5 treasures in Belair National Park

Boast­ing a range of attrac­tions includ­ing Old Gov­ern­ment House, State Flo­ra and the adven­ture play­ground, Belair Nation­al Park has been a favourite with South Aus­tralians for generations.

Locat­ed just 25 min­utes from Adelaide’s city cen­tre, the park is an ide­al day out for fam­i­lies, tourists and nature lovers alike, with moun­tain bike trails, bar­beque and sport­ing facil­i­ties, and the chance to see wild kan­ga­roos, koalas, kook­abur­ras and endan­gered bandi­coots along eas­i­ly acces­si­ble trails.

Cel­e­brat­ing its 125^th anniver­sary this year, now is the per­fect time to redis­cov­er this spe­cial park and explore some of its best kept secrets.

Senior Ranger Don­na Fer­schl shares her insid­er tips on some hid­den trea­sures to dis­cov­er on your next visit.

1. RSL Walk

Start­ing at the World War I memo­r­i­al cher­ry plan­ta­tion, this short walk fol­lows a board­walk and path through native bush­land where you are sure to spot plen­ty of koalas and maybe even a bandicoot.

The plan­ta­tion of Japan­ese cher­ry trees was once one of the most impor­tant WWI memo­ri­als in Aus­tralia. The remain­ing trees are a reminder of the past and those they honour.

The walk ends at a dra­mat­ic avenue of tall sequoias, com­mem­o­rat­ing Aus­tralian and Amer­i­can forces that served in WWII and Korea.

Ear­ly spring is the per­fect time of year to explore the RSL Walk and see the cher­ry trees in full bloom.

2. Amphithe­atre Rock

This well-hid­den cave sur­round­ed by native bush­land was dug out of the rock-face as part of works to build the Ade­laide to Mel­bourne rail­way line that runs through the park.

With the recent heavy rains, you might be lucky enough to see the water­fall flow­ing over the entrance to the ​‘amphithe­atre’.

From Kar­ka Pic­nic Ground, fol­low the path from the car park until you see a nar­row track on the right-hand side. Amphithe­atre Rock is a short walk up the track. 

3. Echo Tunnel

Chil­dren and adults alike enjoy lis­ten­ing to the sounds echo as they trav­el through this long, dark tunnel.

It is also the gate­way to a large sec­tion of the park, as it is the only safe place to cross under the rail­way line.

Fol­low the signs and park at the Pines, and then walk along Echo Track to Echo Tun­nel, and beyond to the rest of the park.

4. Upper and low­er waterfalls

Dur­ing win­ter and fol­low­ing heavy rains, the flow­ing creeks cre­ate two spec­tac­u­lar waterfalls.

The low­er water­fall is just a short walk beyond Echo Tun­nel and a spe­cial board­walk has been cre­at­ed to pro­vide great views of the upper waterfall.

These water­falls don’t run all year, but are worth a vis­it for their beau­ti­ful set­ting in any season.

Either start­ing at Old Gov­ern­ment House or the Pines, fol­low the Water­fall Hike to explore these hid­den treasures.

5. Queen Jubilee Drive

Dis­cov­er the beau­ti­ful views across the Ade­laide Plains and down to the sea along Queen Jubilee Drive.

Either park near Old Gov­ern­ment House to start uphill, or walk down from Sad­dle Hill, keep­ing a look out for koalas and emus on the way. There is a bench half way along the track where you can sit and admire the scenery.

Insid­er tip: The views are spec­tac­u­lar at sun­set, but remem­ber gates close at 7 pm so park out­side Gate 13 on Sheoak Road and walk down to enjoy this beau­ti­ful site.

Explore Belair Nation­al Park in September

Through­out the month of Sep­tem­ber, Belair Nation­al Park is cel­e­brat­ed as Park of Month – an ini­tia­tive between Nature Play SA and DEW.

Why not explore the park at the Belair Open Day on 11 Sep­tem­ber and join the rangers for loads of fam­i­ly activ­i­ties and free guid­ed tours. Don’t for­get to share pic­tures of your vis­it on Instra­gram and tag #belair­na­tion­al­park.