Oakbank Racecourse

Every Easter since 1876, the Onkaparinga Valley has filled with racegoers, picnic rugs and the smell of barbecues for what is fondly called the greatest picnic race meeting in Australia. Oakbank Racecourse is the stage: a sweeping country track ringed by gums, with a heritage-listed grandstand and a tradition of families setting up in the middle of the course that goes back generations. The carnival marked its 150th year in 2026.

The Easter carnival runs across Easter Saturday and Easter Monday, mixing serious racing with everything that makes a country show day — fashions on the field, kids' amusements, live music, and the great democratic pleasure of a BYO picnic trackside. Even outside carnival time the racecourse is a landmark of the Oakbank district, its white rails and rolling infield instantly recognisable from the valley road.

The Amy Gillett Bikeway begins its run to Birdwood from the edge of town, so a lap of the district on two wheels is the easy way to appreciate the setting that has kept picnickers coming back for a century and a half.