Stenhouse Bay Jetty

Stenhouse Bay Jetty is the southernmost jetty on Yorke Peninsula, a pier the official guide puts at 290 metres though mapped survey makes the standing structure nearer 220, at the bottom of a gypsum-mining ghost town inside Dhilba Guuranda-Innes National Park. It was off limits to the public while the mine ran; when the mine closed the pier was upgraded and set aside for visiting anglers, which is a better origin story than most jetties can manage. It was built in the 1910s to load gypsum railed down from Inneston, and took over the trade from Marion Bay in 1930. The fishing runs counter to the rest of the state, with the official guide rating autumn and winter as probably the best seasons here, because the prevailing winds in those months blow offshore and the water can stay calm for long stretches. Big tommy ruff come from dusk to dawn in exactly those months, mullet work the shallows, and snook come off the deeper water at the end. It is also a genuine big-shark platform for anyone with the gear for it. There are no lights on the jetty, and a park entry fee applies before you drive in.

The core session is tommies from dusk into the dark, which is when the big autumn and winter fish feed. Float-fished baits over a steady berley trail cover them and the mullet working the shallows closer in. Snook come from the deeper water off the end and take small lures or fish-flesh baits on gangs in the warmer months. Salmon show through the cooler half of the year, and mulloway are caught in the bay for anyone prepared to fish a big tide at night with serious bait. Bottom-baiting the end of the jetty is a mug's game because the rays get there first, which the official guide states outright and which was true even before snapper closed. Sharks are the jetty's other identity and they are a heavy-gear proposition: know what you have before you gaff it, because a long list of shark species is fully protected in South Australia and every shark, ray and skate counts against one combined bag limit. Set lines are illegal statewide, so a shark session here is a rod-and-reel job.

Tommy ruff are the reliable fish, with a bag of 40 and no minimum size, and the big ones come in autumn and winter between dusk and dawn. Mullet are 21 cm with a Gulf St Vincent bag of 30, and salmon are 21 cm with 20 for fish of 21 to 35 cm and 10 above that. Snook are 45 cm with a halved bag of 10 on this side of the zone line, and mulloway are 82 cm with a bag of 2. Stenhouse Bay sits south of the 35°S parallel in the Gulf St Vincent and Kangaroo Island zone, so both southern calamari and garfish are closed here with no end date published, and King George whiting carry the halved bag of 5 at 32 cm. For shark anglers the limits are tight and combined: gummy shark 45 cm with a bag of 1, bronze and dusky whalers 1, school shark 1 and broadnose sevengill 1, all counting against a single limit across every shark, ray and skate — so one gummy plus one fiddler ray is already over. Snapper are closed until at least 30 June 2027, which retires the old trick of setting a bait off the end for one. These waters sit inside the mapped King George whiting spawning closure, which is not in force today and next runs 1 March to 30 June 2027.

Come in autumn or winter. This is the rare South Australian jetty where the cold months are the good ones, because that is when the wind blows off the land and the water settles. Take a lantern and a headlamp, because there are no lights on the deck and the best tommy fishing runs from dusk to dawn. Pack light: the walk from the carpark is long enough that carrying a mountain of tackle is a decision you will regret halfway out. Sort the park entry fee before you leave, and check Parks SA for current fees, bookings and alerts. Fish from the deck and leave the water south and west of it alone, because the sanctuary zone's northern edge runs about 320 metres due south of the jetty and everything inside it is no-take, Chinamans Hat included, while the zone's one shore-based line-fishing strip is a separate special purpose area about 2 km west along the coast — carry the Department for Environment and Water zoning map before working the shore or a kayak. Statewide gear rules apply to the shark fishing — no wire trace of 2 mm gauge or heavier together with hooks of 12/0 or bigger — and this deck sits inside a national park rather than under a council, so obey whatever is signposted on the day.

