Adelaide at this time of year is magical. It is probably magical any time of the year. But February is when we have visited in the past and here we are again. It’s the smooth and swanky architecture. The fresh and fruitiness of the city markets. The artsy scene that happens year round. The friendly folk wherever you are. The shopping. The Barossa wineries. The rolling Adelaide Hills. The leaves starting to shed summer glory for autumn’s more demure ‘colourscape’.
Last year we took in a number of shows that were part of the Arts Festival programme. This year we attended a wedding. But we returned to Belair National Park to spend two weeks camping in beautiful woodlands.
Belair National Park was the second national park in Australia and the eighth oldest in the world. In 1833 Arthur Robin, secretary of the Native Flora and Fauna Committee said …
“ There must come a time when these plains will be thickly populated from hills to the sea, and then … the need for more breathing space will be recognised.”
Arthur Robin
Under his leadership, a significant gesture to preserve natural areas for both recreation and conservation was started in 1833.
In the early days, Belair was a busy place on Sundays, horse and buggies brought people to picnic under beautiful trees in the peaceful beauty of natural woodland. When the railway pushed to the south of Adelaide, visitor numbers increased. And by the mid-1900s motor cars were bringing increasing numbers of visitors to the park.
The park’s network of walking trails criss-cross the park and cater for all levels of fitness. They take the walker through grassy woodlands which form part of a rare and threatened ecosystem within South Australia.
On a warm afternoon, I took the Lorikeet Loop and while I did not see any lorikeets there was plenty of interesting spots to explore. Dusk would have been easier bird spotting although I did find a lone Sulphur Crested Cockatoo.
The park woodlands form one of the final tracts of such vegetation within the Adelaide Mount Lofty Ranges. Continuous monitoring of the woodlands and track upgrading means some tracks have been closed to allow regeneration.
There are still plenty of remaining walks to challenge all levels. I wanted a leisurely stroll but mountain bikers and uber-fit hikers will find suitable tracks around the park too.
GRATITUDE MOMENTS:
- The foresight of previous generations to preserve our natural surroundings
- That I was the only person on the Lorikeet Loop with the stillness and peace
- The swimming pool in which to cool off after the heat of the day
2020 is the eleventh year in which thousands of bloggers participate in the A to Z Blog Challenge during April. I am combining this post as part of that challenge as well as a continuation of recording the 2nd Stage of our Oz Road Trip.
QP and Eye 