Where to find wildflowers close to Adelaide

As the weath­er warms and the days get longer, Mark Oliphant Con­ser­va­tion Park, Scott Creek Con­ser­va­tion Park, and Belair Nation­al Park become vibrant with colour, show­cas­ing a wide vari­ety of native flora. 

As you enjoy the sights, it’s impor­tant to remem­ber that many of these del­i­cate plants are eas­i­ly tram­pled, so stick­ing to des­ig­nat­ed tracks and trails is impor­tant to pro­tect these frag­ile plants. 

Here’s what you can expect to see in each of these parks and some rec­om­men­da­tions for the best walks to take in the sights. 

Mark Oliphant Con­ser­va­tion Park

Nes­tled with­in the Ade­laide Hills, Mark Oliphant Con­ser­va­tion Park offers a diverse range of plant life. The for­est canopy is dom­i­nat­ed by Mess­mate and Brown Stringy­bark, with pock­ets of Can­dle­bark, Man­na, Pink, and Blue Gum adding to the park’s character.

As you wan­der through, look out for spring-flow­er­ing plants such as the Myr­tle-leaved Wat­tle (Aca­cia myr­ti­fo­lia), Beaked Hakea (Hakea ros­tra­ta), Large-leaved Bush Pea (Pul­te­naea daph­noides), and Sil­ver Banksia (Banksia mar­gina­ta). Dur­ing late win­ter and ear­ly spring, you’ll be greet­ed by the beau­ti­ful pink flow­ers of the Com­mon Heath (Epacris impres­sa) in full bloom.

As spring pro­gress­es, small­er herba­ceous plants like lilies and orchids steal the show. 

Keep your eyes peeled for Spi­der Orchids (Calade­nia sp.), Don­key Orchids (Diuris sp.), Sun Orchids (The­lymi­tra sp.), Twin­ing Fringe Lily (Thysan­otus pater­sonii), and Creamy Can­dles (Stack­hou­sia sp.).

Best Walks: The Bandi­coot Trail and Heath Trail offer excel­lent oppor­tu­ni­ties to explore the diverse envi­ron­ments with­in the park while enjoy­ing the wild­flower displays.

Scott Creek Con­ser­va­tion Park

The recov­ery jour­ney of Scott Creek Con­ser­va­tion Park fol­low­ing the dev­as­tat­ing Cher­ry Gar­dens Bush­fire in 2021 is noth­ing short of remarkable. 

Today, the park is awash with the yel­low blooms of var­i­ous wat­tle species, includ­ing Aca­cia pyc­nan­tha, Aca­cia myr­ti­fo­lia, and Aca­cia ver­ni­ci­flua. These resilient pio­neers are a tes­ta­ment to nature’s abil­i­ty to regen­er­ate after fire.

Cur­rent­ly, you can also spot the del­i­cate white flow­ers of Whittaker’s Sun­dew (Drosera whit­tak­eri) along the track edges. This car­niv­o­rous plant catch­es insects with its sticky leaves, a clever adap­ta­tion for sur­viv­ing in nutri­ent-poor soils.

As spring unfolds, a rich array of lilies and orchids will bloom, includ­ing Spi­der Orchids, Don­key Orchids, Sun Orchids, Pur­ple Cock­a­too (Glos­so­dia major), Twin­ing Fringe Lily, and Creamy Candles. 

You might also catch a whiff of the Choco­late Lily (Anthro­podi­um stric­tum), a flower known for its dis­tinct choco­late scent (sign us up!).

Best Walks: For a scenic overview, head to Tom’s Seat along the Petroica Loop, where you can take in both the flow­er­ing wat­tles and expan­sive views out to the ocean. For a longer trek, the Calade­nia Loop offers a more immer­sive experience.

Belair Nation­al Park

Belair Nation­al Park boasts a mix of veg­e­ta­tion types, with the east­ern side show­cas­ing open forests with an under­storey of shrubs and bush­es gen­er­al­ly with hard or often prick­ly leaves sim­i­lar to those found in Mark Oliphant and Scott Creek Con­ser­va­tion Parks. The west­ern side fea­tures open grassy wood­lands, where herba­ceous wild­flow­ers like orchids, lilies, and small shrubs dom­i­nate the scene.

The icon­ic Gold­en Wat­tle (Aca­cia pyc­nan­tha), Australia’s flo­ral emblem, is com­mon­ly seen, along with var­i­ous daisies (Olearia sp.). Whether you’re explor­ing wood­lands or, Belair’s diverse land­scapes offer a range of wild­flower experiences.

Best Walks: For grassy wood­lands, try the Micro­carpa Loop. For forests, the Water­fall Hike is a good choice. If you’re after a short­er walk, the RSL Walk through Sparke’s Gul­lytakes you through a lush envi­ron­ment where plants thrive in wet­ter conditions.

Pro­tect­ing our pre­cious flora

While enjoy­ing these wild­flower hotspots, it’s essen­tial to tread light­ly. Many of these plants are sen­si­tive to dis­tur­bance, with some species grow­ing only a few leaves above ground, mak­ing them easy to miss — and acci­den­tal­ly step on. By stay­ing on marked trails, you can help pro­tect these pre­cious plants so oth­ers can enjoy their beauty. 

Park of the Month 

This Sep­tem­ber, join us in cel­e­brat­ing Belair Nation­al Park, Scott Creek Con­ser­va­tion Park, and Mark Oliphant Con­ser­va­tion Park and our Parks of the Month!

Explore a vari­ety of events, from art in the park to wild­flower walks, guid­ed bird­watch­ing, and more. Check the web­site for all the details. 

Images are cour­tesy of Peter Watton.