Movement patterns of the southern rock lobster Jasus edwardsii were determined from 14 280 tag‐recapture events across South Australia between 1993 and 2003. In total, 68% of lobsters were recaptured within 1 km of their release site and 85% within 5 km. The proportion of lobsters moving >1 km in marine fishing areas (MFAs) ranged from 13% to 51%. Movement rates were noticeably high in the south‐east and at Gleesons Landing lobster sanctuary off the Yorke Peninsula but patterns of movement differed spatially. In the south‐east, lobsters moved distances of <20 km from inshore waters to nearby offshore reefs whereas at the Yorke Peninsula, individuals moved distances > 100 km from within the sanctuary to sites located on the north‐western coast of Kangaroo Island and the southern end of Eyre Peninsula. In total, 85% of all lobsters released inside the sanctuary moved distances >1 km. Movement was highest in immature females within most MFAs. Females also remained at large an average of 124 days longer than males. The high variation in lobster movement observed across South Australia highlights the need for locally derived, regionally specific data when assessing the proposed location and subsequent modelling of marine protected areas. This is of particular importance to inshore areas, where movement rates of lobsters were highest.