Rapid Bay Camping is the ideal spot to enjoy the seaside, with some incredible beach views and all for an affordable price. The campsite is very popular as it offers its guests electric barbecues, toilet facilities, a childrens playground and plenty of grassy areas. The campsite is right beside Rapid Bay Beach, where you’ll be able to enjoy the sound of the ocean and views of the surrounding hills. Rapid Bay camping was definitely one of our favourite Fleurieu Peninsula camping spots.

How to get to Rapid Bay, Fleurieu Peninsula

Rapid Bay is on the Fleurieu Peninsula and is easily accessible from Adelaide. It’s a 1 hour and 30 minute drive from Adelaide CBD. Unfortunately there are no public transport options available so you’ll have to make your own way. The campsite is located right on Rapid Bay Beach and is surrounded by the massive valleys.

Rapid Bay Camping

Prices per night for Rapid Bay campsite are adults $9 and children $4.50 as of 2019.

You can’t book prior, so it’s first come first served. Rapid Bay is a very popular camping spot during holidays and long weekends, so be sure to get there early to secure a good spot! Rapid Bay camping offers a large grassy area and additional gravel sites closer towards the beach. However, all sites at the campground are non-powered. There are toilet facilities, electric barbecues and even a children’s playground.

Occasionally, there will be a small stall and food truck selling hot food like pizza, hotdogs and donuts. The closest general store is at Delamere which is roughly 12 minutes away. They only sell basic supplies, so if you need a bigger shop, you can head to the supermarket which is located in Normanville. Normanville is the closest town that has restaurants, fuel and a supermarket.

Rapid Bay campsite doesn’t have any hot showers and fires are prohibited all year round. There are taps around the campsite that provide water to cook with or wash dishes. There is a no drinking sign on the tap, although we spoke to the rangers and they told us it was fine to drink the water even without boiling. We saw them drinking out of the tap, so we did the same and we didn’t have any issues.

What to Expect at Rapid Bay

Rapid Bay is a beautiful beach located between the surrounding farmland valleys. There are plenty of things to explore at Rapid Bay. For those that love diving or snorkelling, Rapid Bay is paradise, with plenty of marine life and even shipwrecks. If you’re lucky enough, you might even spot the famous Leafy Sea Dragon which is unique to the Australia’s southern coastline.

Fishing in the area is also quite popular so you’ll often find the jetty full of fishermen. The water at Rapid Bay is usually calm and is an incredible blue colour. Additionally, if you’re visiting in the winter and it’s too cold to get in the water, there is a large cave to explore. The cave is located to the right of the beach and provides a great view looking back towards Rapid Bay and the campsite.

Hiding amongst the massive black coastline is a tiny paradise that not many others know about. If you continue along the rocky coastline next to the cave, you’ll eventually reach a small beach. If you look up, you’ll see nothing but the massive cliffs towering over you. This secluded spot was incredible and is the perfect place to get away from the crowds.

Rapid Bay was one of our favourite beaches along the Fleurieu Peninsula and also one of our favourite camping spots. There was so much to see and explore in the area that we ended up staying for 5 days. If you’re looking to explore some other areas, we definitely recommend checking out Second Valley which isn’t too far away. Blowhole Beach is another great adventure for those that are confident enough to take their off-road skills to the test or don’t mind hiking long distances.