3 undercover things to do in parks when it’s raining

Watch­ing the South Aus­tralian rain radar and won­der­ing when you can get out of the house? 

With 358 parks and count­less nat­ur­al expe­ri­ences across South Aus­tralia, there are lots of things you can do and stay dry too.

1. Snug­gle up in a her­itage cottage

Wet weath­er calls for crea­ture com­forts and if you pre­fer glamp­ing over camp­ing, a vari­ety of roofed accom­mo­da­tion options are avail­able in South Australia’s nation­al parks. 

Cle­land Cot­tage, Cle­land Nation­al Park

Enjoy this unique and peace­ful cot­tage with­in Cle­land Nation­al Park, fea­tur­ing panoram­ic views through the trees over­look­ing the city of Ade­laide. Sleep­ing up to 10 peo­ple in three bed­rooms (2 queens and 3 sets of bunks) the cot­tage is per­fect for a group or two families. 

You’ll be with­in walk­ing dis­tance of the Mount Lofty Sum­mit and Cle­land Wildlife Park where you can stop in at the Bark­ing Gecko Café for a barista made coffee. 

Mays Home­stead and Post­mans Cot­tage, Flinders Chase Nation­al Park 

Burnt down in the Kan­ga­roo Island bush­fires of 2019 – 20, 2 recent­ly restored state her­itage-list­ed cot­tages are your per­fect escape from the wet weather. 

Post­mans Cot­tage is suit­able for 2 guests and fea­tures an open lounge, great for a lazy day indoors, along with a ful­ly equipped kitchen so you can cook up a storm. 

Take the oppor­tu­ni­ty to dis­con­nect from the busy world (there is no TV and phone recep­tion is lim­it­ed) and recon­nect with loved ones (don’t for­get to pack your favourite board games and a book).

Mays Home­stead is suit­able for 4 guests and fea­tures a cosy lounge room, full kitchen and a spa­cious bath­room. The wood-fired com­bus­tion heater in the lounge room is the per­fect spot to sit back, relax and watch the rain roll through. 

There are plen­ty more accom­mo­da­tion options to explore in nation­al parks, includ­ing the Yorke Penin­su­la, Lime­stone Coast and Flinders Ranges.

2. Enjoy a cup­pa at a cosy café

Cle­land Wildlife Park might be famous for its friend­ly faces, but did you know once you’ve hand fed the kan­ga­roos or pat­ted a koala you can retreat to the Bark­ing Gecko café to warm up or cool down? 

The onsite café is not only filled with a vari­ety of tasty menu items made from local­ly sourced ingre­di­ents, it’s tick­ing all the sus­tain­abil­i­ty box­es as well.

The café achieved zero waste to land­fill for the first time last year, and now ensures all waste from the café is either recy­cled, com­post­ed or divert­ed into Process Engi­neered Fuel (PEF) renew­able ener­gy. So you can fill up and do the right thing by the envi­ron­ment at the same time!

You can also find great cafes at Nara­coorte Caves and the recent­ly reopened café on Gran­ite Island.

3. Head underground

The cosy café at Nara­coorte Caves is just the begin­ning of the park’s attrac­tions. The park’s exten­sive net­work of caves are a des­ti­na­tion for all sea­sons because their tem­per­a­ture remains at a con­stant 17 degrees centi­grade all year round.

Just 3.5 hours from Ade­laide, the caves are part of the 800,000-year-old Nara­coorte East Range and one of the world’s most impor­tant fos­sil sites.

The Nara­coorte Caves offer both above and below ground expe­ri­ences for vis­i­tors to enjoy.

Unsure which tour options might suit you best?

Whether you want to head under­ground for a unique and enlight­en­ing cave tour or are keen to try some­thing a lit­tle more chal­leng­ing, there’s an itin­er­ary to suit every­one. We’ve com­piled the per­fect guide to help you get the most out of your next visit.

Look­ing for more to explore in parks? Check out Ranger Tips: Nara­coorte Caves Nation­al Park and How to spend a day in South Australia’s Cle­land Wildlife Park.