Morialta Conservation Park

Adelaide Hills offers everything! Well, there’s no beach, tropics, snow etc but everything you think that environment should offer, it does. Nature’s walks and trails proliferate the hills and Morialta is one of the most magnificent ones, made even better by the fact it seems to attract fewer visitors than some others, like Waterfall Gully/​Mt. Lofty. It’s great for kids, with caves, lookouts and shorter walks to keep them happy, and also for trail runners, with longer trail options available (and signposted). Keep an eye out for Koalas, take some water and a camera, and go get some fresh air. It’s only 15 mins from CBD.

man this place is cool,
My partner and I came here on a public holiday when we figured mount lofty would be HECTIC.
We turned up and the parking machine was broken. Free parking tick! But don’t count on that you do usually have to pay.
The pluses here are the sheer number of walks you can do, you can also pick and mix them somewhat, so start one, and go off onto another track if your’re feeling stronger than you had anticipated or if you underestimated how brutal the track you’re on would be you can trade down. The signs here make this very easy, as all the intersections are marked as to which track you are on. I would suggest going to the website and looking at which walks appeal to you the most.
The times they give are not completely spot on, for me they over-​estimated a bit how long it would take, but better that way then head off for a 2 hour walk and finish it the next day.
The wildlife and trees are beautiful, and as many other reviewers have stated it’s a gorgeous amount of park so close to our city!
So strap on your walking shoes or put on your hyper coloured Lorna Jane, as this Conservation park caters to sunday strollers and clean eating iron lifting machines alike.

I five star this park because of the sheer number of options here and the fact that there’s everything from a track along the gully base that will gladly take strollers all the way through to brutal near on 20% inclines that a guy I work with uses as his local mountaineering training hill. The scenery isn’t bad either.
There’s adequate coverage on Telstra and Optus through the park. Some deadspots in the base of the gullys, but we can’t have everything.
Wildlife is minimal along the 1, 2, & 3^rd Falls walks, there’s too much noise for anything but koalas.
The most common entrance is via the aptly named Morialta Falls Road. The walks out of here have been covered in depth and there’s a zoom shown on the PDF below that gives enough detail. There’s also regular signposting at 90% of junctions along these tracks and they’re fairly heavily populated on reasonable days.
I’ll cover the other, less populated walks off of Norton Summit Rd, Colonial Drive and Montacute Road for this review.
The main point is that all these walks can loop into each other (see the map). You can make them as long or as challenging as you want. Go with a friend and park one car at one end, one on the other or just do a loop from the single car. The signposting is good all through the park and if you’ve got a smartphone the paths are well worn enough to see where you are anytime.
Montacute Road.
Take a friend on this one if you haven’t done it before. 90% of the time I do this loop I see no-​one else up here.
About 2 km in once you’ve left suburbia you’ll see a national parks entrance on the right. There’s a 5 km loop walk here called the Fox Hill Dam walk. The first 1.3km if you do the uphill (Chapmans Track) section first would be in the top 3 for hardest singposted inclines close to the CBD. If you’re doing weighted pack training for a hike overseas repeated walks up this should be on your list.
Colonial Drive.
This is at the back of Morialta and connects the park up to Norton Summit. The vegetation changes back here and the paths are wide and easy going. I’d recommend two cars. One in the normal Morialta Falls Road carpark, one at Norton Summit. Head for 3^rd falls, then continue and a short time later follow the Colonial Track until it crosses a small stream and hits Colonial drive. Turn right and follow the Heysen Trail signage for 2km’s past the barns until you hit Norton Summit itself.
Norton Summit Road.
You can cut short the above walk and come in onto Colonial Track off of Norton Summit Road as an alternative. You can also just loop walk the standard Morialta walks from here if you want to avoid the main car park on busy days.
There’s rock climbing cliffs just by here and some great views over Morialta.
SA gov PDF:

