In the 1830s there were three whaling stations here, hunting southern right whales . They were so called because they were the "right" ones to kill: slow-moving because of their high oil content, which fortuitously also made them float after their slaughter. They would come to Encounter Bay to mate and breed between June and September, heading close to shore where they became easy targets. After the peak period in the decade of the 1830s, their numbers began to decline: the last one taken here was in 1878, and by 1930 they'd been hunted almost to extinction. Half a century later there were signs of recovery, and in 1991 forty were spotted in the bay and eighty thousand people flocked to see them. Between June and October in 1998, sixteen females stayed in the bay to calf, and a dozen humpback whales were also spotted - it's estimated that almost a hundred thousand visitors came here to watch the whales from the shoreline. Not surprisingly, Victor Harbor has converted a Heritage-listed former railway goods shed on Railway Terrace into the South Australian Whale Centre (daily 10am-5pm; $4.50). It has excellent interpretive displays, exhibits and screenings on whaling and on the natural history of whales, dolphins and the marine environment. The centre also acts as a monitoring station, locating and tracking whales, and confirming sightings, most likely in June, July or August (hotline for information on locations tel 1900/931 223, calls cost 75A? per min; www.webmedia.com.au/whales ). To report your own sighting, dial 08/8552 5644.

It's not only whales that bring visitors to Victor Harbor, but also Little Penguins , who come to nest, roost and moult on Granite Island , linked to the Esplanade by a narrow causeway. A couple of hours after dusk they come back from feeding - this is the best time to see them, on one of the ranger-led penguin walks run by Granite Island Nature Park (depart daily at dusk; 1hr; $10; booking essential on 08/8552 7555, www.fleurieu.com.au/tourism ). Before exploring the island you can visit the Penguin Interpretive Centre , which houses an audiovisual holographic display with a 3D park ranger giving the lowdown on daily penguin life (opens an hour before the start of a walk). You can walk across the 600-metre causeway to the island at any time, or get there on a traditional holiday ride with the Granite Island Horse Tram (daily 10am-4pm, after which a shuttle bus takes over until 8.30pm; $5 return). The Granite Island Nature Park also has a small shark aquarium ($10), just offshore from the Penguin Interpretive Centre, and runs several cruises, including one to the Page Islands to spot the largest sea-lion colony in South Australia (minimum twelve people; $75; bookings essential on 08/8552 7555).

Other local attractions include two Sunday steam trains (sometimes diesel-hauled): the Cockle Train that runs on the otherwise disused line along the coast to Goolwa via Port Elliot and back (every Sun & daily during school holidays; $20 return); and the Southern Encounter from the Adelaide Hills to Goolwa via Victor Harbor. If you're travelling with restless children, Greenhills Adventure Park , Waggon Road, alongside the Hindmarsh River (daily 10am-5pm, 6pm in summer; $16 adult or child), has activities from canoeing to waterslides and for an extra charge, go-karting, while Urimburra Wildlife Experience (daily 9am-6pm; $8, child $4.50), 5km north on Adelaide Road, is an open-range park with native animals from all over the continent.