12 family friendly activities in South Australia’s national parks these school holidays

12 family friendly activities in South Australia’s national parks these school holidays



There’s so many events to get involved in these school hol­i­days thanks to the Nature Fes­ti­val (6−16 Octo­ber 2022). Here’s our top pick of activ­i­ties designed for the whole fam­i­ly in South Australia’s incred­i­ble nation­al parks.

12 family friendly activities in South Australia’s national parks these school holidays

1. Paint a boomerang at Ikara-Flinders Ranges Nation­al Park

Join park rangers and local artists for this fun and inter­ac­tive children’s activ­i­ty where you can paint your own boomerang. Use cul­tur­al themes and local­ly inspired art to paint your boomerang as you learn more about Adnya­math­anha art and cul­ture.

Where: Wilpe­na Pound Wool­shed, Ikara-Flinders Ranges Nation­al Park
When: Thurs­day, 13 Octo­ber
Cost: Free
Most suit­ed to: Kids

2. Con­nect to art and nature in Mount Remark­able Nation­al Park and Ikara-Flinders Ranges Nation­al Park

Enjoy some fam­i­ly fun and cre­ate a deep­er con­nec­tion to the local envi­ron­ment. The ses­sion will include park ranger-guid­ed activ­i­ties and games, as well as time to explore nature through art and crafts.

Where: Ikara-Flinders Ranges Nation­al Park
When: Thurs­day, 6 Octo­ber
Cost: Free
Most suit­ed to: fam­i­lies, kids with adults

Where: Mount Remark­able Nation­al Park
When: Fri­day, 7 Octo­ber
Cost: Free
Most suit­ed to: fam­i­lies, kids with adults

3. Enjoy nature-based mind­ful­ness activ­i­ties at Mori­al­ta Con­ser­va­tion Park

Recon­nect with nature at the Return to Nature: Mind­ful­ness and Nature Activ­i­ty Show­case in Mori­al­ta Con­ser­va­tion Park. Per­fect for all ages, you can enjoy a range of self-paced activ­i­ties includ­ing a nature scav­enger hunt, guid­ed walks, nature weav­ing and for­est bathing.

Where: Mori­al­ta Con­ser­va­tion Park
When: Sat­ur­day, 8 Octo­ber
Cost: Free
Most suit­ed to: All ages (super­vi­sion required for kids under 12)

4. Join rangers on a guid­ed night wildlife walk at Ikara-Flinders Ranges Nation­al Park

Join park rangers for an evening stroll along Wilpe­na Creek and look for some of the ani­mals that call Ikara-Flinders Ranges Nation­al Park home, such as west­ern quolls and yel­low-foot­ed rock wal­la­bies.

Where: Ikara-Flinders Ranges Nation­al Park
When: Mon­day, 10 Octo­ber
Cost: Free
Most suit­ed to: All ages

5. Learn how to use your eyes and ears to iden­ti­fy local feath­ered friends at Sandy Creek Con­ser­va­tion Park

Join eco­log­i­cal prac­ti­tion­er and com­mit­ted bir­do’ Phil Bar­ron to learn all about using your eyes and ears to iden­ti­fy local birds. Kids will have fun explor­ing nature while devel­op­ing handy sci­en­tif­ic skills and learn­ing about the health of their envi­ron­ment.

Where: Sandy Creek Con­ser­va­tion Park
When: Thurs­day, 13 Octo­ber
Cost: $5
Most suit­ed to: Kids (and their adults)

Brachina Gorge Geological Trail
Brachi­na Gorge Geo­log­i­cal Trail

6. Par­tic­i­pate in a tag-a-long dri­ving tour in the Ikara-Flinders Ranges Nation­al Park

Head­ed to the Ikara-Flinders Ranges Nation­al Park these school hol­i­days? Join park rangers on a tag-a-long dri­ving tour through the icon­ic Brachi­na Gorge Geo­log­i­cal Trail. You’ll see fos­sils of the first ani­mal life on Earth, and trav­el through hun­dreds of mil­lions of years of evolution.

