the Railway Station.
Download a pdf of Tourist Drive Route 55 here.
Would you like to stay longer? Call into the Strathalbyn Visitor Information Centre for more information or to find accommodation or alternatively you can search our website for available accommodation.