Best Parks With Barbecues In Adelaide Near Me

4worldlovers: Thorndon Park is our City's principal park, as well as the most accessible and inclusive park in our City. Featuring the historic reservoir and a brand new all-inclusive play space, the park is a major attraction for all ages and abilities.

Please note, dogs, bikes, fishing and swimming are prohibited at Thorndon Park at all times. Registered guide dogs are permitted.

Thorndon Park is open to the public 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

A large sealed car park with over 150 spaces (including 6 disability parking spaces) is available for park visitors. Enter the car park at the intersection of Hamilton Terrace and Stradbroke Roads.

The car park is locked between the hours of sunset and sunrise each day.

Completed in December 2022, the Thorndon Park playground is an all-inclusive play space, with elements for all ages and abilities to enjoy.

The playground celebrates the diverse and plentiful bird life that Thorndon Park is known for with play zones inspired by flight and nesting, as well as habitat types and food sources. The new playground is designed around eight themes and associated features:

Gathering: Youth spaces, multi-purpose courts (basketball, netball and futsal), hammock, parkour and ninja warrior course, table tennis tables and smart bench

Some of the playground’s accessible features include a liberty (wheelchair) swing, vision impaired table tennis table, wheelchair accessible trampolines, raised sand play area, raised water play area, an all-access carousel, Auslan signage, communication boards and accessible pathways.

The Thorndon Park kiosk and museum are proudly operated by the Rotary Club of Morialta.

Thorndon Park Kiosk is generally open Saturday and Sunday during summer and Sundays in winter. Opening days and times may vary due to volunteer availability.

4worldlovers:
We have picked the brains of our park rangers to find out what they would recommend you see and do whilst visiting this park.


Visit Cleland during winter and spring to experience the creeks and waterfalls that exist in the park at their best.


Challenge yourself on one of South Australia’s most popular walking trails — Waterfall Gully to Mt Lofty summit.


Admire the views of both Mount Lofty and Adelaide whilst walking and riding along numerous trails throughout the park.


Explore the network of mountain bike trails in the park. Popular trails include the Cleland Link Trail between Crafers and Chambers Gully, the Wine Shanty trail, the Chambers loop trail and the Adventure trail.


Admire the variety of fauna within the park. Birdlife such as superb blue wrens, grey fantails, white throated tree creepers and many different parrots live and fly through the park – you might even be lucky enough to see a wedge-tailed eagle! Different mammals are also found in the park – keep an eye out for sleepy koalas, western grey kangaroos, or little foragers like the echidna and endangered southern brown bandicoot.

Walks in the park range from easy walks to more challenging hikes like the Waterfall Gully to Mount Lofty Summit hike. While you’re bushwalking in the park, you’ll be rewarded with magnificent views of native woodlands and forests, perched swamps and waterfalls.

Discover the vegetation just below the Mt Lofty summit lookout. This short loop walk enables you to sit, relax and take in the view on the number of seats provided.

Named in honor of park benefactor, Mr Ludwig Reinwald Steub, this trail gently climbs through heathy forest woodland communities from the Cleland Wildlife Park to Mount Lofty Summit. The trail has been designed with gentle, low-gradient access making it possible for those with reduced mobility to reach the summit.

Walkers, runners, and cyclists are rewarded with wonderful views over the southern ridges of the park and out to the Adelaide plains.

Hike or ride on existing fire tracks and be introduced to some unique areas of Cleland National Park.

Starting from Measdays lookout, this trail follows the land contour gradually ending up in the creek line valley below. During the winter months you will be rewarded with the constant babble of a flowing creek.

The Pioneer Womens Trail honours the early Hahndorf settlers who supplied Adelaide with fresh produce at a time when most foodstuffs had to be imported into South Australia.

Commencing in the township of Verdun, the 26 km trail includes a 2 km section that passes through Cleland National Park. The trail follows back roads and bush tracks through the Adelaide Hills before joining the Old Bullock Track to descend to Beaumont House in Burnside. As it skirts the southern part of the Cleland National Park, this trail provides sweeping views of the natural bush.

A great alternative loop trail to Mt Lofty summit for those wanting to get away from the crowds. This trail passes through areas of rocky creek lines and tall stringybark forest.

It follows a walking trail and then a fire track before joining the Waterfall Gully to Mt Lofty Summit trail. This trail has natural rough surfaces and may be steep in parts.

Starting from Chambers Gully this loop trail climbs up a narrow trail from the gully and enters Cleland National Park just below Long Ridge Track. Once on the top follow the trail back down Bartril Spur. This trail has natural rough surfaces and may be steep in parts.

A shared use alternative to get from Waterfall Gully Road to Crafers. Travel through Chambers Gully and through Cleland National Park with an optional spur to the Mount Lofty Summit (via the Steub Trail, additional 2.6km).

Waterfall Gully to Mount Lofty Hike (2 hr 30 mins, 4.5 km one way)

Adelaide’s most popular hike. Walk or run the 7.5km return trail between Waterfall Gully and Mount Lofty Summit on a sealed but very steep trail featuring waterfalls and a range of diverse flora.

Prefer to get fit without an audience? Here are five alternative walks to Mount Lofty from Adelady

This challenging hike/​ride follows existing fire tracks through a variety of vegetation types of stringybark and blue gum woodlands.

It traverses through cool, moist gullies with unique scenic value. Be on the lookout for Black Cockatoos feeding on the Oyster Bay Pines.

This 4.5km trail traverses the Adelaide Mount Lofty Ranges and passes through parts of Cleland National Park.

4worldlovers:

Set in beautiful natural bushland, Belair National Park is just 25 minutes from Adelaide city centre. It is the ideal place to get active in the great outdoors. There are woodlands and lakes to explore, walking and mountain biking trails to suit all levels of fitness, plus tennis courts and cricket pitches available for hire.