A lovely 7.2km walk through Blackwood Hill Reserve and Sturt Gorge Recreation Park in southern Adelaide. I did it two days after leaving Timor-Leste in February 2025, and enjoyed not hiking in tropical conditions, along paths with signage and maps, though it definitely didn’t feel as adventurous as exploring the hills of Dili.
I started in Blackwood Hill Reserve, a 19 hectare reserve, heading along the Magpie Creek Trail. After a year in the tropics it was bliss to walk in temperate conditions, without having to worry about sun burn or mosquitos, though the friend I was walking with did see a snake (probably poisonous) later on…
It was pleasant, if not spectacular, walking, though far quieter than I was expecting for a Sunday morning on the edge of a large city.
The views opened up and the track headed away from the bottom of the narrowest part of Sturt Gorge.
There are many paths through Blackwood Hill Reserve and Sturt Gorge Recreation Park. The Magpie Creek Trail merged into the longer River Trail, which runs through the 244 hectare Sturt Gorge Recreation Park.
This runs along the bottom of the gorge, which even in mid-February had some water in it.
It was all very pleasant.
At the north west end of the park the path headed into the suburbs, past a reservoir.
