Copper Coast Rail Trail | Family Friendly Bike Trail | Review

The Copper Coast Rail Trail is an off-road, sealed bike trail that’s mostly flat, family friendly, and a great way to see the sights in Moonta, Wallaroo and Kadina.

Review by Claire Davill

The Copper Coast Rail Trail follows the old railway line between the three towns, and there are shelters at intervals, bike repair stations, clearly signed road crossings, and a few points of interest along the way. Toilets are available along the trail at Moonta, Wallaroo, and Kadina.

The section between Moonta and Wallaroo starts at the Moonta Tourist office, and passes through the Moonta Mines area before heading north at the old Cross Roads railway station. This section is 17km long, and might be too long a section for younger children to ride the whole way. The trail passes through farmland and provides a good view of the Wheal Hughes mine, but there are not many features after this.

The section between Wallaroo and Kadina is far more kid-friendly, with a distance of 8km between the two towns. We recommend starting at the Wallaroo Adventure Playground, where there are toilets, plenty of parking, and lots to see. Make sure to check out the small SAR rail car next to the trail here.

From this point, there are a few road crossings as you ride out of the Wallaroo township. These are all clearly marked with bright warning posts to remind you to stop and check for traffic. Most of the road crossings are minor roads and there are few cars at most times.

As you leave Wallaroo, you’ll pass through more farmland, and pass the old Kadina Racecourse, with old crumbling buildings visible from the trail. The trail then passes through Wallaroo Mines (actually closer to Kadina than Wallaroo), with lots of old miner’s cottages lining the streets either side of the trail. The trail passes through a corridor of pine trees, ending at a large roundabout in Kadina, where some of the old train tracks still remain. There is a shelter and car parking just before the roundabout, and this is a perfect place to end your ride.

From here, it’s not too far to some of Kadina’s attractions such as the Miniature Railway, Putt Putt Golf, or the impressive Victoria Square playground.

Because the trail is flat, it’s an easy ride and the return trip between Wallaroo and Kadina should be manageable for little cyclists, with some rests in between. Alternatively, you can drop off your cyclists (with an adult present) and park at the other end, or ride as far as you feel comfortable out of Wallaroo before returning.

The Copper Coast is approximately 2 hours drive from Adelaide. If you are unable to transport bikes to the area yourself, there are adult and child bike hire services at Moonta and Wallaroo.

Things to Consider:

• While the trail is off-road, there are some road crossings along the trail. Make sure children are familiar with the road rules and know to stop at crossings.
• There is no water available at the shelters, so carry water bottles with you. There are drinking fountains in each town.
• The trail is quite exposed in many areas, so sunscreen is a must. It can get windy at times, but this is only likely to impact you along the Moonta-Wallaroo section.
• The trail is clearly signposted, but check out the map on the Copper Coast website to find the start and end points.

Our favourite nearby coffee spots/cafes:

• Bond Store in Wallaroo
• Nook and Nourish Cafe in Moonta
• Fern and Me Coffeehouse in Kadina

Locations:

Wallaroo Adventure Playground, John Terrace, Wallaroo

Powell Terrace, Kadina

Moonta Visitor Information Centre

DISCOVER MORE PLACES TO VISIT IN MOONTA

For more information and all enquiries please visit the Copper Coast Cycling and Walking Trails website

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.

As per all our Play & Go reviews, this is not a sponsored post and our review is done completely independently. All photos are by Play & Go.

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