Ranger Tips: Black Hill & Morialta Conservation Parks

What is one of the best kept secrets in these parks?

If you’re up for a chal­lenge, mak­ing your way to the sum­mit of Black Hill is a must. The panoram­ic views across Ade­laide are incred­i­ble, and more often than not you’ll have the sum­mit all to your­self. It’s a spot that feels far more remote than it actu­al­ly is.

The Black Hill sum­mit hike also pass­es through some of the park’s best habi­tat, offer­ing one of your great­est chances to spot some of the rar­er wildlife found in the area.

For keen hik­ers want­i­ng an extra chal­lenge, the Yur­re­bil­la Trail takes you from the north­ern end of Black Hill all the way to the south via the sum­mit. Just make sure you come prepared!

Top tip: No mat­ter how big or small your walk is, always make sure you’re ful­ly pre­pared with stur­dy, com­fort­able shoes and plen­ty of water.

What are the best trails to avoid the crowds?

In the south east cor­ner of Black Hill Con­ser­va­tion Park are two chal­leng­ing hikes that, while not the most pop­u­lar, tru­ly show­case some of the best fea­tures of the park

Rasp­ber­ry Hike, named after the abun­dance of native rasp­ber­ry (Rubus parv­i­folius), is a 1.5 km trail that winds through cool, shel­tered south fac­ing val­leys. Don’t miss the ephemer­al water­fall just off the trail — it’s a great spot to sit, relax, and lis­ten to the birdlife.

Rap­tor Hike fol­lows a por­tion of Rasp­ber­ry Hike before branch­ing out into a longer trail that high­lights some of the park’s most impres­sive veg­e­ta­tion and offers excel­lent oppor­tu­ni­ties to spot native wildlife.

Park­ing for these trails is avail­able off Mon­ta­cute Road.

What are the best sea­son­al highlights?

As we head into the cool­er months, the weath­er cre­ates ide­al hik­ing con­di­tions, and the native flo­ra that emerges at this time of year is spectacular.

The star attrac­tion of Mori­al­ta also comes to life after heavy rain­fall — First Falls. A walk up to the water­fall is a must dur­ing any visit.

Spring is anoth­er high­light, bring­ing a burst of colour­ful orchid species across both parks. Bring a cam­era for some fan­tas­tic pho­to oppor­tu­ni­ties, but remem­ber to stay on the trails to pro­tect these del­i­cate areas.

What sort of ani­mals can you find in the parks?

Black Hill and Mori­al­ta offer an impres­sive vari­ety of wildlife. On your way to First Falls in Mori­al­ta, keep an eye on the gum trees for the many koalas that call the area home. If you have binoc­u­lars and some spare time, you might also spot pere­grine fal­cons roost­ing high on the cliffs of Mori­al­ta Gorge.

Clos­er to the ground on warm days, you may encounter sev­er­al species of lizards and skinks, includ­ing the rare Cunningham’s skink. These shy crea­tures can be tricky to find, so take a qui­et seat near some rocky habi­tat and watch patiently.

Bird­watch­ers are spoilt for choice, with Black Hill pro­vid­ing essen­tial habi­tat for the rare chest­nut rumped heath­wren and the vul­ner­a­ble yel­low tailed black cockatoo.

What’s the most amaz­ing thing you’ve seen in these parks?

I’m incred­i­bly lucky to spend a lot of time in these parks, and spot­ting some of the rar­er wildlife is always a thrill. It’s a con­stant reminder of how impor­tant these pro­tect­ed areas are.

You may not spot every orchid, bird, or lizard you’re hop­ing to see in a sin­gle vis­it — which is the per­fect excuse to plan your next one!

If you’re a fan of these insid­er tips and want to learn more, here from anoth­er group of reg­u­lars with­in the park — Friends of Black Hill and Mori­al­ta Inc. Check out all their explor­ing tips here. 
 

Stay in the know: Sign up to get updates from Nation­al Parks and Wildlife Ser­vice South Aus­tralia straight to your inbox!