Quick Facts
Accessibility: 4/10 (moderate/strenuous)
Height: 50′ / 15 m
Hike: 1.9 miles / 3.1 km round-trip
The Record
Morialta Conservation Park directly outside of Adelaide is a spectacular place to see some waterfalls. You can choose to view 1, 2, or 3 waterfalls in the park and we chose the 2 waterfall option. The 2 falls option was already a bit strenuous, and the third waterfall is a good distance further along the hike.
We visited Adelaide in May and it didn’t rain the whole time, but a good portion of it. The hike to the first waterfall didn’t lead to us getting wet, but we got drenched along the way to the second falls. I didn’t dry out for the rest of the day. This post is about the second waterfall, but a bit about the first waterfall (which I haven’t posted about yet). The hike to the second falls leads you very close to the first falls, and I believe you may be able to get a view of the first falls from the second falls trail. You could decide to view the second waterfall without viewing the first, though, or at least skipping the designated trail for the first falls.
The map of the trail is a bit confusing. You can find it on the Morialta Conservation Park website. At some point, though, you come to a fork in the trail. To the left, if I remember correctly, you start an uphill climb to view Second Falls. Continuing to the right leads to the First Falls. It may only be an additional 1-mile round-trip to see the second falls, but it’s a bit more strenuous. There is a lot of consistent uphill hiking and it gets a bit muddy. In addition to being soaked, my jean legs were covered with dirt. While the hike is strenuous, it is worthwhile to visit.
One thing that is useful to know: The official trail leads to the wood bridge and staircase that you can see above the falls. That view is not that great, though. Instead, once you can tell you’re getting nearer to the falls, look for a path that leads to the right but downhill. This leads to a better viewpoint where I captured this photo. There are multiple paths that lead places, but not all of them lead easily back to the trails…It may be useful to head back uphill to the main trail after visiting the offshoot.
Directions
- Set the directions to Morialta Falls Carpark. This entrance is right at the corner of the intersection of Morialta Road and Stradbroke Road. We missed the entrance the first time but were able to get back fairly easily.
- Drive down Morialta Falls Road. Keep going unless it appears the park is very busy. We were able to find parking at the car park at the official end of the road.
- We then started hiking along the trails toward First Falls and Second Falls. There may be a way to get to Second Falls without heading toward First Falls. There are many different options which can be a bit confusing.
Waterfall Record 
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