Discover the Laratinga Wetlands Bike Ride and Keith Stephenson Playground in Mount Barker.
There’s no doubt Mt Barker is booming, however a visit to the Laratinga Wetlands and a ride along the bike paths winding through Mt Barker reveal this town still has a quiet side.
Heading down the South-Eastern Freeway, we took the new Bald Hills exit onto Bald Hills Road, and within a few minutes we had arrived at the Laratinga Wetlands, which is well sign-posted. There is ample parking and a little bridge leads you straight towards a lush green grassy area big enough for numerous families to have picnics, kick a footy and have a barbie. This area has modern-looking toilets and several shelters complete with tables, chairs and BBQ facilities.
The wetlands are beautiful and offer lovely vistas.
The compacted gravel paths weave around the lakes and make for an easy ride or walk.
There are several places to stop along the gravel paths to look out for birdlife. We spotted pelicans, Dusky Moorhens, Wattlebirds, Ibis and Eurasian Coots among others. There are also some boardwalks to wander along including one which juts out over the water to make birdwatching more accessible.
It is easy to walk or ride along the wide gravel paths and stop and start at your leisure. However, we were looking for a longer ride…
A ride through Mount Barker
The ride onto and through Mt Barker is very easy. There are lovely wide paths with little undulation which wind around the streets of Mt Barker. One of the best things about riding here with kids is the lack of roads to cross so we decided to ride all the way to Keith Stephenson Playground on the opposite side of Mt Barker. This was approximately a 3km ride at an easy pace which didn’t take long at all.
The bike paths connect to many of the main centres of Mount Barker – it’s only a few minutes ride to the Homemaker centre (with toilets and cafe) and then a few minutes further on to the main street of Mount Barker – Gawler St – with coffee shops abounding.
The pathway is also surprisingly picturesque; parts of it are lined with old oaks and elms following the creek line.
Keith Stephenson Playground Review (2017)
Before we could even raise a sweat, we had followed the Western Flat Creek all the way to the lake adjacent Keith Stephenson playground.
READ OUR UPDATED PLAYGROUND REVIEW HERE
We then stopped for a break at the well-equipped playground which features all the favourites – climbing spider-frame, swings, a liberty swing, small climbing equipment for the younger kids and a small flying fox. There’s enough here to entertain the young ones and the bigger kids too.
The playground is bordered by a wide expanse of lawn and trees. There is a rotunda and plenty of room to run around and a toilet block within the park.
READ OUR UPDATED PLAYGROUND REVIEW HERE
After this, it was an enjoyable ride back to Laratinga Wetlands for more bird-watching.
LOCATION:
Laratinga Wetlands – Bald Hills Rd, Mount Barker
For more information and all enquiries please visit the Mt Barker District Council 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.
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