Outdoor Adventures 2 | Adelaide for Kids – The Ultimate Family Guide

FREE Water Play in Adelaide

When it’s hot in Adelaide, it’s really bloody hot. So here are some great parks where you can find FREE shade, water, and some playground fun to keep the kids happy and the electricity bill down. As always PLEASE be very careful with your kids around water. We love kids exploring, having fun in nature and having a splash but you need to watch them at all times! And don’t forget to slip, slop, slap and wrap! All of the places...

Monarto Safari Park

Are you ready to explore the wild?Discover the largest safari experience outside of Africa. Spanning more than 1,500 hectares and home to more than 50 species of exotic and native animals, you can fit every major Australian zoo within Monarto Safari Park and still have land left over!. Walk the wildBreathe in the fresh air, stretch your legs and explore the open plains of Monarto Safari Park. With 12kms of walking trails between the new Visitor...

Adelaide Zoo

Find it at: Adelaide Zoo (Frome Rd, Adelaide) Meet Adelaide Zoo’s New Panda Duo: Xing Qiu & Yi Lan Xing Qiu (shing chee-yull) and Yi Lan (ee-lun) are settling into their new home at Adelaide Zoo’s Bamboo Forest, since arriving on 21 January 2025! Xing Qiu, a three-year-old male, is a handsome guy with a chill yet playful vibe. His name means “Star Autumn,” a nod to the twinkling sky on the night he was born. Yi Lan, also three,...

The Hahndorf Farm Barn

Find it at: Mount Barker Road, Hahndorf Adelaide’s Hahndorf Farm Barn is a unique blend of a children’s farmyard and wildlife park. You can hold, touch and feed most of the animals in complete safety and at your own comfort level. Find out how animals are born, grow and live on a farm. A visit to Adelaide’s Hahndorf Farm Barn is not just about family fun activities or keeping the kids entertained –...

Drive On Beaches in Adelaide and South Australia

South Australia is blessed with stunning family friendly beaches, and scattered around the metro and regional areas of Adelaide are beaches you can drive on! An iconic South Australian family day out, taking the car onto the beach for a day (and filling the car with sandy feet on the way out) is one of our favourite things to do on a hot Adelaide day. We are blessed as one of only two states where beach driving is unregulated, so respecting the...

Coffin Bay National Park

Looking for a family-friendly adventure that combines stunning landscapes, wildlife encounters, and plenty of space for the kids to explore? Coffin Bay National Park, on South Australia’s breathtaking Eyre Peninsula, ticks all the boxes. Whether it’s 4WDing, spotting kangaroos, bushwalking, splashing in crystal-clear waters, or sliding down massive sand dunes, this natural wonderland has something to delight every member of the family....

@Birdwood Pick Your Own Cherries, Adelaide Hills

Cherry picking… not as you know it! There is a new Adelaide Hills spot for pick your own cherries and we couldn’t be more thrilled! @Birdwood PYO Cherries is brought to you by the same family who run @Lenswood PYO Apples and just like they have shaken up the apple picking scene in South Australia, they are bringing their unique twist to cherry picking in December. Let’s go! You’ll find @Birdwood PYO minutes away from The...

Ultimate Guide to Adelaide’s Best Playgrounds

(Not So) Secret Swimming Spots in S.A

Ahhh summer in South Australia. The perfect time to pack up the car & head to one of our many beautiful beaches, lakes or springs for a swim. We have dived in (see what I did there?) to find the best spots to cool off. No matter the age or swimming level of your kids there is sure to be somewhere in the list below that is perfect for your family. There are beaches that are perfect for boogie boards, rockpools to discover our marine life,...

Where to Pick Your Own Fruit in Adelaide

Fruit just tastes better when you’ve picked it yourself, doesn’t it? Thankfully there are heaps of places across Adelaide where you can take the whole family and pick to your hearts content. Whether it’s strawberries, blueberries, citrus, apples, figs, we have found the best spots to trick your kids into a bit of exercise, fresh air and healthy eating all rolled into a fun, family day out! Bear in mind that all of the below picking spots have...

