Cleland Conservation Park
Encyclopedia
Cleland Conservation Park is a conservation park
in the Adelaide Hills
, South Australia
. 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) from Adelaide
City centre. Cleland Conservation Park conserves a significant area of natural bushland on the Adelaide Hills
face and includes the internationally popular Cleland Wildlife Park and the popular tourist destination
s of Mount Lofty summit and Waterfall Gully.
and Greenhill Road. It is also possible to walk on a formed but steep track from Waterfall Gully or Mount Lofty
. A limited public bus service operates (Route 823: 3 journeys each day). A fee is payable to enter the Wildlife Park (but not to the Conservation Park except for car parking at Mt Lofty summit).
Cleland Wildlife Park offers visitors an opportunity to walk through large enclosures and thereby interact with Australian animals such as kangaroos, koalas and emus, and to see others including wombats, dingos and many bird and reptile species. The park also has a variety of rare and endangered species such as the Yellow-footed Rock Wallaby
, Bush Stone-curlew
and Brush-tailed Bettong.
Facilities include a souvenir shop, cafe and toilets. Many visitors pay to be photographed holding koalas. Several other options are available to visitors, including an Aboriginal guide on a Cultural Tour of the Yurridla Aboriginal Trail, which explains dreaming stories of dingo
es, emu
s, koala
s and Yurrabilla, the creation ancestor, and a nightwalk, uncovering the secrets of the bush.
Opening times are from 9.30 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. daily (except for Christmas Day) with no admission after 4.30 p.m. Admission prices range from A$14–$28.
Car parking facilities are provided: charges are payable. Public bus route 823 serves the summit with three journeys a day (including weekends and most holidays).
Other facilities include an information centre/ souvenir shop, a cafe/restaurant (closed Mondays) and public toilets.
The main attraction is a waterfall, the largest of several in the park. The base is a short walk from the car park and the top can be reached by a formed but steep footpath, which continues to Cleland Wildlife Park and Mount Lofty summit.
Other facilities include a kiosk/ restaurant and public toilets.
There are a number of walking trails, including the Waterfall Gully - Mount Lofty summit trail which is a popular and reasonably challenging ascent of the west side of Mount Lofty, and parts of the long distance Heysen
and Yurrebilla
Trails, which run north–south along the higher ground in the east of the park.
Conservation park
Conservation park is a type of specially protected status for land held by the Crown for conservation purposes.In New Zealand this land is administered by the Department of Conservation and was set up under the Conservation Act 1987. As of 31 March 2005, New Zealand's Conservation parks consisted...
in the Adelaide Hills
Adelaide Hills
The Adelaide Hills are part of the Mount Lofty Ranges, east of the city of Adelaide in the state of South Australia. It is unofficially centred on the largest town in the area, Mount Barker, which has a population of around 29,000 and is also one of Australia's fastest growing towns.- History :The...
, South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
. 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) from Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
City centre. Cleland Conservation Park conserves a significant area of natural bushland on the Adelaide Hills
Adelaide Hills
The Adelaide Hills are part of the Mount Lofty Ranges, east of the city of Adelaide in the state of South Australia. It is unofficially centred on the largest town in the area, Mount Barker, which has a population of around 29,000 and is also one of Australia's fastest growing towns.- History :The...
face and includes the internationally popular Cleland Wildlife Park and the popular tourist destination
Tourist destination
A tourist destination is a city, town, or other area that is dependent to a significant extent on the revenues accruing from tourism. It may contain one or more tourist attractions and possibly some "tourist traps."...
s of Mount Lofty summit and Waterfall Gully.
Wildlife Park
The Wildlife Park is accessible by sealed road from both the South Eastern FreewaySouth Eastern Freeway
The South Eastern Freeway is a 66 kilometre four-lane divided carriageway road in South Australia linking the Adelaide-Crafers Highway to the Princes Highway at the Swanport Bridge, a one kilometre long bridge over the River Murray, near Murray Bridge...
and Greenhill Road. It is also possible to walk on a formed but steep track from Waterfall Gully or Mount Lofty
Mount Lofty
Mount Lofty is the highest point in the Mount Lofty Ranges. It is located about 15km east of the centre of the city of Adelaide in South Australia and gives unrivalled panoramic views of the city and the Adelaide plains and foothills. It was first climbed by a European when explorer Collet Barker...
