Morialta Conservation Park

Morialta Conservation Park South Australia
IUCN category III (natural monument or feature)
Morialta Conservation Park showing First Falls and Morialta Gorge, note scree slope at far right.
Morialta Conservation Park
Nearest town or city	Adelaide
Coordinates	34°54′02″S 138°42′38″E / 34.90056°S 138.71056°E / -34.90056; 138.71056Coordinates: 34°54′02″S 138°42′38″E / 34.90056°S 138.71056°E / -34.90056; 138.71056
Established	2 August 1990 (1990-08-02)
Area	5.33 km² (2.1 sq mi)
Managing authorities	Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources
Website	Morialta Conservation Park
See also	Protected areas of South Australia

Morialta Conservation Park is a protected area 10 km north-east of Adelaide city centre, in the state of South Australia, Australia. The park is in a rugged bush environment, with a narrow gorge set with three waterfalls, bounded by steep ridges and cliffs. The park caters to many activities, including bushwalking, bird watching and rock climbing.

History

Giant's Cave

The land which now constitutes the Park was originally the land of the Kaurna people. Morialta is said by many to derive its name from a Kaurna word, moriatta, meaning "ever flowing" or "running water", however some linguists suggest it comes from the Kaurna words mari yertalla, meaning "eastern cascade".^[1] It is said that the area was used as a hunting ground, and to collect firewood, during the winter months when the Kaurna would retreat from the coast to the hills. It is also said that they practised fire-stick farming here.^[2]^[3] The area's religious significance appears to be lost to time. For in 1839, only three years after the proclamation of the British colony of South Australia in 1836, the area was granted by the new South Australian Government to pastoralists.^[4] In 1847, John Baker bought the land and built the grand Morialta House and Morialta Barns on Fourth Creek, near the head of the gorge.^[5] John Smith Reid was also a major landholder in the area, and in 1911, he offered to donate part of his land as a national reserve.

Reid donated 218 hectares (540 acres) in 1913, and in 1915 the area was declared a National Pleasure Resort. Much of the construction work in the park was begun in the 1920s and 1930s, although floods and bushfires have destroyed much of this original work. In 1966 additional property to the east was added, and the park was declared a National park. In 1972 the park was re-proclaimed as Morialta Conservation Park.

Major rebuilding was required after flooding in 1980, and flooding in November 2005 again caused damage to paths and walkways.

Geography and climate

First Falls

Second Falls

Morialta Conservation Park covers 5.33 km² within the Mount Lofty Ranges, which run north-south to the east of Adelaide's coastal plain. It is bounded by Black Hill Conservation Park on the north, Norton Summit road on the south, the suburb of Rostrevor on the west, and by agricultural land on the east.

The park lies mostly on either side of Morialta Gorge, along the bottom of which runs Fourth Creek. There are three waterfalls on the creek, named respectively First, Second and Third Falls.

The main access to the park is via the vehicle entrance off Morialta Road, and there is walking access at various points along Norton Summit Road.

Morialta shares Adelaide's Mediterranean climate, with average temperatures of 17 degrees Celsius in winter, to 28 degrees during summer. The park receives average annual rainfall of 800 mm, mostly between May and September. During summer (December to February) temperatures can rise above 40 degrees.

Activities

The park caters for a variety of activities, including bushwalking, picnics, rock climbing and bird watching. There are many walking paths within the park.

Rock Climbing

Toproping Balthazar (12) near Boulder Bridge.

Being only 10 km from the centre of Adelaide and having a large number of climbs, Morialta is one of the most popular rock climbing areas in South Australia.^[6] The rock is quartzite, and there are heavy duty rings at the top of most routes to allow for easy top-roping.^[7]

There are several crags along both sides of the gorge. On the southern side, from the western end, there is Milestone Buttress, The Outcrops, The Buttress, Billiard Table, Boulder Bridge, Throne Room and Far Crag. On the northern side there is The Lost Walls and Thorn Buttress.^[8] Far Crag is one of the more popular crags, with over 67 routes graded from 4 (Ewbanks) to 27.

History

The first climbing at Morialta was in 1962 by a group from the Adelaide University Mountain Club (AUMC). Four members of the club were given an introduction by the National Fitness Council and began regular climbing at the site. Access at this time was from the western end of the park (the Adelaide side) and so the cliffs to the western end were climbed first. No documentation of the climbing occurred until 1968, when Far Crag was discovered. It was named such because it is the furthest from the western end and so had the longest walk to reach it.^[9]

A large number of routes were put up at the park up until the 1970s. A visit by international climbers in 1971 saw the standards of free climbing increase at the park, with many new bold routes being led. The late 70's saw grades at the park reach 25.^[10]

Remarkably, The Lost Walls were not discovered until 1986, hence their name and is the most recent addition of a significant number of climbs. 1994 saw the highest graded new route put up in the park, at 27.^[11] Access is now from Norton Summit Road, on the southern side of the park.

Style of climbing

The highest volume of climbing in the gorge is done on top rope, which is made especially easy by the provision of regularly tested steel rings at the tops of many climbs. These rings greatly simplify the task of building an anchor, making outdoor climbing accessible to a broader range of people.

