8 ways to enjoy the outdoors this Easter

Whether it’s spending time with your family on a walk, getting up close and personal with our native wildlife or relaxing at the beach, we’ve got 8 ideas to help make your Easter weekend egg-ceptional.

1. Take a trip to the beach

The Easter long-weekend is the perfect opportunity to soak up the last of the sunshine with a family trip to the beach before the cooler winter weather settles in.

Beachcombing can be a great way to get to know your local beach. Check out our guide on beachcombing to learn about some of the weird and wonderful creatures you might find along our shores.

2. Float above it all with a kayak

Kayaking is a great way to enjoy Adelaide’s coasts and rivers and can be enjoyed by the whole family. Check out our story on 7 parks in South Australia to go kayaking for ideas, and if you’re new to kayaking, take a look at kayaking for beginners.

3. Spend a day at Cleland Wildlife Park

Cleland Wildlife Park in the Adelaide Hills is open every day of the long weekend from 9:30am to 5pm, including Good Friday. Visiting Cleland Wildlife Park can be an exciting experience for the whole family. With plenty of bush walking trails, close encounters with friendly wildlife and amazing views of Adelaide, Cleland has something for everyone.

4. Get stuck into the garden

Now that summer is over and autumn is here, it’s the perfect time to get stuck into some gardening. Some say autumn is the most important season for your garden. Our friends from the Botanic Gardens of South Australia have helped create a guide of 7 steps that will have your yard coming up roses, covering everything from planting and fertilising, to attracting worms and loading up your leaves.

5. Take the kids to an adventure playground

Are you looking to branch out from your usual playground? Some of our national parks offer adventure playgrounds that will delight children of all ages and help bring them closer to nature.

In Adelaide’s east, the adventure playground at Morialta Conservation Park – Mukanthi Nature Play Space – sprawls over an area almost the size of Adelaide Oval and is a delight for kids and adults alike. About 13km south-east of the city there is Belair National Park's adventure playground, which is well-loved by kids for its wooden fort and maze of tunnels. Glenthorne  National Park-Ityamaiitpinna Yarta is SA’s newest and one of the biggest adventure playgrounds and will keep the kids busy with three slides, a seesaw, spinner, fossil dig area, Kaurna carvings and sculptures. There are also rope and log climbing elements, a pendulum swing, cubby building, a 25m long flying fox and a wide range of accessible equipment to ensure children of all abilities can enjoy the space.

6. Make a nestbox:

Tree hollows support a huge variety of native animals, like sugar gliders, kookaburras, microbats, ducks, owls, parrots, galahs, cockatoos and possums, for nesting, roosting and shelter.

Tree hollows take anywhere from 80 years to 300 years to develop, but older trees are getting harder to come by as many have been cleared for urban development or to be used for firewood, or removed for safety reasons.

With fewer natural tree hollows on offer, you can help native wildlife by installing a nest box in a tree in your own garden.

You can buy a nestbox from your local pet shop or you can make it yourself, and it can be a great family activity.

Find out more about how to build one and what type of box suits what species by reading our story: How you can help native wildlife by installing a next box in your garden.

7. Hit the bike trails at a national park

Make the most of the last burst of warm weather this Easter and head out with the family on a mountain biking adventure in our national parks.

If you haven’t tried South Australia’s newest mountain bike trail, the Remarkable Epic Trail will thrill riders who want a challenge. This 39km closed-loop trail through the rugged beauty of Mount Remarkable National Park and its adjacent lands is not to be missed!

Another great option is the 7km-long Steub trail at Cleland National Park, which runs from Cleland Wildlife Park to Mount Lofty Summit in the stunning Adelaide Hills.

If you’d like to take the kids mountain biking, then try one of our beginner mountain biking trails: Kids zone at Shepherds Hill Recreation Park (11km south of Adelaide), Beginners’ circuit at Cobbler Creek Recreation Park (19km north of Adelaide), or one of the easy trails on the northern side of Glenthorne National Park-Ityamaiitpinna Yarta (16km south of Adelaide).

8. Grab your camera and head to the hills for some autumn photography.

Mount Lofty Botanic Garden is one of the best places in Adelaide to enjoy the rich colours of autumn leaves. The maples, ash and oaks are showing off their autumn splendour and the liquidambar trees are just starting to change from green to red.

With rolling lawns and plenty of space to run around, it’s the perfect location for an Easter picnic with the family, just a 25-minute drive from the Adelaide CBD.

For more ideas on how to spend your easter weekend, have a look at our guide to Easter camping.

Happy Easter and happy exploring!