An Epic Adelaide Parklands Dog Walk

Updated June 3, 2021

How many people have seen all of the parklands of the square mile of Adelaide? How many dogs?

I have previously shared with you my favourite off-the-beaten-track dog walks around Adelaide, but this one is a celebration of the unique parklands that are the pride of Adelaide.

How To Follow The Walk

The full walk takes three to four hours, but it can also be done in segments. Most dogs should be able to easily walk the whole way.

I’ve tried to include the most interesting and neglected parts of the parklands. Therefore, it’s worth following the route closely if you can.

If you have a Strava account, you can view or download the route here , which can be used for navigation (e.g. via the GPX Tracker app).

Otherwise you can look at the map above, read my waymarks here, and view the image gallery below. If you make some mistakes you might even find some better places!

Some Explanatory Notes

Refer to the numbers in the map above. All directions assume you do the walk anticlockwise.

1. Along the Torrens, follow the path under all the bridges. Road crossings after this are all at pedestrian crossing points.
2. The only shop on the route is attached to the golf course at the north end of the Torrens weir. At this point look for the gravel path opposite (not the stairs) just before crossing the weir.
3. Go through the tunnel under the rail bridge and shortly afterwards cross the Torrens and turn left. Just before the Torrens crossing, you can instead take a detour to a large off leash dog area (marked).
4. Don’t do what I did by keeping on going here when you should turn up before the jail just after the playground at Bonython Park.
5. Once on Gaol Road, look for the small gravel walking track on the right at the gate. It’s a shortcut that also goes right past the police dog training area.
6. After crossing Port Road at the lights, you can go directly up the gravel path on the right (lined with poles) but you’ll then need to go down a pathless grassy hill. Otherwise turn right on the footpath and pick up the first entry on the left after this.
7. Look for a walk-through sculpture by turning right and looping around the outside of the park here.
8. Follow the bike path until over Henley Beach Road and then take the railway pedestrian crossing and the rail underpass. Climb the dirt bank and you’re on a gravel path by the rail line.
9. From here until the cemetery, pram and wheelchair access is difficult in many areas. You could improve it by sticking to the bike paths instead.
10. Through the cemetery, the correct path has a red tarmac surface.
11. Once exiting the cemetery near the war graves area, you are advised to follow the best-marked path (not what I did) and then double back left along Anzac Highway to the crossing. The route I have mapped involves a scramble over a ditch and is not ideal.
12. The South parklands section is all on marked paths until after Glen Osmond Road. You can also make a detour to the Pityarilla Dog Parks (marked).
13. Walk between the Japanese garden and South terrace until you cross Hutt Road at the lights.
14. Follow the avenue of ancient elms. There’s a hard path on the right, then it’s either soft mulch or grass.
15. Victoria Park is off leash and has dog water available.
16. You have to follow the bike path along Hackney Road here as dogs aren’t allowed in the Botanic Gardens.
17. This is cross-country aiming for the end of the zoo, but you could keep along Hackney Road and then left along Botanic Drive if you prefer a harder surface. Then it’s right and down to the Torrens footbridge.

Parking on weekends is often is available near the route at:

• War Memorial Drive, especially east of King William
• Along Gaol Road
• On Sir Donald Bradman Drive
• Along Beaumont Road and East Terrace

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. Please leave any comments or updates below!

Disclaimer: my descriptions are not guaranteed to be accurate and the situation on the ground will change without notice. Therefore, please use your judgement and only go where you feel it safe to do so. Some areas along this walk are quite secluded and dangerous for a solitary person.

Related: Dog Parks Of The Adelaide Metro Area

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By Andrew Spanner BVSc(Hons) MVetStud, a vet in Adelaide, Australia. Meet his team here.