Carrickalinga is a small coastal town about 60 km south of Adelaide on the Fleurieu Peninsula overlooking Gulf St Vincent. The town has no shops, with the nearest being in Normanville, one kilometre away.
Carrickalinga is in the vicinity of several emerging wineries. It is only a 30 minute drive to Victor Harbor where whale watching has become a popular pastime. Views of Kangaroo Island can be seen from nearby Cape Jervis.
The beaches are wide with white sand that stretches down to the pristine water. Haycock Point, a much-photographed volcanic outcrop, separates North Carrickalinga and South Carrickalinga beaches.
Tjilbruke's trail follows the coastline through Carrickalinga.
George Lewis subdivided Carrickalinga in 1958. He is remembered in the naming of Lewis Road, whilst the Town Clerk of the District Council of Yankalilla, Tom Lyddon, has Lyddon Place named after him. The original sales agent, Cliff Hawkins, placed a flagpole on the hill adjoining Solitude Drive, which remains in place today.