Waterfalls in South Australia

Planning a waterfall trip in South Australia

Morialta Conservation Park in the Adelaide foothills is the place to start. A gorge track links First Falls, Second Falls and Third Falls, and you can do just the first one in an hour or walk the full loop in half a day. Waterfall Gully, just east of the city, has First Falls a few minutes from the car park and a steep track that climbs from there to the Mount Lofty summit.

The Fleurieu Peninsula is the other main area. Hindmarsh Falls near Victor Harbor is a short walk to a small gorge, and Ingalalla Falls is an easy stop on the road to Cape Jervis. Deep Creek Conservation Park has a waterfall on a steeper hike near the coast, with good views back over Backstairs Passage.

The Flinders Ranges and the Clare Valley have falls too, but they only run after heavy rain. If a storm system comes through, it can be worth checking the flow badge, because these creeks fill and drop away within days.

The season is short. June to September is the most reliable window, and by early summer most falls in the state are dry. The flow badge reflects rain over the past fortnight, which matters more here than almost anywhere else.

National Parks and Wildlife Service SA charges a vehicle entry fee at some parks, including Deep Creek and Ikara-Flinders Ranges National Park. Morialta and Waterfall Gully are free. You can buy day passes online, and multi-park passes are good value if you visit regularly. The Getting there section on each waterfall page notes when a fee applies.

We don’t yet have a live park-alerts feed for South Australia, so the access badge reads Check park alerts. Tracks close on high fire danger days and after storm damage, so check the National Parks SA website before you set out.