A’hoy mateys! It’s time to explore the Adelaide Park Lands. Can you crack all of our tricky clues and find the 3 secret destinations? Get the family together these school holidays and get set for the adventure of a lifetime!

Check out our review of the 1st Park Lands Treausre Map below and here’s a link to the 2nd Map to continue the fun!

The Adelaide City Council have created a range of activities that are aimed at getting kids active and recently launched their first Adelaide Park Lands Treasure Map. One of our lucky local families got to go put the first map through it’s paces and had a great time! It definitely got the kids active too as they couldn’t finish it all before they fell asleep, but no one ever complained about 3 sleeping kids! Check out their review below and take the family yourself this weekend – all you need to do is head HERE to print off this full scale map, pack a treasure-filled picnic and head off for a great family day out! (there are some helpful hints and directions on the bottom of the link page for parents too!)

… “I had the incredible opportunity to take my 3 kidlets to the try out the new Adelaide Park Lands Treasure Map.  I brought my amazing mum with me for a little assistance to help tackle my golf-club wielding 7, 5 and 3 year olds along the way! The treasure map idea was an instant hit with the older kids, who ‘helped’ navigate through to the right starting point at the Adelaide Par 3 golf course on War Memorial Drive. I had no idea this 18 hole mini course even existed and originally thought we were bound for the North Adelaide Golf Club, but this little gem of a Par 3 course is located right on the river Torrens alongside the Torrens Weir, behind the River Café. We went mid week and we’re lucky to get a beautiful sunny spring day.

There are plenty of 4 hour car parks along War memorial drive so if you’re planning on doing the whole treasure map by foot, bike or scooter then they would be perfect, but the golf club also has a designated 2 hour car park too. We were supplied with golf clubs and I was grateful they even had left handed junior clubs for my 7 year old which was brilliant. There were even tiny clubs for my 5 and 3 year olds (so cute!). We set off with our clubs, bag, balls and score card.  There is a practice putting green and after a few holes we set off to the first hole.

We had an absolute blast and didn’t think it would go nearly as well with all 3 kids in tow. The beautiful day and something new to do together helped us all have a lot of fun while learning some new skills and keeping active. We only managed 9 holes in one and a half hours as 3 kids taking on average 8 shots per hole took its time! On our way out my 7 year old avid golfer, was pretty happy with this course and commented that he would like daddy to bring him back one day. It was a great morning and such an easy course to navigate with some challenges thrown in for the adults!!!

By this time it was nearly lunch and the kids were getting hungry. Following the map, we set off to grab some snacks at the Bonython Park kiosk and follow it up with another hour of play at the awesome playground there. I think we actually took a short cut than the actual route shown on the map, but it didn’t matter at all. (If you’re not sure where the playground and kiosk are before you leave, there is a more detailed map show below – otherwise it’s a big Park to wander around trying to find it!)

If you’ve never been to Bonython Park playround, then check out our full review HERE of this great ‘nature playground’. Our kids love the different equipment like the seated flying foxes, the ‘mouse run’ and the water feature. The kiosk nearby is great for coffee and snacks but doesn’t serve too many more substantial offerings.

If your kids still have any energy left to burn and you can pry them off the playground, ride/walk/scoot past the police horses to the Adelaide Gaol!

There’s always something fascinating about stepping back in time, especially when it involves places with the history of Adelaide Gaol. The volunteer guides are FULL of knowledge about the gaol and it’s history, including some really cool (and spooky) stories about some of their most infamous inmates. The Gaol is a great place to take kids – especially those school age and up who will find the stories of it’s past pretty interesting. You can decide what you do and don’t tell the younger members of the family from the info boards, so that you don’t scare them too much! Did you know the Adelaide Gaol is Australia’s longest continuous running prison and one of Adelaide’s oldest buildings built in 1841? You can check out what a typical cell from the 1800s looked like, see the hanging tower, and the spot where many of the executed prisoners are buried within the perimiter walls. It’s truly fascinating!

One of the coolest parts about the Adelaide Gaol is that they have recently re-opened their guided tours and this includes the awesome sounding ghost tours!! A bit out of the age bracket for my kids, but I will be back with my 13 year old nephew who would think that is “SO COOL!”

There are a number of Treasure Maps to experience – check them all out here:

Map 1

Map 2

*some images from Adelaide Gaol’s website and Facebook page