Situated in between suburbs, Bellevue Heights, Flagstaff Hill, Craigburn Farm, Sturt Gorge Recreation Park offers a multitude of walking and bike trails with some areas dog friendly walking trails.
The walk features three different views of the Sturt River Flood Control Dam. Sturt river named by Kaurna people Warriparri is one of the Patawalonga’s tributary. The Dam was built in 1965 with the aim to prevent Sturt River from flooding properties in Marion and Glenelg suburbs.
Sturt Gorge Walk description
The walk starts from the car park at Blackwood Football Club, on Craigburn Road, Craigburn Farm.
Follow along the Craigburn Road, take the Sidewinder trail, the Little River trail.
Turn left to follow the track down to the Sturt River Flood Control Dam.
After soaking in the views of the dam, retrace your steps, turning left to continue on the track to the dam. You can take the walkway on top of the dam to admire the views over the gorge.
The third view is less accessible and not advisable as it not marked and involves crossing through muddy rocky area. Walkers need to take extra caution in this area.
Retrace your steps back and continue on the path along the Sturt River, to continue on Parrianna Track. Return on Gorge trail, through Magpie Gully to the Blackwood Football Club.
The walk is 9.1 km and takes about 3 hours.
Interesting facts
In 2017, walkers reported platypus sightings in the creek. One of the hypothesis, was he was an escapee from Warrawong Sanctuary in Mylor.
In 1927 two 16 years old boys, drowned in the Sturt River, at the Cave Hole, a popular swimming spot upstream from where the flood control dam is now situated.
Local community erected a memorial in the form of a drinking fountain, east of the Blackwood roundabout, in the honour of one of the boys, Frank Collins who drowned trying to save his friend.
Friends of Sturt Gorge organisation, is a good resource for information regarding Sturt Gorge Conservation Park
Website link https://fosg.org.au
Explore other walks in Sturt Gorge Park https://aussietrailwalker.com/craigburn-farm-little-river-hiking-trail