Hindmarsh Falls

Fleurieu Peninsula / Hindmarsh Valley, South Australia, Australia

About Hindmarsh Falls


Hiking Distance: 500m round trip
Suggested Time: 10-15 minutes

Date first visited: 2006-11-21
Date last visited: 2017-11-13

Waterfall Latitude: -35.44285
Waterfall Longitude: 138.58379

Waterfall Safety and Common Sense

Hindmarsh Falls was an attractive series of cascades and pools before culminating in a 20-25m drop easily viewable from a lookout at the end of a short track.

As you can see from the photo below, there was a bit of colour to this falls thanks to the underlying algae providing some greens and yellows to the scene.

Hindmarsh_Falls_018_11132017 - Hindmarsh Falls
Hindmarsh Falls

In fact, of all the waterfalls we’ve seen in the state of South Australia, Julie was partial to this one based on the colour alone.

Of course, that colour wasn’t present on our first visit back in November 2006 when it was one of the casualties of the severe drought that gripped much of the southeasern sections of the country for the better part of the decade.

Walking to Hindmarsh Falls

From the car park (see directions below), we followed a well-developed concrete path descending for about 250m or so eventually terminating at an overlook with a direct top down view of the Hindmarsh Falls.

It appeared that the track used to continue beyond the barricades such that the base of the falls would have been accessible.

Hindmarsh_Falls_006_11132017 - The short track was mostly downhill on the way to the Hindmarsh Falls Overlook
The short track was mostly downhill on the way to the Hindmarsh Falls Overlook

But I suspect that for reasons of erosion and the subsequent exposure to dropoffs (in addition to letting the area re-vegetate and stabilize), they’ve closed off that access over the years.

I recalled that it was even closed during our first visit.

Nevertheless, our excursion only took around 10-15 minutes so it was a good place to stretch out and enjoy the scenery whilst making the drive between Adelaide and Victor Harbor.

Authorities

Hindmarsh Falls resides in City of Victor Harbor, South Australia. It is administered by the City of Victor Harbor. For information or inquiries about the area as well as current conditions, visit their website.

Hindmarsh_Falls_004_11132017 - Julie starting on the short well-developed walk to the overlook of Hindmarsh Falls during our November 2017 visit
Hindmarsh_Falls_011_11132017 - The dead-end of the short track right at the overlook for Hindmarsh Falls during our November 2017 visit
Hindmarsh_Falls_021_11132017 - Checking out the colourful and attractive Hindmarsh Falls from the overlook just as the sun was hiding behind clouds during our November 2017 visit
Hindmarsh_Falls_024_11132017 - When the sun came out, so did the colours around Hindmarsh Falls during our November 2017 visit
Hindmarsh_Falls_027_11132017 - Julie making her way back to the car after having her fill of Hindmarsh Falls on our November 2017 visit
Hindmarsh_Falls_001_jx_11202006 - Sign at the car park indicating we found the right place for Hindmarsh Falls back on our November 2006 visit
Hindmarsh_Falls_003_jx_11202006 - The unsealed car park at Hindmarsh Falls during our November 2006 visit. You might be able to see from this photo that not much had changed over the years between then and our November 2017 visit
Hindmarsh_Falls_004_jx_11202006 - Starting the short walk to the overlook of Hindmarsh Falls, which was a mere 250m according to this sign that we saw on our November 2006 visit
Hindmarsh_Falls_005_jx_11202006 - Context of the Hindmarsh Falls when we first saw it from the overlook back in November 2006. As you can see it didn't flow very well due to the great drought that ravaged much of the decade from 2000 to 2009
Hindmarsh_Falls_008_jx_11202006 - Focused in on the only part of Hindmarsh Falls that was most visible to show that it wasn't totally dry back in November 2006
Hindmarsh_Falls_010_jx_11202006 - The track ends here though it looked like it used to go further. So this closure was in place even as far back as our first visit in November 2006
Hindmarsh_Falls_009_jx_11202006 - Even though Hindmarsh Falls was flowing during our November 2006 visit, it didn't flow very well due to the great drought that ravaged much of the decade from 2000 to 2009 as you can see from this contextual shot
Hindmarsh_Falls_010_jx_11202006 - The Hindmarsh Falls Track looked like it used to keep going beyond the overlook, but it was closed even back on our first time here in November 2006


The nearest town to Hindmarsh Falls was Victor Harbor so we’ll describe the driving directions from there.

From the roundabout in the heart of Victor Harbor (connecting Port Elliot Road, Hindmarsh Road, and Adelaide Road), we headed north on Adelaide Road (A13) for about 4.5km (becoming Victor Harbor Rd along the way).

Hindmarsh_Falls_001_11132017 - Parking spaces right by the trailhead for the Hindmarsh Falls
Parking spaces right by the trailhead for the Hindmarsh Falls

The road then turned left onto Hindmarsh Tiers Rd, which we then followed for about 8.5km.

Next, we turned left onto Hindmarsh Falls Rd (there was a sign pointing the way to the waterfall at this junction).

We then followed the Hindmarsh Falls Rd to its end at about 1.3km away from the junction.

The last kilometre or so was unsealed.

Hindmarsh_Falls_030_11132017 - Looking back at the unsealed spur road leading to the trailhead for Hindmarsh Falls
Looking back at the unsealed spur road leading to the trailhead for Hindmarsh Falls

Overall, it took us around 15-20 minutes to make this drive from the coastline at Victor Harbor.

For context, Victor Harbor was about 84km (over an hour drive) south of Adelaide.

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Checking out the falls from a couple of different vantage points as well as the walk between them

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Tagged with: victor harbor, victor harbour, fleurieu, south australia, australia, waterfall, adelaide, compass



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Hindmarsh Falls in full flow July 13, 2009 12:19 pm by Sue Allard - We went to Hindmarsh Falls today (13/7/09) and it was in full flow. The past couple of weeks we have had consistent rain, especially in the past 4 days which have been very heavy. The falls were raging and the power of the water was absolutely amazing to see. Highly recommend a visit as you… ...Read More

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Johnny Cheng

About Johnny Cheng

Johnny Cheng is the founder of the World of Waterfalls and author of the award-winning A Guide to New Zealand Waterfalls. Over the last 2 decades, he has visited thousands of waterfalls in over 40 countries around the world and nearly 40 states in the USA.
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