Heritage Fleurieu Coast Festival
'The Heritage Fleurieu Coast Festival is a biennial Festival conducted as part of the statewide SA History Festival. Initiated by the Yankalilla and District Historical Society in 2018, this Festival showcases the rich and diverse indigenous, natural, built and community heritage of the Western Fleurieu.
This page shares highlights, updates and additional information about selected Heritage Fleurieu Coast Festival events. For the full range of activities, download the festival program (PDF). You can also explore the virtual calico bag for self-guided ways to discover the region.
Heritage Fleurieu Coast Festival Opening weekend at Second Valley.
Join us on Saturday 2 May for the opening of the Heritage Fleurieu Coast Festival. The festival will be officially opened at 11:30 am by Mayor Darryl Houston, followed by the launch of the new local history book Old Second Valley & Wirrina, written by Jane Olsson and launched by Second Valley Progress Association President David Olsson.
Displays of historical images and information about Second Valley and Wirrina will be on show throughout the weekend.
Displays of historical images and information about Second Valley and Wirrina will be on show throughout the weekend.
Second Valley Soldiers Memorial Hall
140 Finniss Vale Drive, Second Valley
Exhibition opening times
Saturday 2 – Sunday 3 May, 11 am – 4 pm
Guided heritage walks of the well-preserved historic precinct will also be available, including the old flour mill, cottages, bridge and springs. Local guides will share stories from the early village.
Walk times:
• Saturday: 10–11 am and 2–3 pm
• Sunday: 11 am–12 noon and 2–3 pm
Heritage walk bookings required - online soon
Fleurieu Coast Visitor Centre – Your Heritage Fleurieu Coast Festival Hub
Make the Fleurieu Coast Visitor Centre your first stop during the Heritage Fleurieu Coast Festival 2026. Come and view the digital display of historical images.
As the Official festival hub, the centre will provide information, programs and booking assistance, helping visitors explore heritage sites, events and experiences across the region.
Opening hours:
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Monday - Friday 9am - 5pm
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Saturday & Sunday 10am - 2pm
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Public Holidays 10am - 4pm
Contact the Visitor Centre:
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Website: www.visitfleurieucoast.com.au
Behind the Books – Writers Speak
At the Yankalilla library each Friday in May a local history writer will speak about their books and the process that went in to creating them. What’s involved, motivation, topic selection, writing style, research, and publishing process. Followed by Q&A session and morning tea.
Sessions are 10.30am – 12.30pm
May 1 Margaret Morgan & Jane Olsson
Margaret has published over a dozen books or booklets over the past thirty two years, many, but not all, on local history. The local history books include “Christ Church Yankalilla 1857 – 2007” and the series of “Old…” books i.e. “Old Normanville”, “Old Yankalilla”, etc. But she has also written a history of the Pipes and Drums of the Royal Caledonian Society. Besides being an historian, Margaret is also a lacemaker and has published books on her chosen specialities. Jane is the author of the latest in the “Old “series “Old Second Valley and Wirrina” released this festival.
May 8 Margaret Macillwain & Lorraine Day
Who was Barker of the 39th Regiment? Find out from Margaret Macilwain who researched his past, including command of colonial garrisons, for her book Captain Collet Barker (1784-1831). In 1831, five years before Colonel William Light sailed into St Vincent Gulf, Captain Collet Barker and his men disembarked in Yankalilla Bay from the ship ‘Isabella’. They traversed River Bungala valley ‘nine or ten miles in length and three or four broad. Lagoons filled by watercourse down centre’. Their destination was the Murray Mouth which Captain Charles Sturt and his party reached the year before and where Barker perished.
Lorraine Day of Freestyle Publications offers publishing support to other writers and has published several books including the local history publications Remembering Comic Court and Bungala House: Historic country home in Yankalilla. Lorraine will talk about the basics of self-publishing, and the things you need to know to achieve a professional-looking publication.
May 15 Pat Uppill
Pat will talk about family history books she written also touching on district histories. Find out what Pat considers important in a family history. Compare research in the 1990s to now and how much easier it is. Pat will talk about the preparation of a book for publication and in particular how best to have a book ready to enter into the awards competitions that are available.
May 22 Rob Kirk & Jo Lush
Rob has two books written-Dr John Woodforde and Six Parrot Pies, and The Fleurieu Rocks-the geology of our area. Also working on Major O’Halloran, Adelaide’s first Police Commissioner. The talk will touch on these books to discuss different aspects of the journey including using overseas researchers, Troving, contacting other authors, diaries, a hardcopy book collection, giving talks to other groups and the use of images, a vital part of the whole product. A toe is being dipped into AI waters on research with some learnings. Serendipity plays a role and life can be so much easier with the right publisher. Don’t expect to make money!
Jo Lush published her first book – The vets of the Valley Vietnam in 2025. It started with Jo wondering about the stories of the five men whose names are on the honour board in the Inman valley hall. Hear about this book, how the research made deep connections and her latest project.
May 29 Lorraine McLoughlin
The challenges and joys of writing biographies. Lorraine McLoughlin taught English Literature before working in politics, and art and educational administration. Since retiring to Yankalilla, she has organised festivals and literary events and developed a passion for telling other people’s stories.
