If you’re looking to get outside and have a new adventure in the Onkaparinga River National Park, Google Street View will show you the way before you leave home.
Thirty of South Australia’s national parks have been brought to life in Google Maps thanks to a collaboration between Google and the state government.
For five months, Google loaned National Parks and Wildlife Service South Australia a Google Street View Trekker. Rangers wore the high-tech backpack with a built-in 360-degree camera to capture more than 600km of walking trails, park roads, campgrounds and waterways in some of the state’s most picturesque locations.
Google Street View is a great way to inspect the facilities the Onkaparinga River National Park has on offer. The technology is especially helpful for people who need to accommodate accessibility requirements, families with young children travelling on wheels either in a pram or on a bike, and those visiting parks in a group with varying ages and fitness levels among them.
Included in the mapping is Pink Gum Campground, located on the eastern corner of Onkaparinga River National Park near the McLaren Vale wine region, as well as several walking trails and shared use trails for walkers and mountain bike riders.
Pink Gum Campground is the closest campground to Adelaide operated by a national park. The unpowered campsites are flat and made of compacted dirt and gravel, easily accessible by two-wheel drive vehicles. A spacious communal grassy area is shaded by towering pink gum trees, perfect for enjoying a game of cricket.
You can book a campsite before you go at parks.sa.gov.au. Be aware of fire restrictions in place at your time of travel via cfs.sa.gov.au. Remember that national parks are dog-free zones, and you must bring your own firewood for wood fires as collecting firewood within national parks is prohibited.
The Onkaparinga River National Park rock climbing zone is popular among those with appropriate training, experience and equipment for rock climbing and abseiling. The view of the gorge from the rock-climbing area is spectacular.
A kayak and canoe launch equipped with steps and a ramp is located nearby the park’s main entrance on Perry’s Bend.
Mountain bike riders can access the shared trails downstream from the campground on the northern side of the gorge. Bushwalkers will enjoy two main trails that depart from the campground.
The River Hike leads down to the gorge and its rock pools, or you can follow the gorge downstream to join one of the many other trails and lookouts.
MORE INFORMATION
parks.sa.gov.au/get-inspired/google-street-view-trekker