Cleland Conservation Park
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| Cleland Conservation Park | |
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| IUCN Category III (Natural Monument) | |
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| Nearest town/city: | Adelaide |
| Coordinates: | |
| Area: | 9.92 km² |
| Managing authorities: | Department for Environment and Heritage |
| Official site: | Cleland Conservation Park |
Cleland Conservation Park is a conservation park in the Adelaide Hills, South Australia. Just 12 km 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 destinations of Mount Lofty summit and Waterfall Gully.
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[edit] Wildlife Park
The Wildlife Park is accessible by sealed road from both the South Eastern Freeway and Greenhill Road. It is also possible to walk from Waterfall Gully or Mount Lofty. A limited public bus service operates (Route 823: 2-7 journeys each day). Entry fees are payable.
Cleland is about getting close to nature and enjoying the opportunity to interact with Australian animals such as Kangaroos, Koalas and Emus and see favourites like the Wombats, Dingos and many 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.
There is also an Aboriginal guide on a Cultural Tour of the Yurridla Aboriginal Trail, bringing to life Dreaming stories of dingoes, emus, koalas and Yurrabilla, the creation ancestor, or even a nightwalk, uncovering the secrets of the bush.
Opening times are from 9.30 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. daily, no admission after 4.30 p.m, open 7 days per week, but do close on Christmas day.
[edit] Mount Lofty summit
- See also: Mount Lofty
This popular tourist destination is 727 m 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 a long way off on a clear day.
Car parking facilities are provided: charges are payable. Public transport is provided by bus route 823 which calls here en route to and from Cleland Wildlife Park.
Other facilities include an information centre/ souvenir shop, a cafe/restaurant and public toilets.
[edit] Waterfall Gully
- See also: 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 sealed but steep footpath, which continues to Cleland Wildlife Park and Mount Lofty summit.
Other facilities include a kiosk/ restaurant and public toilets.
[edit] 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 east 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.