Her biographies of Barbara Robertson, George Tetlow and Mark and Jill Pearse, place these local subjects and their experiences in an historical context.
Lorraine wrote a commissioned life of Sydney artist Elaine Haxton and also authored “Portraits of Local Artists”, interviews of twenty creative persons from the Yankalilla area. She will share the trials and satisfactions of researching and interviewing to do justice to the stories she has been trusted with.
Who's Been Sleeping Where?
Yankalilla District Historical Society Workshops
Workshop One: Friday May 15 1.30pm -3pm
SAILIS for beginners.
SAILIS (the SA Integrated Land Information System) is the South Australian database of digitised land title records post 1858 when the Torrens Title system was introduced under the Real Property Act. This hands-on session deals with how to search for Certificates of Title (CT), both current and historical, and explains terminology found on a CT eg transfers, applications, leases. A guide to reading Roman numerals is also included (many early titles are numbered in this way)
Workshop Two: Friday May 22 1.30pm – 3pm
Advanced SAILIS. This hands on session builds on knowledge provided in Workshop 1 (or is for those who already have basic knowledge of SAILIS), dealing with Historical Name Searches, Property Books, and Plans
Join one of four small workshops on researching where your ancestors lived or tracing the history of your home.
Each session introduces different research tools, including SAILIS, followed by Q&A and individual help.
Limit: 6 participants per session. Please bring your own laptop if possible.
Workshop Three: Wednesday May 27 10.30am – 12 noon
This hands-on session look at how to use online aids for researching property history apart from SAILIS, including Directories, GRO Merge and Trove.
Workshop Four: Wednesday May 27 1.30pm – 3pm
This session looks at information sources for researching property history which are not online, including council Rate Assessment Books, Memorials and Application Numbers.
Yankalilla Library
181 Main South Rd, Yankalilla
Yankalilla Library: 0885582043
Online bookings not yet open
Virtual Calico Bag
Self-guided tours
The Virtual Calico Bag, which was launched during HFC 2024 is now a permanent feature of the Yankalilla & District Historical Society (YDHS) website. You can put together your own heritage tour of the district, with a selection of historic sites to visit, walks, cemetery tours and self-drive tours of the region.
From our HFC Facebook Feed
HERITAGE FLEURIEU COAST 2024
The month of May was filled with Heritage Fleurieu Coast Festival 2024 events presented by the Yankalilla District Historical Society and community partners. The launch of the festival by mayor Daryl Houston and the launch of the book “Old Inman Valley and Bald Hills” was held at the Inman Valley hall, it was a huge event which set the bar high for the festival to follow. Our Festival logo reads – Enjoy festival events celebrating our region’s heritage – Indigenous, Environment, Built, People, Community and the 36 events across the district which included walks, talks, a photo shoot, exhibitions, displays, a play, Family fun day of old school games, music, Kaurna language, tours, Museum demo day certainly achieved this aim. A truly local festival our district can be proud of.
HERITAGE FLEURIEU COAST 2022
The Heritage Fleurieu Coast Festival 2022 was awarded Community Event of the Year by the District Council of Yankalilla Council. The Award was presented to YDHS President Sue Speck at the Australia Day Ceremony on 26 January 2023.
From the launch in Myponga where Vanessa the cow won the hearts of all, through to the intense concentration of those learning traditional weaving at the Yankalilla Showgrounds, the award winning 2022 Heritage Fleurieu Coast Festival offered a truly diverse and exhilarating experience for all. The geographical diversity of the region was celebrated, with events not only in our main townships of Normanville and Yankalilla but further afield at Myponga, Ingalalla Falls, Second Valley, Wirrina Cove, Inman Valley, Silverton and Delamere. Several events honoured the region’s indigenous heritage with music performed by Indigenous composer Cheryl van Wageningen at the launch (watch out for Cheryl in the 2024 program). and the thought-provoking and challenging, standing-room-only Named Aboriginal Places presentation at Sanders Hall Yankalilla. And many other events and displays enjoyed by all!
HERITAGE FLEURIEU COAST 2018
In August 2017 a public meeting was held to support the idea of a local Heritage Festival every two years, in conjunction with the South Australian History Trust Festival, for the month of May. The name reflects the District Council of Yankalilla signage ‘Fleurieu Coast' and the word 'Heritage' to suggest a broad interpretation of history.
The inaugural Heritage Fleurieu Coast Program 2018 was a tremendous success. The opening event at the Yankalilla Historical Museum was a great start to the Festival, with many fascinating displays, musical items, demonstrations (including the forge in operation), as well as the official speeches.
The inaugural HFC Festival launch was also the SA History Trust Regional Launch.
Other memorable events included the bus trip around Myponga and Myponga Beach (so popular that a second bus had to be hired to cater for the number of bookings).
Also popular was an archaeological dig at Bald Hills (120 people attending over the two days), and the rededication of the historic Garnet Kelly Reserve. There were also many talks, displays, a play and concerts enjoyed by all.
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