Easter in Moonta: What to Do, Where to Go, What Not to Miss

If you're heading to Moonta this Easter, whether it's your annual shack trip, a long weekend escape from Adelaide, or a last-minute "let's get out of the city" decision, you've picked a very good time to be here.

This is when the town shifts. It gets a little busier, a little louder, a little more alive, but somehow still keeps that slow easy pace that makes people come back year after year.

I live here. Have for a while now, and I still can't quite believe I get to call this place home. So here's what I'd actually do with four days in Moonta... the places we go, the little traditions we've made, and the things that feel like Easter to us.

While you're here... do all of these

How to start a day in Moonta

There are plenty of good spots in town for your morning coffee or a bite to eat, Taste the Yorke, Capella's, Cafe Moonta, but my go-to every single time is Nook & Nourish. I've given up coffee so I'm always chasing a good matcha, and theirs is perfect. There's something about sitting out the front near the rainbow mural, warm drink in hand, that just sets the tone for the day. My boys have nicknamed it "the rainbow cafe" and now that's just what it's called in our house.

Nook & Nourish 
38 George Street, Moonta

The bakery I can't walk past

I try not to eat too much gluten these days. Toogood Bakery is my exception. The donuts, the hot cross buns, the Cornish pasties... honestly anything that comes out of that kitchen is good. The sourdough alone is worth the visit. What I love most is the window. You can look in and see the bakers, Andy and Ashley, working away, hands in dough, trays moving, everything happening in real time. There's something really lovely about seeing the people behind the food. A proper bakery, the kind every town should have.

Toogood Bakery
49 George Street, Moonta

The chips, the boot, the view

This is the one I tell everyone about. Head out to Port Hughes, grab a feed from the Port Hughes General Store, reverse into one of the parks and open up the boot. Sit there with your fish and chips looking out over the beach and the jetty. My boys named this one "boot chippies" and honestly, that's exactly what it is. We do it every time. It never gets old. The view alone is worth the trip.

Port Hughes General Store
1 Minnie Terrace, Port Hughes 

The best muffins I've ever had

One of my favourite spots and I genuinely don't think enough people know about it. Tucked inside Moonta Garden & Landscape Supplies is Chloe's Cafe, and her muffins are the best I've ever had. I live here and I still make a special trip just for them. While you're there, the garden and landscape shop is beautiful to wander through, plants, seeds, all those bits that make you want to go home and get your hands dirty. Don't skip it.

Moonta Garden & Landscape Supplies (and Chloe's Cafe)
Lot 4 Millitary Road, Moonta 

The gelati barn that became a family tradition

A little bit out of town and genuinely one of the best kept secrets on the peninsula. Coffee Barn & Gelateria Moonta makes all the flavours in house, always the classics, always something a bit different, and there's a cactus garden that I love more than I probably should. For us though, it's the board games. My boys head straight for them every single visit and snakes and ladders has become a proper family tradition there. The kind you don't plan, it just happens.

Coffee Barn & Gelateria Moonta
12775 Spencer Highway, Hamley 

The lolly shop that just feels like Moonta

A visit out to the Moonta Mines isn't quite complete without stopping in at the lolly shop. It's one of those places that just feels like part of being here. Old-school in the best way, lined with jars and full of the kind of lollies that bring a bit of nostalgia with them. It was something I loved doing when I was younger, and now it's something I get to share with my own boys. Simple, fun, and always a highlight for the kids. If you're heading out that way over Easter, it's open and worth adding to the list.

Moonta Mines Sweet Shop
Verran Terrace, Moonta Mines 

The yiros I haven't tried yet...but I will this Easter 

Full disclosure, I haven't tried the yiros yet but I have it on good authority that this is something I need to fix. I've had Jessie's matcha and croissants and they were genuinely excellent, so the yiros feel like a natural next step. The van pulls up at the Moonta Bay Caravan Park and the word around town is that it's not to be missed. I'll be fixing my oversight this Easter. Come find me there. Yiros is on Friday, Sat and Sunday nights from 5:30pm - 8:30pm. 

Jessie's @ Moonta Bay Caravan Park 
6 Tossell Street, Moonta Bay

The shop that built half my wardrobe

So many of Moonta's independent shops are open across the long weekend and it's worth doing properly, not rushing, just wandering. If I'm pointing you to one it's Vivian Frank. A trip to Moonta is not complete without it. The range is genuinely excellent and the service is the kind you don't really find anymore. I usually just tell Jade the occasion I need to dress for and she fills a change room with a great selection of options in my size. Half my wardrobe over the last ten years has come from this shop and I have zero regrets. Owned and staffed by the loveliest people.

Vivian Frank
51B George St, Moonta 

Don't miss these... they're date specific

Saturday 4 April & Sunday 5 April... Little Bakes & Blooms Easter Bake Days

Little Bakes & Blooms is always worth a visit. The florist runs year round and it's a beautiful little shop. But on special occasions the kitchen fires up too, and when that happens, you show up. The bake days are few and far between which is exactly what makes them special. There's a Easter bake days on Saturday 4 April & Sunday 5 April and I'll absolutely be there for the New York cookies. Don't say I didn't tell you.

Little Bakes & Blooms 
52A George Street, Moonta 

Sunday 5 April... Easter Markets, Queens Square

Easter Sunday in Queens Square is one of those things I look forward to every year. Local makers, creatives, food stalls, the whole place humming. The setting is perfect, big grassy space, beautiful old trees, the kind of spot that was made for exactly this. My boys spend half the time climbing those trees while I slowly work my way through the stalls. It's community at its best, and I love that it happens right here in my town.

Moonta Easter Markets 
Queens Square, Moonta
10am - 3pm 

Sunday 5 April... Easter Egg Hunt at Moonta Mines

If you’re looking for something for the kids, there’s an Easter egg hunt happening out at the Moonta Mines this weekend. It’s a good excuse to get out there, have a wander around the mines, and let the kids loose for a bit. If you’ve got little ones with you over Easter, this one’s worth adding to the list.

Moonta Mines Museum
Verran Terrace, Moonta Mines
Book tickets here

What's Open on the Public Holidays

Good Friday and Easter Monday are public holidays so it's worth knowing who's open before you head out. Here's what we know so far:

Open on Good Friday:

Shopping:

• Vivian Frank
• The Moonta Collective 
• Moonta Craft Shop
• Gifted Artisans
• Moonta Garden & Landscape Supplies (& Chloe's Cafe)

Food:

• Coffee Barn & Gelateria Moonta
  
• Nook & Nourish
• Toogood Bakery
• Kraken Takeaway
  
• Port Hughes General Store
• Capella's
  

Activities:

• Copper Trails Bike Hire
  

Open on Easter Monday: 

Shopping:

• Vivian Frank
• The Moonta Collective 
• Moonta Craft Shop
• Gifted Artisans
• Lifeline Op Shop 
• Moonta Garden & Landscape Supplies (& Chloe's Cafe)

Food:

• Coffee Barn & Gelateria Moonta
  
• Nook & Nourish
• Kraken Takeaway
  
• Port Hughes General Store
• Capella's
  

Activities:

• Copper Trails Bike Hire