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MORIALTA : HOUSE LOOP
Circuit : 1 hour, 30 minutes, 5 km |
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ROCKY HILL
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HOUSE
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 This is a pleasant, if unspectacular, walk that bounds the eastern side of the Park. We start at the old Morialta House on Colonial Drive. There is adequate car parking near where Green Valley Drive joins Colonial Drive. Morialta House was built in 1847 as the home of pastoralist Thomas Baker.
Just beyond the house, there is no missing this entry to the Park!
On the other hand, two minutes into the Park, it is easy to miss our track up to Moore’s Road, through this gate.
Following this gently rising track for ten minutes brings us out on Moore’s Road. Looking back, there are no helpful signs either. This is one of those tracks over privately owned land.
We turn left and follow up Moore’s Road for about ten minutes, arriving at the entrance to the Third Fall Track. This is well sign posted with the walkway at right.
This track follows along the crest of a ridge, and has been quite widely cleared in the past, probably as a fire break. Not so effective just now!
One of the great pleasures of these walks is meeting up with the locals. I came across four kangaroos today, only two of which cooperated with the photographer ...
The track arrives at this pylon, which indicates the Pylon Track turn-off.
Sign posting within Morialta Park is excellent.
At this point we can turn off to walk the Pylon Track – Centre Track – Twin Creek Track loop. This adds about 1.5 km and half an hour to this walk, and apart from exercise, I’m not sure that the rewards justify the effort. The Pylon Track plummets down into a valley, and climbs steeply up the other side. The Twin Creeks Track descends in an impossible and treacherous way. The creeks in the valley would be pretty in season, but then the tracks might be even worse.
The Twin Creeks Track rejoins Third Fall Track, and after a further hundred metres we arrive at the Climbers Track turn-off and access to Third Fall. This big fellow was wary of me and kept his distance.  The return leg up Colonial Track overlaps the Barns Loop for 200 metres as we pass the Morialta vineyards ...
... and see the Morialta Barns in the distance. This track runs along the Park boundary.
Hosts of black and oranage butterflies accompanied me along this section. Not all gum trees are alike ...
We arrive back at the Morialta House turnoff, and return to the car. |
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ROCKY HILL
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HOUSE
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