Camping and travelling across a pastoral lease
Before travelling, please follow current government COVID-19 restrictions, more information see the South Australian Government's COVID-19 restrictions and responsibilities page.
Public access and camping
You can travel over certain areas of pastoral leases without permission from the pastoral lease holder (lessee). These permitted routes are called 'public access routes'.
There are currently 24 public access routes – spanning more than 650 kilometres – established on pastoral leases in South Australia.
Locations of public access routes (PDF 13MB)
Public access routes are not roads or part of the formal road network. They are unimproved and unsurfaced dirt tracks intended to provide four wheel drive access in dry conditions only. Always check outback road warnings and closures before your trip on the Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure's special notices page.
To travel on other tracks and to camp on a pastoral lease, consent from the lessee must be obtained.
There are some restrictions to where you can camp on a pastoral lease after you have consent from the lessee – camping is not permitted within a radius of 1 kilometre of any house, shed or other outbuilding on the land or within a radius of 500 metres of a dam or any other constructed stock watering point on the land.
Contact a lessee
To find lessee contact details to gain permission to camp and travel through a pastoral lease (other than on public access routes), you can:
- search for lessees in the White Pages.
Access rights for Aboriginal persons
Aboriginal persons may enter, travel across, or stay on a pastoral lease for the purpose of following traditional pursuits.
There are some restrictions on where Aboriginal persons may camp on a pastoral lease.
If an Indigenous Land Use Agreements (ILUA) exists, the agreement may change the rights of access.
Indigenous Land Use Agreements (ILUAs)
An ILUA is a voluntary but binding agreement between a native title group and landholders, about the use of land and waters.
These agreements allow all parties to negotiate terms to suit their circumstances.
Detailed ILUA information can be found on the National Native Title Tribunal website where you can:
- learn more about ILUAs
- search for existing ILUAs
- apply for an ILUA.
More information
General enquiries
Pastoral Unit
Phone: (08) 8429 0333
Email: DEW.Pastoral@sa.gov.au
