Gym Beach Hike

Moderate

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A 9.8km return, moderate walk connecting Browns Beach and Gym Beach through coastal heath and dunes, with a chance of spotting native orchids and birdlife along the way.

☰ Trail details

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Distance

11.64 km

Est. time

2 hr 56 min

Elevation gain

61 m

Route type

Out & back

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In an emergency

Call 000 for police, fire or ambulance — Australia's emergency number works even with a weak signal, and without a SIM if any carrier has coverage.

You're in Dhilba Guuranda-Innes National Park, Marion Bay, Yorke Peninsula, SA. Mobile reception in this area is not guaranteed — this is exactly why the offline map and GPS position on this page work without signal.

Tell someone your plan and expected return time before you set off. A PLB is the most reliable backup where there's no reception at all.

Tracks & plans

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Species to look for on this trail

Ancient trees and rare flora confirmed in this park. Spot one? Add it as a sighting pin below.

Dune Helmet-OrchidDocumented on this trail

Corybas expansus

Vulnerable — SA: Vulnerable▾

Vulnerable — SA: Vulnerable

Corybas expansus, commonly known as the flared helmet orchid or dune helmet orchid is a species of terrestrial orchid that is endemic to South Australia. It has a heart-shaped to more or less round leaf and a single purplish flower with greenish or transparent areas.

How to spot it

Corybas expansus is a terrestrial, perennial, deciduous, herb which forms small colonies. It has a broad heart-shaped or almost round leaf 15–30 mm (0.6–1 in) long and 18–30 mm (0.7–1 in) wide. The leaf is bright green on the upper surface and silvery green on the lower side. The single flower is erect, reddish purple with greenish or translucent areas, 12–15 mm (0.5–0.6 in) long and 11–13 mm (0.4–0.5 in) wide. The dorsal sepal is mostly transparent green, 12–16 mm (0.5–0.6 in) long and 5–7 mm (

Family Orchidaceae · Source: Atlas of Living Australia + Wikipedia: Corybas expansus

Winter SpiderorchidDocumented on this trail

Caladenia brumalis

Vulnerable — AUS: Vulnerable, SA: Vulnerable▾

Vulnerable — AUS: Vulnerable, SA: Vulnerable

Caladenia brumalis, commonly known as winter spider orchid, is a species of flowering plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to South Australia. It has an erect, hairy leaf and usually a single white to pinkish flower with darker markings. It is only found in a few places due to habitat loss and is considered to be vulnerable.

How to spot it

Caladenia brumalis is a terrestrial, perennial, deciduous, herb with an underground tuber and a single erect, hairy, lance-shaped leaf, 4–8 cm (2–3 in) long and 9–11 mm (0.35–0.43 in) wide. There is usually only a single white to pinkish flower with darker stripes, on a stem 12–20 cm (5–8 in) high. The flowers are about 7 cm (3 in) wide. The dorsal sepal is lance-shaped near the base and 5–7.5 cm (2–3 in) long, 3–4 mm (0.1–0.2 in) wide near the base but narrows to a thread-like tip covered with

Family Orchidaceae · Source: Atlas of Living Australia + Wikipedia: Caladenia brumalis

Wildlife you might see on this trail

Animals confirmed in this park. Spot one? Add it as a sighting pin below.

Eastern Osprey

Pandion cristatus

Endangered — NSW: Vulnerable, SA: Endangered▾

Endangered — NSW: Vulnerable, SA: Endangered

The eastern osprey is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey. They live in Oceania at coastal regions of the Australian continent, the Indonesian islands, New Guinea, and the Philippines. It is usually sedentary and pairs breed at the same nest site, building up a substantial structure on dead trees or limbs. The subspecies resides in a habitat close to coasts and estuaries that provide opportunities for fishing.

How to spot it

Real occurrence confirmed near Dhilba Guuranda-Innes National Park (Atlas of Living Australia, date unrecorded) — no separate physical description was available on Wikipedia for this species, see the source link for more.

Family Accipitridae · Source: Atlas of Living Australia + Wikipedia: Eastern Osprey

Bush Stone-Curlew

Burhinus grallarius

Critically Endangered — NSW: Endangered, VIC: Critically Endangered, SA: Rare▾

Critically Endangered — NSW: Endangered, VIC: Critically Endangered, SA: Rare

The bush stone-curlew or bush thick-knee is a large, ground-dwelling bird endemic to Australia. Its favoured habitat is open plains and woodlands, where it stalks slowly at night in search of invertebrates such as insects. Its grey-brown coloration is distinguished by dark streaks, its eyes are large and legs are long. It is capable of flight, but relies on the camouflage of its plumage to evade detection during the day; the bush curlew adopts a rigid posture when it becomes aware of an observer. Both sexes care for two eggs laid on the bare ground, usually sited near bush in a shaded position or next to a fallen branch.

How to spot it

Real occurrence confirmed near Dhilba Guuranda-Innes National Park (Atlas of Living Australia, 2009) — no separate physical description was available on Wikipedia for this species, see the source link for more.

Family Burhinidae · Source: Atlas of Living Australia + Wikipedia: Bush Stone-Curlew

Malleefowl

Leipoa ocellata

IUCN Vulnerable▾

IUCN Vulnerable

The malleefowl is a stocky, chicken-sized ground bird found in the semi-arid mallee scrub of southern Australia. Uniquely among Australian birds it builds and tends a huge incubation mound of sand and leaf litter, using its bill to test and regulate the mound's temperature, then leaves the chicks to fend for themselves entirely from the moment they hatch.

How to spot it

Chicken-sized with intricately mottled grey, black, brown and white plumage that gives near-perfect camouflage in leaf litter — you're far more likely to spot the enormous nesting mound (up to several metres wide) than the shy, solitary bird itself. It rarely flies, instead walking quietly away or freezing when disturbed; best chance of a sighting is at dawn or dusk near an active mound in mallee scrub.

Family Megapodiidae · Source: Wikipedia; IUCN Red List

Photo: JJ Harrison (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Wikimedia Commons