Carrick Hill Story Book Trail
Carrick Hill is an elegant English manor-style house built in 1939 surrounded by beautiful sprawling gardens. The Carrick Hill Story Book Trail takes you on a fun journey for about half a kilometre through the beautiful grounds and gardens of Carrick Hill Estate with plenty to explore and discover.
You can pick up the Carrick Hill Story Book Trail Guide from the front desk of the house.
You can experience and engage with scenes from such classics as The Hobbit, The Secret Garden, Charlotteβs Web, Jungle Book, Harry Potter and our favourite, The Magic Faraway Tree.
Children can explore and discover the natural world with all sorts of surprises along the way to find.
Older children will be familiar with the stories while the younger children will enjoy all the playful discoveries just as much.
There are things hidden up in the trees and in other hiding spots along the paths. Both my kids (3.5 & 7 yrs) delighted in finding them all.
Look out for the little red wooden information stands for information, clues or activities to do.
There are cubby houses, animals to spot, a hidden secret key, fairies, a Hobbit’s house and mystical creatures (just to name a few things – I don’t want to spoil all the surprises)! So much to encourage the imagination of children (and adults alike). You may have read these classic stories yourself as a child or recently to your children.
It’s like a story book setting with hills to roll down, grassy areas to run around, bridges to cross, creeks to follow and paths to meander through.
There are lovely shady spots to sit in and plenty of space to have a picnic all around the grounds.
We happily spent nearly 3 hours there and the kids were not keen on leaving. Another family who visited during the school holidays told me they spent four hours there and took a picnic lunch.
The best thing is that it is totally FREE to visit the gardens and grounds. There are entrance fees to tour the house. You can go along and do the Story Book Trail, play in the gardens, have a picnic there and it won’t cost you a thing.
The Carrick Hill Estate is a beautiful vista of terraces, sweeping lawns, tall hedges, and intimate gardens sprinkled with sculptures and shady trees with great views over the city and to the sea. All this is wrapped around the magnificent homestead and is truly a wonderful piece of living history in South Australia.
There is also a cafe serving a variety of hot and cold drinks, wine, biscuits, cakes and meals.
Play & Go tip for enjoying Carrick Hill Story Book Trail:
You can take strollers along the trail – I would recommend one with bigger wheels rather than one with little wheels as some of the dirt tracks may be a little hard to manoeuvre.
For more information and all enquiries please visit the Carrick Hill website or phone 8433 1700.
What: Carrick Hill – Story Book Trail
When: Wednesday to Sundays and Public Holidays 10am to 4:30pm (Closed Christmas Day & Good Friday. Closed Anzac Day until 12 noon)
Where: 46 Carrick Hill Drive, Springfield | Map
Who: Everyone
All photos by Play & Go Adelaide
At Play & Go Adelaide we make every effort to provide accurate information to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication. We recommend confirming times, dates and details directly before making any plans as details may be subject to change.
SUBSCRIBE
Want to get all the latest events and activities straight to your inbox?
Subscribe to our weekly email newsletter below to keep up to date with our latest posts and find out all the best events & activities for Adelaide families. Newsletters are only sent once a week, and you may sometimes get a special offer exclusively for our subscribers only!
Hi just wanting times and dates for story time trails. Thank you Danielle
Hi Danielle
The Story Book Trail is available to do any time that Carrick Hill is open. Please see the link to the Carrick Hill website with their opening times from Wednesday to Sunday each week. Just grab a map from the house and follow the trail. Enjoy π