The jetty sits inside Dhilba Guuranda-Innes National Park, so a vehicle entry fee applies and must be paid before you enter; check Parks SA for current fees and to book camping. There is a carpark at the jetty with a reasonable walk out to the deck, and the 2 km Stenhouse Bay Lookout Walk starts from the same carpark and runs the clifftops past interpretive lookouts over Investigator Strait. The Thomson-Pfitzner Plaster Trail Hike, 7.6 km return, follows the old wooden railway line down from Inneston. Stenhouse Bay Campground, the park entry station and the old hall are all in the immediate area. There are no lights, no shop and no fuel at the jetty, and Marion Bay is about 8 km north-east for the tavern, motel and store. Adelaide is about 292 km away; no accessibility information has been published and the walk from the carpark is the limiting factor.

The jetty faces south-east into Investigator Strait, which is open ocean rather than gulf water. Autumn and winter are the best seasons here specifically because the prevailing winds in those months are offshore and the water can stay calm for extended periods — the opposite of most gulf jetties, and the single most useful thing to know about the place. Summer south-easterlies put sea straight into the bay and make the deck unpleasant. Rays are abundant on the bottom in any conditions, which shapes what is worth fishing for. The park closes on days of Catastrophic Fire Danger, and there is a current park-wide alert for higher-than-normal feral bee activity. The sanctuary line is far closer than most people expect. The northern edge of Southern Spencer Gulf Marine Park Sanctuary Zone 1 runs about 320 metres due south of the jetty, its north-western corner falling on the jetty's own longitude. Everything inside that zone is no-take, and its one shore-based line-fishing strip is a separate special purpose area about 2 km west along the coast, so the deck is fishable and the water south of it is not.

There are no lights on this jetty at all, which matters more than usual because the fishing it is known for happens between dusk and dawn — a lantern and a headlamp are the minimum. The walk from the carpark is long enough that overloading yourself with tackle is its own hazard on the way back. The deck is exposed to Investigator Strait weather and there is nothing between you and the ocean end of the peninsula. Abundant rays take bottom baits, and the shark fishing here is real enough that anyone landing one needs to know the protected list before handling it. The park closes on Catastrophic Fire Danger days and there is a current feral bee alert park-wide. Nothing found dead in the water or on the shore should be eaten, and brevetoxin has made self-collected bivalves bait-only statewide since 16 April 2026.

Tommy ruff are the regular catch and the big ones come in autumn and winter between dusk and dawn, with mullet in the shallows, snook off the deeper end, salmon through the cooler months and mulloway in the bay. It is also a well-known big-shark platform. Southern calamari and garfish are both closed in this zone.

No. Two official sources say so plainly, and the jetty's best fishing runs from dusk to dawn, so a good lantern is core kit rather than a precaution. Pack a headlamp for the walk back to the carpark as well.

Autumn and winter, which is the reverse of most South Australian jetties. The prevailing winds in those months blow offshore here, so the water can stay calm for extended periods, and that is also when the big tommies are about.

Yes. The jetty is inside Dhilba Guuranda-Innes National Park, so a vehicle entry fee applies and must be paid before you enter. Check Parks SA for the current fees, camping bookings and any park alerts.

Yes, and it starts about 320 metres due south of the jetty. The northern edge of Southern Spencer Gulf Marine Park Sanctuary Zone 1 runs along a line about 320 metres due south of the deck, its north-western corner on the jetty's own longitude. Everything inside that zone is no-take, Chinamans Hat Island included, and its one exception is a special purpose area about 2 km west along the coast where shore-based line fishing off the beach is allowed. Fishing from the jetty is legal and the bay to the north is a habitat protection zone, but carry the Department for Environment and Water zoning map before fishing along the shore or paddling south.

Yes, and it has a real reputation for it, but the rules are tight. Every shark, ray and skate counts against one combined bag limit, and a single gummy, whaler, school shark or sevengill fills it in this zone. A long list of shark species is fully protected and must be released, set lines are illegal statewide, and you may not use a wire trace of 2 mm gauge or greater with hooks of 12/0 or greater.