Morialta Falls walks in Adelaide: What are the best walks?

Morialta Falls is three separate waterfalls within the Morialta Conservation Park. Just 20 minutes from Adelaide city centre, expect koalas, kookaburras and walking tracks with marvellous lookouts over Morialta Gorge.

Morialta Falls in Adelaide is a classic example of how you can get an impressive dose of nature exceptionally close to a major city centre.

It’s a story repeated over much of the country. In Sydney, there’s the Cumberland State Forest, Sydney Harbour National Park and Bidjigal Reserve. All are a relatively short journey from the centre of a major world city.

There’s the same story in Perth. Lesmurdie Falls, the John Forrest National Park and Serpentine Falls are practically on the doorstep.

Morialta Falls from Adelaide CBD

Morialta Falls is South Australia’s take on this phenomenon. It’s inside the Morialta Conservation Park on the eastern edge of Adelaide. The drive from Adelaide CBD takes about 20 minutes, and Morialta is a notoriously good place to see native wildlife such as koalas and kookaburras.

Rock climbers near Morialta Falls in Adelaide. Photo courtesy of the South Australian Tourism Commission.

Morialta Falls is the waterfall that the park is based around. Or, rather, the three waterfalls that the park is based around. There are three sections, and walking trails have been set up to take these Adelaide waterfalls in.

**15 fabulous Adelaide experiences to supercharge your visit**

DOLPHINS 🐬: Swim with wild dolphins, kayak with the resident bottlenose pod or watch them on a dolphin cruise.
FOOD AND WINE 🍷: Indulge on Adelaide food tour including Adelaide Central Market. Or try a wine discovery tour with tastings at the National Wine Centre. Or the ultimate Penfolds Magill Estate experience with full estate tour & Grange tasting.
WILDLIFE 🐨: Spot koalas on a guided Morialta nature hike. Or walk from Waterfall Gully to Mount Lofty with entrance to Cleland Wildlife Park.
CRUISES ⛵: Watch the sun set on a twilight coastal cruise, get to know the city on a Torrens River cruise or take a high tea cruise aboard the Popeye.
SPORT 🏏: Dare to take on the Adelaide Oval Roofclimb or enter the fabled scoreboard on the behind-the-scenes stadium tour.
ACTION 🚵‍♂️: Descend Mount Lofty on a downhill mountain bike tour or kayak along the Torrens River.

Morialta Falls walks

The First Falls is the easiest to get to. The 3.6km First Falls Walk heads through Morialta Gorge and past Giants Cave. It should take around two hours return.

Considerably trickier is the Plateau Hike. This starts at Fourth Creek, then climbs and climbs and climbs. It’s steep, rocky and often slippery. But the reward is a series of lookouts over Morialta Gorge. These include the Kookaburra Rock Lookout and Eagles Nest Lookout. The Plateau Hike is 2.5km long and takes around 90 minutes.

Pick your perfect Adelaide day trips

Barossa Valley tours: 1. Wine-tasting with lunch 🍷. 2. Food and wine tour. 3. Small group wine tour with exclusive VIP tastings.
Kangaroo Island in a day – including sea lions 🦭, koalas 🐨and national parks.
Adelaide Hills tours: 1. Sights plus Murray River lunch cruise combo. 2. Small group cheese, chocolate & wine tour with Hahndorf German village.
McLaren Vale tours: 1. Small group wine tour with lunch. 2. Hop-on hop-off wineries tour 🍷. 3. Food and wine indulgence tour, including the gloriously weird d’Arenberg Cube.
Victor Harbor and southern highlights tour – including the Granite Island horse-drawn tram.

Second and Third Falls at Morialta

The Second Falls Hike is longer, taking the same lookouts plus the Deep View Lookout. This also offers great view out over the city, while taking in Morialta Gorge, First and Second Falls. The Second Falls Hike is 5.3km long and takes around two hours and 30 minutes.

For the full Morialta Falls experience, however, try the Third Falls Hike. This takes in all three waterfalls, stretches for 7.3km and lasts around three-and-a-half hours.

For more information on these walks, visit the South Australia Parks and Wildlife service website.