Sandy Creek Conservation Park

Sandy Creek Conservation Park preserves one of the last remnants of the sandy-soil lowland country that once covered the Barossa Valley floor. Gently undulating dunes carry native pine and pink gum woodland, heath and grassy clearings - a landscape now almost vanished beneath vineyards and farmland, which is exactly why this park matters.

Birds are the headline act. More than 130 species have been recorded here, and the park is a noted haven for birds moving between the Adelaide Plains, the hills and the valley. The stars are diamond firetails - handsome, scarlet-rumped finches that travel in pairs or flocks of up to thirty and mate for life. Western grey kangaroos graze the clearings at dawn and dusk, and spring brings a quiet show of wildflowers.

Several easy walking trails loop through the park, including the short Firetail Link from the northern entrance. It sits minutes from Lyndoch and the Barossa Trail, making it an easy add-on to a southern valley day. More ideas in our wildlife and nature collection.