A simple trailhead marker at Cape Jervis is the only fanfare awaiting walkers who complete South Australia's Heysen Trail — but after 1,200 kilometres on foot, that's apparently enough. A recent account of the route's final three days, from Victor Harbor to Cape Jervis, shows what hikers can expect from the last stretch of one of Australia's great long-distance walks.
The finale begins in Victor Harbor, a tidy coastal town where the trail hugs Encounter Bay — named for the 1802 meeting of British and French surveying expeditions, who crossed paths mid-war and chose friendliness over cannon fire. The area also carries deep significance for the Ramindjeri and Ngarrindjeri people, with whales (kondoli) holding particular importance, and there are relics of old whaling operations and mining scattered along the way.
Day one is a short 16km hop along the coast into Newland Head Conservation Park, where granite cliffs, wildflowers and blue water make for the trail's most photogenic stretch. Weather turns quickly here — the author got caught twice in a single afternoon and camped under a shelter at Natunyuru Ngawanthi, improvising a tent pitch between two picnic tables.
The middle day packs in two beach walks near Tunkalilla, rolling green hills, and one genuinely nasty descent: roughly 75 metres of near-vertical dirt so polished it's compared to ice. There's a chain for handholds, but the author sidestepped onto the grass and switchbacked down instead — sensible advice for anyone not keen on ending a six-week trip early. Wildlife sightings pile up: kangaroos lounging on hillsides, two echidnas, and a shingleback lizard nearly trodden on near Deep Creek National Park.
The final day covers 29km, partly on a rerouted Deep Creek Circuit (the original section remains closed after fire damage) with creek crossings, waterfalls and steep slick drops, before a storm chases the hiker for the last 13 kilometres. The finish at Cape Jervis is understated — no signs, no crowds — followed by a lighthouse visit and a celebratory ice cream at the caravan park.
For travellers, the Heysen's final section is a good stand-alone option: coastal scenery, real wildlife, free shelter campsites, and a finish point with ferry connections to Kangaroo Island. The trail is maintained by volunteers with the Friends of the Heysen Trail, and dedicated hiker campsites along this stretch make logistics simpler than on many long routes.