1 koala, 2 koalas, 3 koalas more!
As everyone has mentioned Adelaide is so incredibly lucky to have a conservation park like this only 20 minutes from the CBD where you can spot native wildlife, waterfalls, climb cliffs or just walk through bushland.
There are a variety of different trails, some more challenging than Mt Lofty and others suitable for a casual «walk off our BBQ picnic lunch» stroll. You very rarely come across joggers zooming past you from the opposite direction or the chatty mothers groups power walking through the area and as a result it is more likely that you will see a koala or 2 and really feel like you are immersed in the outback.
Key tips I have learnt from my adventures?
There are 2 car parks:
The first one you come across is for those who don’t mind walking in and don’t want to pay for parking. The second is for the lazybones and costs to park in.
BBQ Picnics are popular on weekends:
Get in early if it’s a nice day and you want to secure a good spot (park at the first car park for picnic areas)
Hikes come in 3 different levels:
— First and Second falls (pfft easy)
— Third Falls (there will be huffing and puffing and you will need time)
— Note the signage for all of the walks is good but sometimes can get confusing if you’re not sure which car park you’re in or whether you’re on the Heysen trail. You can’t get lost though so no need for 2 way radios or anything.
Enjoy the adventure and take the whole family if your little darlings are starting to drive you up the wall.

Adelaidian’s ought to feel special having such a beautiful part of the world on their doorstep. There’s something for everybody:
— Feeling lazy on a Sunday afternoon? Have a BBQ or picnic at one of many reserves.
— Want to stretch the legs, but only a little? Stroll up to the first fall.
— Got a craving for chalk under the fingernails and aching thighs? Give of the crags a shot (but only if you have the right gear and experience).
— Something a little more strenuous and you have a few hours to spare? Do the Three Falls Grand Hike.
Morialta can be accessed easily by car (there is a parking fee if you wish to park close to the action), bike or public transport.

Want in on the know? Free parking at the upper car lot (trailhead) Tuesdays.
The sign at the start of the trail advises to allow 1.5hrs for the 3.6km return hike to the First Falls. If you’re under 65 and in reasonable shape this is excessive. The wide, well made path with a low gradient is boring. Most of the views to be had are along the smaller tracks that splinter off the main valley trail and go up.
It’s an easy escape from the city. For those public transit takers catch the H30 on Grenfell Street for a half hour ride. The bus drops you off at the Morialta picnic area (free parking here for drivers) which is a 15min walk to the trailhead.
Gates close at sunset.

Morialta Falls is indeed a spectacular park to visit — it pays to drive down to the lower car park if you’re not a fitness junkie, although the stroll along the road is pleasant, too — just can end up being a long, long way back when you’re weary from a good bush walk.
There’s a lot to see on the way to the falls, pretty little streams abound when there’s been a little rain, there are some lovely flowers and shrubs to see, and for the eagle eyed there are koala’s up in the trees — our record is five koala sightings in one trip, aided somewhat by having been told locations of three.
The falls themselves — even the easy to reach ‘lower’ falls — are beautiful. When there’s been some rain they can get quite impressive with gushing water streaming over green, mossy rocks — my attached pic was taken just after the rain had stopped on a wet weekend.
There is abundant free space in the recreation park for picnics, bbq’s, picnic tables and toilets are available too. I’ve had a number of great walks through here over the years, and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend the park to anyone.

The Morialta Conservation Park is one of the best parks in Adelaide for recreation, exercise, and enjoying nature in general.
A car park is situated at the start of the walking trails, and there are a number of BBQ facilities around the park.
Morialta caters to a number of activities including bird watching, hiking, and rock climbing. Many of my friends, instead of joining the gym, come here instead to exercise in the fresh outdoors. It’s great fun, especially since I find jogging so boring. For me, Morialta is more rigorous and dynamic. Not to mention it’s cutting back on your monthly expenses!
The rugged bush environment has three separate waterfalls, all within bush walking region. As far as I can remember, there are two or three hiking trails that you can take, which are definitely not light-​paced. It is a hard workout, and from personal experience I’d recommend going either in the early morning or evening, as it gets really hot during the afternoons — even in winter!
If you’re looking to have a BBQ, a place to exercise outdoors, or do some bird watching, this place is definitely the spot for you.