4 things to do in national parks close to Adelaide these school holidays

If you and the fam­i­ly didn’t get the nature hit you want­ed dur­ing the first week of the hol­i­days, don’t fret, we’ve put togeth­er a list of fun things to do in nation­al parks over the sec­ond week. 

All of these parks are close to met­ro­pol­i­tan Ade­laide, which means you’ll be able to spend more time with your fam­i­ly and less time dri­ving to your destination.

Here’s what you can get up to: 

1. First Nations cul­tur­al expe­ri­ences at Cle­land Wildlife Park 

These school hol­i­days, a First Nations Cul­tur­al Guid­ed Tour will be offered at Cle­land Wildlife Park in the Ade­laide Hills.

Walk on Coun­try with First Nations peo­ple as they share insights into their cul­ture. You and the kids will learn about the tra­di­tion­al life and Song­lines of First Nations peo­ple, and their con­nec­tion to land and wildlife.

The expe­ri­ence include a Wel­come to Coun­try and a Smok­ing Cer­e­mo­ny and are held on Tues­days and Thurs­days dur­ing the school holidays.

Top tip: Avoid dis­ap­point­ment and book online before you go.

2. Help catch escaped pris­on­ers at Ade­laide Gaol 

If you’re look­ing for a total­ly unique expe­ri­ence these school hol­i­days, why not help the guards at Ade­laide Gaol catch their escaped prisoners?

This one hour self-guid­ed trail is a great way to explore one of the old­est build­ings in South Aus­tralia. It’s includ­ed with your entry fee and encour­ages kids to use their prob­lem-solv­ing and map-read­ing skills.

After the hard work is done, you can then take your time to explore the gaol. For more infor­ma­tion, vis­it the Ade­laide Gaol web­site.

3. Spend an after­noon at Belair Nation­al Park

South Australia’s old­est nation­al park, Belair Nation­al Park, is rich with his­to­ry and things to do. Only 13 km south east of Ade­laide, this Ade­laide icon is filled with end­less things to dis­cov­er and new places to explore.

There are a few fam­i­ly-friend­ly (and pram friend­ly!) walks in Belair. The Wood Duck Walk is only 1 km long and starts at the carpark and pic­nic area at Play­ford Lake. Just as the name sug­gests, this area is home to many of the ducks in the park, so your lit­tle ones are bound to have a great time.

Or you can head off on the Lori­keet Loop Walk. This one is a lit­tle longer at 3 km and will take you past Old Gov­ern­ment House and State Flo­ra Nurs­ery. If those with small­er legs are get­ting tired, let them know they’ll be reward­ed with a stop at the excit­ing adven­ture playground.

Top tip: If you’re look­ing for oth­er play areas in nation­al parks to tire out the kids, check out our sto­ry: 5 nature play spaces to enjoy in South Australia’s nation­al parks and gar­dens.

You would’ve worked up an appetite by now – luck­i­ly there are many pic­nic area around the park that you can stop at, have a bite to eat and lis­ten to the sounds of nature. 

4. Con­nect with the wildlife at the Ade­laide Inter­na­tion­al Bird Sanc­tu­ary Nation­al Park — Winaity­i­naityi Pangkara

The Ade­laide Inter­na­tion­al Bird Sanc­tu­ary Nation­al Park — Winaity­i­naityi Pangkara encom­pass­es more than 60 km of coast­line north of Ade­laide, adja­cent to Gulf St Vin­cent, and spans across four local coun­cil areas.

Dur­ing the warmer months, more than 27,000 shore­birds trav­el from as far away as Alas­ka and north­ern Asia to Adelaide’s north­ern coast­line to bask in the heat, feed on the mud­flats and salt­marsh­es, and roost in the shel­tered seclu­sion and the vast open spaces of the bird sanctuary.

Top tip: Check out this guide to learn more about these birds and see which ones you can spot in the park. 

Remem­ber, be a respon­si­ble bird­watch­er – the birds’ wel­fare must come first. So look after their habi­tat, keep your dis­tance and respect oth­er birdwatchers.

In oth­er great news, you won’t have to leave your dog at home when you vis­it the Ade­laide Bird Sanc­tu­ary – it’s one of Adelaide’s dog-friend­ly nation­al parks.

There are a few rules you need to fol­low when you vis­it though. Make sure your four-legged friend stays on a lead no longer than 2 m long, stick to the trails, and take your dog­gy-do bags with you when you leave.

Do you want to immerse your­self a lit­tle more into nature this spring? Here are5 ways to make the most of spring in Adelaide’s 3 botan­ic gar­dens.