Grey Box Slopes Above Adelaide

Overview

Shepherds Hill Recreation Park protects 77 hectares of open space in the Mount Lofty foothills, about 9 kilometres south of Adelaide in the City of Mitcham. Even though it sits close to suburbia, the park still holds a strong sense of hillside country, with steep ground, creek lines and remnant bushland giving it a very different feel from the streets around it.

The landscape is shaped by old sedimentary rocks of the Adelaide foothills, with Sturt Tillite also recorded here. Creeks run through the gullies, including Walkers Creek and Wattiparringga Creek, adding another layer to the park’s mix of slopes, ridges and sheltered watercourses.

Highlights

What stands out here is the contrast between the higher slopes and the creek flats below. From the upper parts of the park there are broad views across the Adelaide plains, while the gullies carry a greener, more enclosed character thanks to their creek lines and River Red Gums.

The setting also matters. This is one of those foothill parks where the shape of the land does most of the work, with a dominant steep-sided hill, ridgelines and watercourses creating a patchwork of open outlooks and tucked-away corners.

Best Time to Visit

The cooler months are usually the most comfortable time to be here, when the foothill slopes are greener and the creek lines feel fresher after rain. Spring is especially appealing for the contrast between open woodland, grassy understorey and regenerating native vegetation.

In the warmer part of the year, the higher exposed slopes can feel much drier and harsher, which tends to shift the character of the park from green foothills to a more sun-baked edge of the ranges.

Plants and Animals

One of the park’s most important natural features is its remnant Grey Box woodland. This includes Grey Box with native understorey plants such as Kangaroo Thorn, Golden Wattle, Native Hopbush and Wallaby Grass. In better preserved patches, species like Drooping Sheoak, Sweet Bursaria, Dense Flowered Mat-rush, Kangaroo Grass and Spear Grass still persist. Along the watercourses, River Red Gum woodland adds a different plant community again.

The bushland also works as a wildlife corridor through the southern foothills. Native birds recorded here include Tawny Frogmouths, Nankeen Kestrels, Superb Fairy-wrens, New Holland Honeyeaters, Crimson Rosellas and Brown Falcons. Large hollow-bearing trees provide useful habitat for species such as Common Brushtail Possums, and koalas may occasionally be seen feeding in Grey Box or River Red Gum.

Culture and Heritage

The land now protected within Shepherds Hill Recreation Park was traditionally associated with the Kaurna people. Official records for the park note that the area was probably used for camping, hunting and gathering, particularly around streams, springs and permanent water. Several trees near Ayliffes Road are understood to show footholds cut for climbing, and there have also been reports of bark scarring on another tree.

The same records also note that no Aboriginal sites are currently listed on the central archive for the park, and that a comprehensive survey has not been completed, so the cultural history of the place is only partly documented.