HALLETT COVE (SA)
CONSERVATION PARK

This is the south boundary of the park. An easy sealed path leads us towards the protruding Black Cliff.

Return distance : 2.5 km ;    Time : 1 hr 30 mins

We begin and end our walk at the south entrance to the park.
The path with striated boardwalk sections is straightforwad and easy apart from a short climb at Black Cliff.
We take the coloured loop walk on our return. This is a little more demanding, but definitely worth the effort.
 

To reach the Park we turn off Lonsdale Road into Cove Road.
This leads us to the beach, and we park easily on the street overlooking the sea.
We can see the south end of the Conservation Park to the right, and it is an easy walk to get there,
either along the street or along the coastal track in front of us.

The beach has a little geology of its own.

Three boards by the path give an introduction to the sights and formation of the Park.

 

Along the path, the various geological features are well signposted.
Here the rocks show evidence of ripples left by an ancient current.

As well as covering the rock formations, information is given about animals and birds and plants.

The sealed track is easy walking. Here the first of two turn-offs to the right leads to the Sugarloaf.
We shall return this way, so proceed straight ahead.

We are told to look out for lizards, and here on cue, a stumpy-tailed lizard appears.
He is not afraid of us!

We are coming closer to Black Hill. Although it is still Spring, the weather is warm and the grass is drying off.

At the base of the bluff ahead of us a side track to the left takes us down to the beach – a place of contemplation!
The zig-zag track to the top of Black Cliff is the hardest section of the main coastal path – not very difficult!

There are great views from the Black Cliff lookout.
The sweep of the coastline, signs of civilization at centre, and features of the Park towards the left.
Two more information boards to investigate ....

Looking more closely towards the left we get our first view of the intriguing nature of this Park –
the so-called Sugarloaf and Amphitheatre.

Looking down to the right from the lookout, we see a different rocky formation.
Some powerful forces have been at work here in the past.

Immediately to the north of the lookout is this section of glaciated rock.

We leave the lookout and continue along the coastal boardwalk.
The cliff drops away steeply to our left, and below, the sand struggles to appear through the striated rocky ‘beach’.

An optional descent to the sea may entice more energetic walkers.
At the junction of the paths a marooned rock has been creatively framed.

The landscape now changes as we descend a few steps and cross over Waterfall Creek.
The boardwalk continues on the other side.

Visiting in the cooler weather increases the probability of seeing flowing water and flowers!

There is certainly no shortage of information boards ... .
Classes of students are often found roaming the Park, folders in hand, hopefully gleaning knowledge!

One might wonder about the presence of a lake on this steep slope.
The boardwalk continues, and in the distance we see another (optional!) descent, this time to the top of the cliff.

We walk a few steps down to a lookout with a view along the shore.
Of course, what goes down must come up again ... .

This is the last of the information boards along the boardwalk.
It tells of a sea floor laid some four million years ago ... .

We come to the end of the boardwalk.
The track to the right leads to the Cove Railway Station.
The path straight ahead brings us to the northern border of the Park.

We turn and retrace our steps until we arrive at Waterfall Creek.
Across the creek we find an unsealed track snaking quite steeply up the hillside.
This is our chosen path!

This track is quite steep, and the scenery unrewarding.
The board tells us that it is not easy for the wildlife either.

But now we come to our first reward: a vista stretching from the geological formations at left across to the blue sea.

And for an even wider view ...

We are about to descend to the Amphitheatre. A magpie enjoys the view with me.
The path and steps are well made and provide secure footing, although wet weather might make conditions slippery.

The path to the Sugarloaf is fenced and well marked.
We observe the caves and the colourful shades of the Sugarloaf and Amphitheatre wall.

Colours and textures ... .

The close up view here is quite spectacular.

This solitary white cliff rises up unexpectedly.

From here we are descending towards our original path, but we take a left turn to see the Sugarloaf.
Here we find more striking colours and textures at the base of the Sugarloaf.

Finally, the amazing Sugarloaf, shaped by wind and erosion over thousands of years.

The path takes us right around the Sugarloaf, and down to the base track.
From here it is just a short walk back to the south entrance of the Park.
An excellent outing, full of interest, and an easy work-out as well!