. A limited public bus service operates (Route 823: 3 journeys each day). A fee is payable to enter the Wildlife Park (but not to the Conservation Park except for car parking at Mt Lofty summit).
Cleland Wildlife Park offers visitors an opportunity to walk through large enclosures and thereby interact with Australian animals such as kangaroos, koalas and emus, and to see others including wombats, dingos and many bird and reptile species. The park also has a variety of rare and endangered species such as the Yellow-footed Rock Wallaby
Wallaby
A wallaby is any of about thirty species of macropod . It is an informal designation generally used for any macropod that is smaller than a kangaroo or wallaroo that has not been given some other name.-Overview:...
, Bush Stone-curlew
Bush Stone-curlew
The Bush Stone-curlew or Bush Thick-knee is a large, ground-dwelling bird endemic to Australia...
and Brush-tailed Bettong.
Facilities include a souvenir shop, cafe and toilets. Many visitors pay to be photographed holding koalas. Several other options are available to visitors, including an Aboriginal guide on a Cultural Tour of the Yurridla Aboriginal Trail, which explains dreaming stories of dingo
Dingo
The Australian Dingo or Warrigal is a free-roaming wild dog unique to the continent of Australia, mainly found in the outback. Its original ancestors are thought to have arrived with humans from southeast Asia thousands of years ago, when dogs were still relatively undomesticated and closer to...
es, emu
Emu
The Emu Dromaius novaehollandiae) is the largest bird native to Australia and the only extant member of the genus Dromaius. It is the second-largest extant bird in the world by height, after its ratite relative, the ostrich. There are three subspecies of Emus in Australia...
s, koala
Koala
The koala is an arboreal herbivorous marsupial native to Australia, and the only extant representative of the family Phascolarctidae....
s and Yurrabilla, the creation ancestor, and a nightwalk, uncovering the secrets of the bush.
Opening times are from 9.30 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. daily (except for Christmas Day) with no admission after 4.30 p.m. Admission prices range from A$14–$28.
Mount Lofty summit
This popular tourist destination is 727 metres (2,385.2 ft) above sea level. It provides sweeping vistas across the Adelaide Plains and Gulf St Vincent. Flinders Column, a white painted obelisk shaped like a lighthouse, is a landmark which can be seen from far away on a clear day.Car parking facilities are provided: charges are payable. Public bus route 823 serves the summit with three journeys a day (including weekends and most holidays).
Other facilities include an information centre/ souvenir shop, a cafe/restaurant (closed Mondays) and public toilets.
Waterfall Gully
Waterfall Gully, another popular part of the park, is located on its western edge. It can be accessed via the sealed Waterfall Gully Road. A limited amount of free car parking is provided. There is no scheduled public transport service.The main attraction is a waterfall, the largest of several in the park. The base is a short walk from the car park and the top can be reached by a formed but steep footpath, which continues to Cleland Wildlife Park and Mount Lofty summit.
Other facilities include a kiosk/ restaurant and public toilets.
Other
By far the largest part of the park consists of bushland, mostly woodland with some open spaces where clearing has taken place.There are a number of walking trails, including the Waterfall Gully - Mount Lofty summit trail which is a popular and reasonably challenging ascent of the west side of Mount Lofty, and parts of the long distance Heysen
Heysen Trail
The Heysen Trail is a long distance walking trail in South Australia. It runs from Parachilna Gorge, in the Flinders Ranges via the Adelaide Hills to Cape Jervis on the Fleurieu Peninsula and is approximately 1200 km in length....
and Yurrebilla
Yurrebilla Trail
The Yurrebilla Trail is a walking trail passing through the Mount Lofty Ranges in the immediate vicinity of Adelaide, South Australia. It is named after the adopted indigenous moniker for the Greater Mount Lofty Parklands, itself an extension of the parklands around the city of Adelaide itself.The...
Trails, which run north–south along the higher ground in the east of the park.