Granite Island Walking Tour

The Department for Environment and Water and Sculpture Encounters partners recognise Ngarrindjeri as the Traditional Owners of Granite Island and we pay our respect to Ngarrindjeri Elders and leaders past, present and future.

Granite Island is a place of natural beauty and local significance, particularly to the Ngarrindjeri people. For generations, South Australians have ridden a horse-drawn tram over the wooden causeway connecting the mainland to Granite Island, to enjoy the scenery, watch the little penguins or scan the waves for whales close to shore. This natural granite wonder, orange-imbued by lichen, remains a hugely popular site for local residents and tourists alike.

The Department for Environment and Water has responsibility for the recreation park over on the island, and for the Encounter Marine Park surrounding it. Stretching from the base of the Fleurieu Peninsula to the north-eastern coast of Kangaroo Island and the Coorong, Encounter Marine Park offers some of Australia's best preserved ocean wilderness.

Sculpture Encounters – Granite Island is a partnership between the State Government and Sculpture by the Sea Incorporated, the not-for-profit arts organisation that stages the acclaimed Bondi and Cottesloe Sculpture by the Sea annual outdoor sculpture exhibitions. Numerous sculptures have already been installed across the island in the first year of a three-year pilot program. Twice a year another four to five sculptures will be installed on Granite Island. Artworks are chosen by a curatorial panel, with the first artists coming from South Australia, Western Australia, New South Wales, Japan, USA, Slovakia, Denmark, and China. This public art project is free to view and all the permanent works are available for sale.

On the northern shores of Granite Island you will find Oceanic Victor, with a marine tourism facility offshore and a kiosk onshore providing coffee and other refreshments. Oceanic Victor provides an opportunity for visitors to have an up-close encounter with the marine life in the water, swimming with and feeding the array of fish. The onshore facility also provides educational opportunities for locals and tourists to learn about the marine park, and the local ocean life, including the iconic little penguins.

The Department for Environment and Water acknowledges and appreciates the support of the City of Victor Harbor and the local community who work with the Department to help maintain the Island and the Sculpture Encounters trail.