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Mount Osmond Reserve

Mount Osmond Reserve is an open space reserve located 8km southeast of Adelaide.

Mount Osmond Reserve can be accessed via pedestrian access points at Gate 1 off Waterfall Gully Road, Gate 2 off Dashwood Road, Gate 3 off Hayward Drive and Gate 4 on Old Bullock Track which can be accessed from Mount Barker Road (this access point also links with Cleland National Park and Eagle on the Hill and Measday’s Lookout is nearby). Other access points are available (for example off Greenhill Road) depending on where you want to walk or ride.

The Kaurna people are the traditional custodians of this land and we acknowledge and respect their ongoing links to Country.

Trails and parking

Mount Osmond has a number of very popular walking trails running through it that are managed by City of Burnside. The Mount Osmond trail network enables people to walk and explore Mount Osmond and its spectacular views over Adelaide, biodiversity and bush land scenery.

Please note the walking trails are Grade 3 shared use walking and cycling trails and can be very steep and rocky in some parts.

Information about the walking trails including a map

There is no unauthorised vehicle access into the Mount Osmond Reserve.

Some areas for parking are available at locations marked with a ‘P’ on the above map. Cars can also be parked on any road or street provided that parking restrictions are observed.

Please DO NOT park in front of reserve gates – these need to be accessible at all times for maintenance and emergencies.

The map below shows reserve gate locations and number of each gate, as well as track names within the reserve.

Mount Osmond Reserve map

Another interesting trail in Mount Osmond is the Pioneer Women’s trail, a 26km trail which commences in Hahndorf, winds through Bridgewater and Cox Creek, Mount George Conservation Park, Stirling, Crafers and Cleland National Park before joining the old Bullock Track which passes through Mount Osmond Reserve and finishes at Beaumont House near Brock Reserve. The trail honours the early European women and girls who settled in Hahndorf and walked the rough bush track to Adelaide carrying vegetables and dairy products and trading in Adelaide for thread, sugar, tea and tobacco.

Official Pioneer Woman’s trail and map

History

The area known as Mount Osmond Reserve was farmed during the early years of European settlement Adelaide. Steep slopes were unsuitable for cropping but were historically grazed by domestic stock. Some quarrying also occurred in the vicinity.

The land at Mount Osmond Reserve was originally purchased by the Highways Department in the 1940s for an arterial road linking Burnside and Crafers. It has been managed by the National Parks and Wildlife South Australia (NPWSA) on behalf of the Department for Planning since the late 1980s. Mount Osmond has been set aside as open space as it provides an important visual link between Beaumont, Mount Lofty, Cleland National Park and Mount Osmond Golf Course.

Management of the reserve

Management of the reserve includes maintenance of fire tracks, entrance gates and signage as well as rubbish collection, slashing and brush-cutting for fire management purposes and to maintain fire control lines, weed control and revegetation. Since day to day management of the reserve was taken over by the National Parks and Wildlife Service, the main priorities have been removal of hawthorn and olive thickets and revegetation with native trees and shrubs. Plantations of summer-green Kangaroo grass Themeda triandra have also been undertaken on some ridges. An orchard of manna gum has been planted along the Old Bullock Track to provide fodder for Koalas in Cleland Wildlife Park. These works are complimentary to similar maintenance and conservation works undertaken in the nearby Cleland National Park and Mount Lofty Summit providing much better habitat for local native flora and fauna and providing important wildlife corridor linkages.

Know before you go

Trails can be susceptible to weather events and surfaces may vary - be aware of varying trail surface conditions including slipperiness and uneven surfaces.
Trails may include steep terrain, please stay on the designated trails.
Be aware of other trail users and share the trails.
Please comply with all signs.
Beware of snakes – this is their home, if you don’t bother them they shouldn’t bother you!
Fires and smoking within the reserve are not permitted.
During the fire danger season – usually November to April – trail users are asked to use caution and should not use the trails during Total Fire Ban Days.
Remember to plan your walk or ride, check the conditions on the day and tell someone where you are going.
Wear appropriate footwear and protect yourself from heat, cold, wind and rain.
There are no safe drinking water sources within the reserve or along the trails – carry sufficient food and drinking water.
Tread lightly and leave no trace- there are no bins in the reserve – please take your rubbish with you.
There is no camping permitted in the reserve and no camping facilities provided.
Dogs on a leash or under effective control are permitted in the reserve. It is your responsibility to always maintain effective control of your dog.
Consider keeping your dog on a leash to prevent conflict – dogs may be aggressive toward wildlife or other park visitors.
Even friendly dogs can knock people over causing injury.
If your dog is unleashed, it is more likely to impact on native wildlife.
Even if your dog is friendly, other dogs may not be.
Please do not collect firewood, pick flowers, disturb vegetation, interfere with wildlife in any way.

Contacts

If you live locally and would like to help with weeding or revegetating, or

if you have further queries or would like more information on the Mount Osmond Reserve
if you would like to report land management issues, such as dumped rubbish, damaged infrastructure or vegetation issues

Please contact the Public Land Stewardship Team:

Email: NPWS-AMLR-PLS@sa.gov.au

Phone: Contact the Black Hill Office on 8336 0901 and ask to speak with someone from the Public Land Stewardship Team

In an emergency call 000

To report criminal activity including the use of fireworks or noise nuisance within the reserve, please report the matter to SA Police: