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 and embrace our landscapes.

Climbing trees builds hand eye coordination, critical thinking, gross motor skills and a whole lot of imagination along with the climb!

Here are some of our favourite climbing trees in Adelaide. We’d love to know yours so we can go check them out on our next adventure and tell everyone.

WILLOUGHBY AVE RESERVE, GLENGOWRIE

Willoughby Ave is where you’ll find the City of Marion’s BIGGEST TREE! This beautiful big fig goes up and up and out and out with all sorts of limbs and climbing nooks to try. It’s an absolute cracker! Find it here

TANGARI REGIONAL PARK

Tangari Regional Park is HUGE. 60 hectares of natural vegetation and 65 hectares of open parklands huge and is one of the few remaining large open spaces within metropolitan Adelaide. There are some HUGE trees to climb in this park if you’re brave like our friend Finn in the photo below.

BROWNHILL CREEK RECREATION PARK

This is a beautiful spot to spend a whole afternoon exploring, playing in the small creek and of course, TREE CLIMBING. There’s trees to climb and logs to balance on. It’s also dog friendly (on a leash) and parts are pram accessible. Tree fun for the whole family!


HAMISH GROVE RESERVE, ROSTREVOR

Thanks to Victoria for sending us this one on Facebook. There are 5 of these enormous fig trees here and their low limbs make for great climbing!

EAST TERRACE GLOVER PLAYGROUND – OLEA EUROPAEA (OLIVE TREE)

A great range of trees for beginner climbers being shorter trees for little legs. The trees are everywhere so there is no shortage and no sharing required!

BOTANIC PARK, ADELAIDE CITY

It is filled with some of Adelaide’s most adventurous trees. The huge Moreton Bay Fig trees have sprawling root systems that kids can climb all over and turn on their imagination caps.

Image credit gypsyheartadventures

MARSHMALLOW PARK, GLEN OSMOND

You are looking for a Ficus Macrophylla (or more commonly known as Moreton Bay Fig).
This beautiful tree you cannot miss it is is right in the middle of the playground. It’s the climbing trees of all climbing trees also with lots of hidey holes. Look closely and the trunk also appears to have a face. Once you see it, you can’t pretend its not there anymore.

FOREST OF DREAMS, HURTLE SQUARE, PULTNEY STREET

Lose yourself in the Forest of dreams with a Ficus Macrophylla. Hide in the nooks, climb like tazarn or dream the day away. The tree is behind the forest lettering at Hurtle Square off Pultney and Halifax Streets.

MT LOFTY BOTANIC GARDENS

You’d be hard pressed NOT finding a tree to climb at any botanic gardens and Mt Lofty certainly has it’s fair share of tree for climbers of all ages, abilities and brave-ness. If you can only visit once in a year, make it Autumn, it’s absolutely stunning.

TREECLIMB, SOUTH PARKLANDS, ADELAIDE CITY

We can’t possibly write a post about climbing trees without mentioning TreeClimb! Unless you have been living under a rock (or should I say tree) TreeClimb it is located in Adelaide’s South Parklands. Adelaide’s first aerial adventure park and it’s awesome! Read all about here

TreeClimb Adelaide

BRINKWORTH RESERVE, PORT LINCOLN

This is a huge space to explore all types of flora and fauna especially this huge Morten Bay Fig tree that the kids spend hours in. There are several BBQs, shelters and toilet facilities here as well as a little playground.

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