How to spend a day in Belair National Park

Set in beau­ti­ful nat­ur­al bush­land, Belair Nation­al Park is just 25 min­utes from Adelaide’s CBD.

With wood­lands and lakes to explore, walk­ing and moun­tain bik­ing trails to suit all lev­els of fit­ness, plus ten­nis courts and crick­et pitch­es avail­able for hire, it’s a great place to get active in the great outdoors.

Belair is South Australia’s old­est nation­al park, and is home to Old Gov­ern­ment House. Also in the park is State Flo­ra – the old­est plant nurs­ery in South Aus­tralia and still going strong today.

The park remains one of the few rel­a­tive­ly undis­turbed areas of native veg­e­ta­tion in the Ade­laide Hills region, mak­ing it an impor­tant refuge for native plants and animals.

To help you get the most out of your vis­it, park ranger Brent Lores has some tips for plan­ning your day.

Morn­ing

Start your day at Belair Nation­al Park by tak­ing a leisure­ly stroll along the RSL Walk to vis­it the Sequoia plan­ta­tion. These were plant­ed in the 1960s as a World War II memorial.

You can also dis­cov­er the rem­nants of the his­toric Japan­ese cher­ry plan­ta­tion, plant­ed in 1922 as a liv­ing memo­r­i­al to World War I soldiers.

This tran­quil loca­tion is ide­al for qui­et reflec­tion and bird watch­ing. Take in the sights and sounds of the bird activ­i­ty in Min­no Creek.

Lunch

After your walk and relax­ing morn­ing, set up a pic­nic at the Adven­ture Play­ground and give the kids a good run around through the fort and tunnels.

There are sev­er­al bar­be­cue shel­ters avail­able for a lunchtime cook-up. Why not work off your food after­wards with a hit of tennis?

After­noon

After lunch, head out on anoth­er walk along the Water­fall Hike Trail on Queens Jubilee Dri­ve. Take a stop at Vera’s seat, a bench that faces west to give a great sun­set view over the sea.

Dusk is a great time to spot wildlife in the park. Kan­ga­roos come out in their mass­es to graze in the open grassed areas of Main and Gums ovals, as well as at Pines, Gov­ern­ment Farm and Long Gul­ly pic­nic areas.

Stick around for ​‘beak hour’ at Play­ford Lake. See the sul­phur crest­ed cock­a­toos and corel­las flock in huge num­bers to perch in the sug­ar gums sur­round­ing the lake – the sounds can be deafening!

The park is closed to vehi­cles after 7pm dur­ing the cold­er months and 9pm dur­ing day­light sav­ings but feel free to enjoy a night walk with a head torch to observe the park com­ing to life after dark. You’re like­ly to hear bats and the rustling of pos­sums in the trees.

Park of the Month

Through­out the month of April, Belair Nation­al Park is being cel­e­brat­ed as one of Nation­al Parks and Wildlife Ser­vice’s Parks of the Month. There are heaps of events and activ­i­ties to get involved in to help you explore the park. Check the web­site for all the details.

Pre­fer to explore at your own pace? Check out these 10 things to see and do at Belair Nation­al Park for more insid­er tips to take on board for your next visit.