Find it at: Just off Onkaparinga Valley Road

Mountain biking seem a bit too much for you and the kids? Prefer the idea of road riding but concerned about the traffic? The Amy Gillett Bikeway located in the picturesque Adelaide Hills is one of a number of dedicated safe cycling routes around the state to encourage family participation and a healthy active lifestyle.

It currently stretches from Oakbank to Mount Torrens but stage four commenced construction in November 2024, which will take the pathway from its old end point in Mount Torrens at Oval Road, taking it through through to the intersection with Onkaparinga Valley Road in Birdwood, adding around 5.7km to the overall length of the bikeway. The majority of the extension runs through rural land away from roads, providing unique access to some of the Hills most beautiful scenery. Being built on an abandoned rail corridor it is wide, flat and smooth, and other than the occasional, safely marked road crossing, it is a completely off-road shared-use path for walking, cycling and horse-riding. This extension is planned to be completed in June 2025.

If you or the kids haven’t been on a bike for a while, an out and back of 11.7km x2 is probably a bit much. I would recommend doing a supported ride with Nan & Pop dropping you at Mount Torrens and riding back in towards Oakbank. This direction is predominantly downhill and gets the hard work done before you stop for a bakery or picnic lunch at the end.

If you are coming from town, simply head up the freeway and jump off at the Bridgewater turn off and you are almost there! We find parking at Gillman Road a really easy starting point (parking pic below), with a bike repair station and drinking fountain there ready to support your ride. We have done a few variations of this ride, with the Gillman Road Oakbank to Charleston and back taking about 18km and roughly 2 hours including rest stops. There is a nice playground at Charleston (Find it here) but Woodside is a better option for a cafe/snack pit stop. We also love the Woodside BMX track (the bikeway travels right past it) for a rest stop and the kids can do a few laps if they want.

There are so many stunning spots in the Adelaide Hills to really make a day of it when you hit up the bikeway.

  • Why not visit the famous Melba’s Chocolate Factory at Woodside
  • Find a family friendly place to eat in the Adelaide Hills here.
  • Kids not tired yet? We have plenty of beautiful hills playgrounds you can find here.

Trail forks have all the biking terrain specifics to get your head around here!

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