Harvest the Fleurieu, Mount Compass

PYO open 9am-4pm Cafe & Market Hall open 8am-5pm Strawberry season is finally here in South Australia which means it’s time to plan your visit to Harvest the Fleurieu in Mount Compass. If you’ve never visited before, now is the time to make the trip! Their season has just kicked off which means their deliciously sweet strawberries are plentiful and it is the perfect time for picking. Go wild as you fill your punnets to the brim...

Adelaide’s Best Pram Walks

One of those things that you just do not understand until you’ve had kids is how excellent a well timed pram walk can be. There’s something about that perfect ratio of smooth with a few soothing bumps and long enough to last at least one sleep cycle that will have you driving back to the same place every time you’re desperate for a bit of exercise…..or desperate to get bubs to sleep. We’ve had A LOT of babies over the years here at KiA so we’ve...

Family Day Trips from Adelaide

I remember when I was a kid, we would pack up the car and drive into the Adelaide Hills with no destination in mind. Every time we got to an intersection we’d take turns in saying left, right or straight and we’d just see where we’d end up. I remember ending up at Lady Bay once and Strathalbyn another time – it was fun. If destination unknown isn’t your cup of tea, here are a few of our favourite day trips from Adelaide that will get you home...

Take the Kids Fishing in South Australia

Here are five great places to fish with young kids around Adelaide (with out a boat). 1. Westlakes Outlet Westlakes outlet is a great spot to fish with kids. There is close car parking, easy to access areas to fish and plenty of fish to catch for the kids. Expect to catch mullet, salmon trout and bream, but in this water body you will always get surprises with multiple species living in the area. You can fish this area year round and the best...

The Best Climbing Trees in Adelaide

When was the last time you said to your kids “go climb that tree?”or “get down from that tree!” Likely, it may have been a while. Tree climbing adventures have seemed to have disappeared off the after school hit list radar. Close your eyes … and remember back to your favourite tree to climb as a kid. Do your kids have one? When tree climbing, assess the risks like you do a playground and let them learn as we did...

Umpherston Sinkhole, Mt Gambier

Insty famous Umpherston Sinkhole is located in Mt Gambier around 5 hours drive from Adelaide on the Limestone Coast. Where: Jubilee Highway E, Mt Gambier Once a cave formed through dissolution of the limestone. The sinkhole was created when the top of the chamber collapsed downwards creating the perfect environment for growing. Enter James Umpherston in 1886 who turned the space into the incredibly beautiful sunken garden that it is today. Full...

Naracoorte Caves

Pop quiz. What is South Australia’s only World Heritage site? If you answered Magic Mountain you would not technically be right, but you should be. No, it’s the Naracoorte Caves of course. I would like to think that most South Australians have at least heard of the caves, or have already been. For me my last visit was 10 years ago but like a lot of places, it constantly changes and updates so for me it was like a whole new experience on this...

Ghost Mushroom Lane | Mount Gambier SA

**Ghost Mushroom Lane is closed in 2025** Ever heard of ‘Glow Trees’? Ghost Mushroom Lane is a is a REAL place! The Ghost Mushroom is native to Australia and it glows green in the night…..If you’re heading down around our states south east / Mount Gambier between May and the end of June, an evening visit here is worth braving the cold and dark. Ghost Mushroom Season Info According to Forestry SA, to see the Ghost...

Barton’s Forest Ruins

Find it at: Hay Flat Rd Torrens Vale. Attention adventurers! Rug up in your nature play onesie’s and take the family to explore some secret Adelaide awesomeness! Not far from the epic Ingalla Falls (these are amazing after a decent rain) is this magical place called Barton’s Forest Ruins on Hay Flat Road at Torrens Vale….which looks just like a magical slice of Narnia plucked from the books and dropped down the Fleurieu. There...

Goolwa Barrage, Fleurieu Peninsula

If you are spending a day or a weekend with your family in Goolwa, Port Elliot, Victor Harbor or anywhere on the Fleurieu Peninsula, a visit to the Goolwa Barrage is a must! Not only does it play an important part in the water flow and management of the Coorong, Murray River and Lower Lakes there is also some stunning birdlife to see and the main attraction – seals playing in the water and lazing in the sun on the barrage structures....

