Lake Gilles Conservation Park

The inter­na­tion­al Trail Users Code of Con­duct is to show respect and cour­tesy towards oth­er trail users at all times.

Ensure that you:

• when hik­ing, wear stur­dy shoes, a hat and sunscreen
• be aware of weath­er con­di­tions and avoid walk­ing dur­ing the hottest part of the day
• make sure you have appro­pri­ate weath­er proof clothing
• car­ry enough water to be self-sufficient
• please be respect­ful of oth­er users at all times
• stay on the des­ig­nat­ed trails and con­nec­tor tracks for your own safe­ty, and pre­vent the spread of declared weeds to oth­er areas in the park
• ensure some­one knows your approx­i­mate loca­tion and expect­ed time of return
• take appro­pri­ate maps.
• Walk, hike or trek — what’s the difference?

When camp­ing in a Nation­al Park, it’s impor­tant to remem­ber the following:

• Always let some­one respon­si­ble know your trav­el plans, espe­cial­ly when trav­el­ling in remote areas. It’s a good idea to let them know when you expect to return.
• Check the weath­er fore­cast before you leave, includ­ing overnight tem­per­a­tures on the Bureau of Mete­o­rol­o­gy. Even dur­ing very mild weath­er, the nights can get very cold. 
• The qual­i­ty and quan­ti­ty of water can­not be guar­an­teed with­in parks. Please bring plen­ty of water and food to be self-sufficient.
• Always camp in des­ig­nat­ed sites (where applic­a­ble) — do not camp beneath trees with over­hang­ing branch­es, as they can drop with­out warn­ing. It’s also a good idea to check that there are no insect nests nearby.
• Check to make sure you’re not camp­ing in a nat­ur­al water­way, flash floods can hap­pen anytime.
• If camp fires are per­mit­ted, you must bring your own fire­wood, as the col­lec­tion of fire­wood with­in Nation­al Parks is pro­hib­it­ed. Extin­guish your camp fire with water (not sand or dirt) until the hiss­ing sound stops.
• Ensure that you are famil­iar with the fire restric­tions for this park.

Can I have a fire or barbecue?

• Ensure you are famil­iar with the fire restric­tions for this park.
• You must bring your own fire­wood, as the col­lec­tion of fire­wood with­in Nation­al Parks is prohibited.
• Gas fires and liq­uid fuel fires are per­mit­ted through the year, oth­er than on days of total fire ban.

Clo­sures and safety

This park is closed on days of Cat­a­stroph­ic Fire Dan­ger and may also be closed on days of Extreme Fire Danger.

You can deter­mine the cur­rent fire dan­ger rat­ing by check­ing the Fire Ban Dis­trict map on the CFS website.

Check the CFS web­site or call the CFS Bush­fire Infor­ma­tion Hot­line 1800 362 361 for:

• Infor­ma­tion on fire bans and cur­rent fire conditions
• Cur­rent CFS warn­ings and incidents
• Infor­ma­tion on what to do in the event of a fire.

Lis­ten to your local area radio sta­tion for the lat­est updates and infor­ma­tion on fire safety.

The Eyre High­way pass­es through the park with 2WD vehi­cle access to the lake, but please be aware that the north­ern area adja­cent to Lake Gilles is acces­si­ble only by 4WD.

When 4WDriving in the park, it is impor­tant to be aware of the following:

• Stan­dard road rules apply when dri­ving any­where in the park, includ­ing the laws for speed lim­its, drink dri­ving, vehi­cle reg­is­tra­tion and seat belts.
• Take extreme care when dri­ving in the park – be aware of blind cor­ners, crests and nar­row two-way tracks.
• Observe all track and safe­ty signs, espe­cial­ly ​‘No pub­lic access’ signs.
• Do not take your vehi­cle off the des­ig­nat­ed tracks. Wildlife can be threat­ened and pre­cious habi­tat and indige­nous sites can be dam­aged by off track driving.
• Make sure you know what to do in the event of get­ting bogged and always car­ry a shovel.
• When dri­ving on sand, deflate your tyres as appro­pri­ate for your vehi­cle. Don’t for­get to rein­flate your tyres to the manufacturer’s rec­om­mend­ed pres­sure before leav­ing the park. Take care when low­er­ing tyre pres­sure as there is risk you could roll the tyre off its rim. Also, remem­ber that low­er tyre pres­sure can mean a change in how the vehi­cle handles.

Every nation­al park is dif­fer­ent, each has its own unique envi­ron­ment, it is impor­tant to be respon­si­ble while enjoy­ing all the park has to offer.

Please ensure that you:

• leave your pets at home
• do not feed birds or oth­er ani­mals, it pro­motes aggres­sive behav­iour and an unbal­anced ecology
• do not bring gen­er­a­tors (except where per­mit­ted), chain­saws or firearms into the park
• leave the park as you found it — there are no bins in nation­al parks, please come pre­pared to take your rub­bish with you. 
• abide by the road rules (main­tain the speed limit)
• respect geo­log­i­cal and her­itage sites
• do not remove native plants
• are con­sid­er­ate of oth­er park users.

• Impor­tant: Col­lec­tion of fire­wood with­in Nation­al Parks is pro­hib­it­ed. Dead wood plays a vital role in pro­vid­ing shel­ter for ani­mals and adding nutri­ents to the soil.