The best family-friendly hikes and walks in Black Hill Conservation Park

Lochiel Park has everything from walking paths, basketball courts, open fields, small ponds, wetlands, and even the historic Lochend House. The park also connects with the Torrens Linear Parkway, which runs all the way from the Adelaide Hills to the coast.

This nearly 35-kilometre shared-use path is one of Adelaide's premier trails. Starting in the Adelaide Hills the parkway follows the River Torrens through the city all the way to Henley and West Beach.

River Torrens (Karrawirra Pari) is Adelaide’s central river, flowing about 85 kilometres from the Adelaide Hills through the city centre and west to the sea at Henley Beach. Lined by parks, wetlands, and walking trails through much of metropolitan Adelaide, the river supports birdlife, recreation, and important green spaces while also holding deep cultural significance for the Kaurna people, who know it as Karrawirra Pari, meaning “red gum forest river.” Along its course, the river varies from narrow, tree-lined sections and wetlands to more expansive stretches, including the well-known waters of Torrens Lake in central Adelaide.

Kookaburra Rock Lookout sits on an exposed rock ledge high above Morialta Conservation Park, reached by a short detour from the main trail. From here, the views open up across the rocky hillsides, native bushland and sections of Fourth Creek Gorge, with the Adelaide Plains visible in the distance through breaks in the landscape.

From here, you can look down across the gorge toward the waterfall and the surrounding quartzite cliffs. The landscape opens up to layered rock faces, creek lines and dense bushland stretching through the valley below. The elevated position offers one of the park’s more expansive perspectives, especially after rain, when the falls are flowing strongly.

Second Falls is one of the three waterfalls along Fourth Creek, and is hidden deeper within the gorge than the more visited First Falls. The water spills over a rocky cliff into a sheltered gully surrounded by steep slopes and native bushland, and is at its best after winter rain. Reaching the falls involves a more rugged walk, making this part of the park feel quieter and more tucked-away than the other, more popular areas.

Deep View Lookout sits high above the gorge in Morialta Conservation Park, and is one of the widest viewpoints in the park. From here, the views stretch across the rugged slopes of Morialta Gorge toward the Adelaide plains, with steep cliffs and native bushland far below you. Its elevated position is the perfect spot to get a good sense of the scale of the gorge and the surrounding landscape, especially after winter rains when the valley is greener.

Yurrebilla Trail is a long-distance walking track that winds through the Adelaide Hills, connecting a series of conservation parks and bushland reserves east of the city. Stretching for around 54 kilometres, the trail passes through rugged gullies, ridgelines, native woodland and creek valleys, including this picturesque section through Morialta Conservation Park. In Morialta, the track climbs through the quieter upper sections of the park, passing bushland, waterfalls and lookouts with expansive views across the Adelaide Plains