The Silos of South Australia

How about a road trip with a twist? As the Silo art craze spreads across rural South Australia we say YES please to exploring new places in our backyard with colourful art that has popped up over the year on silos across SA.What I think is really awesome is these towns want YOU to visit them and that is why they have invested in such a great feature all for US to explore. Say hello to South Australia’s LARGEST outdoor Art Galleries…...

TreeClimb Adelaide

Move over Tarzan, TreeClimb Adelaide is calling all energetic, outdoors loving adventurers – young and old! Kids from 3 years old, adults, thrill-seekers, nature enthusiasts and curious adventurers can walk, climb and swing your way around the elevated tree-walk courses, 70 obstacles and heaps of zip lines at both locations. You seriously need to check out TreeClimb – it is FUN, MASSIVE and IMPRESSIVE. A session at TreeClimb...

TreeClimb Kuitpo Forest

Looking for an outdoor adventure in the countryside? Look no further than TreeClimb Kuitpo Forest! Just like the Adelaide TreeClimb It offers heaps of treetop fun, with ropes challenges, a zipline over the Heysen Trail and options for the whole family including the Kids Course, Grand Course, Family Experience and soon to open Nets Experience. The Kuitpo Forest location is on Brookman Road just down from the Chookarloo Campground –...

Whale Watching Victor Harbor

As the colder weather kicks in around Adelaide, the list of things most people want to do outside dwindles. But the exciting news is that Whale Watching season has begun! From late May right up until October, Southern Right whales return to the shores around the Encounter Bay and Victor Harbor area.Only an hour’s drive from Adelaide, the southern Fleurieu Peninsula is a whale watcher’s paradise so get some warm clothes, some binoculars and head...

Roonka River Adventure Park

While Roonka River Adventure Park has been creating memorable river adventures for more than 50 years, it’s one of the hidden family-friendly gems of the Riverland! Owned and operated by Scouts SA, it’s already well known and loved by those in the Scouting community (and savvy school camp organisers). Now families and groups of friends are discovering Roonka’s experience-based camping and group accommodation nestled on a lush, tranquil...

Gorge Wildlife Park, Cudlee Creek

The Gorge Wildlife Park is not your average wildlife park but a place where people and animals get together. Situated in the picturesque Adelaide Hills and only a 40-minute drive from Adelaide, the park offers an up-close and personal experience to an extensive range of Australian and exotic animals, birds and reptiles. We have visited many times now with kids of all ages. recently visited with the kids aged 8 and 4 and the whole family loved...

Adelaide Oval RoofClimb

If you or your kids love cricket, footy or just a bit of an adrenaline rush, you NEED to do RoofClimb at Adelaide! It’s also great for conquering fears, some family bonding or as an activity to do with interstate or overseas visitors. Got a birthday coming up this year for a tricky to buy for kid?…this is it! (Note: children 8-15 need an adult to climb with, but that’s all the more fun for you!) We gave RoofClimb a go...

Woodhouse Adventure Park (formerly Woodhouse Activity Centre)

A 54-hectare property located in the beautiful Adelaide Hills suburb of Piccadilly (around 20 mins from the CBD). Get ready for an awesome adventure-packed day out. One that will guarantee to wear the kids out and, if you’re anything like me, give those calves a decent workout. Be sure to wear your sneakers! There’s so much to do here, you can easily spend a whole day OR better yet, make a weekend of it, and camp here! Activities...

SASMEE Park Train Rides

The South Australian Society of Model & Experimental Engineers (SASMEE) is a miniature train experience your kids will LOVE you for. The objectives of the Society is to create and maintain interest in model making of all types. So there’s small machine tools, tool making and experimental engineering connected to models. This is very much a kids haven! Adults and children can experience the amazing model trains up close and personal,...

Beerenberg Pick your Own Strawberries

Strawberry Picking at Beerenberg Farm, Adelaide Hills (November to April) A red ripe freshly picked strawberry has got to be one of the tastiest things in the whole world doesn’t it? If you haven’t taken the kids fruit picking yet definitely put it on the list for the January or April school holidays, and there’s no better spot than Pick Your Own Strawberries at Beerenberg Farm in Hahndorf. It’s the perfect...