Although most routes can be top-roped, there are routes which are bolted for sport climbing, or suitable for traditional climbing with natural gear, or a mixture of both. Often a route which is suitable for sport or traditional climbing can also be top-roped.

Notes

↑ http://press.anu.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/ch182.pdf
↑ Park Guide - Morialta Conservation Park, Adelaide: Department for Environment and Heritage (published June 2001), 2001
↑ http://www.anps.org.au/documents/June_2005.pdf
↑ http://www.environment.sa.gov.au/parks/sanpr/morialta/european.html
↑ http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A030076b.htm
↑ Pritchard 2002 p 175
↑ Neagle 1997, p41
↑ Neagle 1997, p47
↑ Neagle 1997, pp41-43
↑ Neagle 1997, p44
↑ Neagle 1997, p45

References

Pritchard, Greg (2002). Climbing Australia: the essential guide. New Holland Publishers (Australia)
Neagle, Nick (1997). The Adelaide Hills, A Rock Climber's Guide, ISBN 0-646-32427-6
Morialta Conservation Park, retrieved 23-01-2012
Friends of Black Hill and Morialta Conservation Parks, retrieved 3-12-2005

External links

Protected areas of South Australia

National parks	Belair Canunda Coffin Bay Coorong Flinders Chase Ikara-Flinders Ranges Gawler Ranges Great Australian Bight Marine Innes Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre Lake Gairdner Lake Torrens Lincoln Malkumba-Coongie Mount Remarkable Murray River Naracoorte Caves Nullarbor Onkaparinga River Vulkathunha-Gammon Ranges Witjira

Conservation parks	Acraman Creek Aldinga Scrub Althorpe Islands Angove Avoid Bay Islands Baird Bay Islands Bakara Baudin Baudin Rocks Beachport Beatrice Islet Beyeria Busby Islet Billiatt Bird Islands Black Hill Breakaways Butchers Gap Cap Island Cape Blanche Cape Gantheaume Cape Willoughby Carpenter Rocks Carribie Chadinga Cleland Clinton Cooltong Cox Scrub Cygnet Estuary Danggali Deep Creek Douglas Point Dudley Eba Island Ediacara Elliot Price Eric Bonython Ewens Ponds Fairview Ferguson Finniss Fort Glanville Fowlers Bay Franklin Harbor Gambier Islands Giles Goose Island Greenly Island Guichen Bay Gum Laqoon Kelly Hill Hacks Lagoon Hale Hallett Cove Hincks Horsnell Gully Ironstone Hill Kaiserstuhl Kellidie Bay Lake Gilles Lake Newland Lashmar Lathami Laura Bay Lesueur Leven Beach Lincoln Lipson Island Little Dip Mamungari Mantung Marino Martindale Hall Minlacowie Moana Sands Montacute Morialta Mount Brown Mount Dutton Bay Mount Magnificent Mount Taylor Munyaroo Nene Valley Nepean Bay Neptune Islands Newland Head Nicolas Baudin Island Ngarkat Nuyts Archipelago Nuyts Reef Olive Island Para Wirra Paranki Lagoon Parndana Peebinga Penguin Island Pelican Lagoon Pigface Island Point Bell Point Davenport Point Labatt Piccaninnie Ponds Pinkawillinie Port Gawler Pualco Range Pullen Island Rocky Island (North) Ramsay Rocky Island (South) Salt Lagoon Islands Sceale Bay Scott Creek Seal Bay Searcy Bay Seddon Simpson Simpson Desert Sinclair Island Sir Joseph Banks Group Sleaford Mere Spring Gully Talisker Tallaringa Telowie Gorge The Dutchmans Stern The Pages Torrens Island Troubridge Island Tumby Island Venus Bay Vivonne Bay Wabma Kadarbu Mound Springs Wahgunyah Waitpinga Waldegrave Islands Warrenben West Island Whidbey Isles Whyalla Wills Creek Winninowie Wittelbee Yumbarra

Game reserves	Bool Lagoon Bucks Lake Chowilla Currency Creek Lake Robe Loch Luna Moorook Mud Islands Poocher Swamp Tolderol

Recreation parks	Anstey Hill Blackwood Forest Brownhill Creek Caratoola Cobbler Creek Granite Island Greenhill Long Island O'Halloran Hill Onkaparinga River Shepherds Hill Sturt Gorge Totness

Regional Reserves	Chowilla Innamincka Lake Frome Nullarbor Simpson Desert Strzelecki Yellabinna

Conservation reserves	Bernouilli

Wilderness Protection Areas	Billiatt Cape Bouguer Cape Gantheaume Cape Torrens Danggali Hambridge Hincks Investigator Group Memory Cove Nullarbor Nuyts Archipelago Ravine des Casoars Western River Yellabinna

Aquatic reserves	American River Aldinga Reef Bales Beach Barker Inlet Blanche Harbour Coobowie Cowleds Landing Goose Island Great Australian Bight Marine Park Whale Sanctuary Point Labatt Port Noarlunga Reef Seal Bay St Kilda – Chapman Creek Troubridge Hill West Island Yatala Harbour

Other protected areas	Adelaide International Bird Sanctuary Arkaroola Protection Area

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