Where: Ikara-Flinders Ranges Nation­al Park
When: Wednes­day, 12 Octo­ber
Cost: Free
Most suit­ed to: All ages (vehi­cle trav­el is on unsealed roads and is suit­ed to high clear­ance 2WD, SUV and 4WD vehicles)

7. Step up for Con­ser­va­tion at Belair Nation­al Park

Host­ed by Cre­at­ing for Con­ser­va­tion Inc, this fam­i­ly fundrais­ing walk­ing event cel­e­brates the pos­i­tive actions we can all take for nature, in nature. 

When: Sun­day, 16 Octo­ber
Where: Belair Nation­al Park
Cost: From $15
Most suit­ed to: All ages 

12 family friendly activities in South Australia’s national parks these school holidays

8. Join rangers on a guid­ed Abo­rig­i­nal Cul­tur­al Walk of Per­awurtina Cul­tur­al Site

Join Park Ranger Arthur Coulthard for a guid­ed walk around the Per­awurtina Cul­tur­al Site in the Ikara-Flinders Ranges Nation­al Park. The site has many rock engrav­ings that were made by Adnya­math­anha Peo­ple to pass on impor­tant knowl­edge such as the loca­tion of shel­ter, water and food resources.

Where: Ikara-Flinders Ranges Nation­al Park
When: Tues­day, 11 Octo­ber
Cost: Free
Most suit­ed to: All ages 

9. Learn to draw with artist Gilbert Dashorst

Take the time to enjoy nature and expe­ri­ence the joy of draw­ing in 2 of Australia’s icon­ic parks – Ikara-Flinders Ranges Nation­al Park and Mount Remark­able Nation­al Park.

Where: Ikara-Flinders Ranges Nation­al Park
When: Thurs­day, 6 Octo­ber and Fri­day, 7 Octo­ber
Cost: Free
Most suit­ed to: All ages

Where: Mount Remark­able Nation­al Park
When: Sat­ur­day, 8 Octo­ber and Sun­day, 9 Octo­ber
Cost: Free
Most suit­ed to: All ages

10. Explore Bat World at Botan­ic Park

Join the SA Fly­ing-Fox Res­cue and Edu­ca­tion team in a guid­ed tour around Ade­laide’s only fly­ing-fox colony at Botan­ic Park. You will learn all about the grey-head­ed fly­ing-fox and how vital­ly impor­tant they are to the health of our planet.

Where: Botan­ic Park
When: Sat­ur­day, 15 Octo­ber
Cost: $2
Most suit­ed to: All ages

11. Learn, cre­ate and explore at the Mur­ray Lagoon Camp­ground on Kan­ga­roo Island

Tak­ing a trip to Kan­ga­roo Island? Be sure to join park rangers and explore the sur­rounds of the Mur­ray Lagoon Camp­ground. Activ­i­ties include a bird watch­ing tour, nature scav­enger hunt and more!

Where: Mur­ray Lagoon Camp­ground, Kan­ga­roo Island
When: Sat­ur­day, 15 Octo­ber
Cost: Free
Most suit­ed to: Kids and families

12 family friendly activities in South Australia’s national parks these school holidays

12. NPWS Park of the Month in Flinders Ranges nation­al parks

Join in the fun of Park of the Month in our Flinders Ranges nation­al parks. Dur­ing the Octo­ber school hol­i­days there is an exten­sive pro­gram of activ­i­ties for all ages to enjoy. Activ­i­ties include arts and crafts for kids, nature jour­nal­ing, guid­ed walks, her­itage tours, art exhi­bi­tion and work­shops plus more. 

Where: Mount Remark­able Nation­al Park and Ikara-Flinders Ranges Nation­al Park
When: 1 – 16 Octo­ber
Cost: Most events are free, but vehi­cle entry fees apply in the parks
Most suit­ed to: All ages

If you’re look­ing for more ideas, be sure to check out the arti­cle 5 things to do in South Australia’s nation­al parks these school hol­i­days.


This con­tent was pro­duced in part­ner­ship with  Good Living