The Waterfall Gully to Mount Lofty Summit Hike
When we first came to Adelaide we did some touring of the traditional tourist spots, but have been back to very few of them. However, there are some places that were special enough that we like to return to them now and again. One of them is Waterfall Gully, from where we like to hike up to Mount Lofty Summit.
I think the reason we return so often to this area is because of variety. Firstly, Waterfall Gully itself is beautiful. I love water and aquatic life. There is always a vibrancy of life around areas of fresh water. The waterfalls are picturesque and sometimes you can spot turtles in the pools.
The first waterfall. There was a little rainbow at the bottom this day.
My daughters have always been active in dancing and gymnastics; one of them is still a competitive gymnast. The hike up to Mount Lofty is a good way to train in an enjoyable setting. When it starts out it seems like a pretty good workout, then as you get nearer to the top it kicks up a gear and gets even steeper! What helps to keep you going is knowing that this indicates you're getting close to your goal; the amazing views across Adelaide from the Summit. The journey down is always quicker, but it's a different workout for your muscles. You also get to smile at the ones still struggling up the hill and wonder if you were pulling the same faces!
Quite often the sun is starting to set on our way back down the the gully.
Taking a camera is a must for my youngest, who interested in photography and when you really need to have a break you can guarantee you can find something that absolutely needs photographing!
I can't believe I never spotted this before!
No trip is ever the same. The flora will be different depending on the time of year and nearly every visit we'll see different fauna, whether it be birds, reptiles, koalas or giant worms.
Spitfires were the fauna surprise this trip!
There had been some heavy rains and flooding before this visit, but the paths had been made accessible again.
It's a budget friendly location as there are no entry fees. If you want to spend out though, there is a restaurant at the bottom called Utopia @ Waterfall Gully and at the Summit is a cafe, gift shop and information centre. I've never had a full meal at either place, due to being tight and taking our own food, but the snacks we've had there have been excellent, especially at Utopia.
While the carpark is free to use, it is on the small side and if the weather is good then on weekends you usually end up parking quite a way down the road. You have to get there obscenely early to be guaranteed a place in the carpark. As my daughters are homeschooled, my favourite time to go is in school hours when its still quiet.
On extreme fire danger days the gates to the hill paths are closed. It's not an area where you'd want to get caught in a bushfire. You probably wouldn't want to be hiking it in 40°C plus temperatures anyway.
In the public toilets in the car park. Apparently it's dangerous to put rubbish in the sanitary bins!
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We live in a beautiful spot. Thanks for sharing :)
@galenkp @exploreadelaide
It is beautiful. One of my favourite places.
I haven't been here for way too long.
I did a run from Bridgewater and up the other side of Mount Lofty a few weeks ago, when you get to Mount Lofty it's like the steep part of the Waterfall Gully hike, but five times (might be over-exaggerating) as long.
The Waterfall Gully side is definitely the better track, and it means you can visit Utopia too.
I've never been on the other side. After hiking up the WG side I don't think I'd feel like heading even further away from the car! 😅 Not sure I could handle any longer stretch of steepness either!
It can be hard to find a reasonable day for it too. Relaxing in the hot weather is one thing, but hiking in it is another!
I felt like I was going to die, I had to do the climb after a 7km run.
I ended up laying down half way up Mount Lofty to recover.
I don't think I could run 1km!!
Waterfall Gully is indeed a wonderful place. Have had many trips there in the past, and hope to get there when I'm over for Christmas. Might even get the climb done, which I don't think I've done since I was a teenager!
I hope you get a good day for it. I find it tough going in the heat!
Yeah, I'm useless in the heat, but hopefully there's a few days where it's not completely overwhelmingly hot
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Man! Between you and @exploreadelaide, I'm finding out about so many hidden spots that I did not know about when I lived in Adelaide. 😡
Isn't it funny how you can live somewhere for years and then someone new to the area will tell you all about places they've visited there that you've never heard of!
That's half the reason I started Explore Adelaide, there are so many places I go to that apparently no one else knows about, and I can use it to find out about other places to explore :P
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STOPHmm there's an idea, maybe I'll convince 11yo that there will be interesting things to climb/train on when we go out XD She's almost never keen to come on hikes.
I think I'd be making return trips to that spot too, looks beautiful!
Not a hike an adventure?
Doesn't matter how it's presented sometimes XD
There are some beautiful
The hike looks like fun and a nice waterfall and view at the summit.
The views are amazing! Adelaide looks so small fron up there.