South Para Reservoir Reserve

For more than a century the South Para Reservoir was strictly off limits — drinking water country, fenced and patrolled. That changed in December 2019, when it became one of the first reservoirs opened to the public under South Australia's reservoir reserves program, and the walkers, anglers and kayakers have been arriving ever since.

The reserve offers 8.7 kilometres of trails radiating from the entrance across three bush peninsulas that finger out into the water — the longest run is about three kilometres to the north-west peninsula. With a fishing permit you can cast from the shoreline in the public access area or get out on the water in a kayak or canoe; the reservoir is stocked with golden perch, silver perch and Murray cod (the cod strictly catch-and-release). Be aware that when water levels drop the exposed shoreline can be steep and muddy.

The gates open at 7.30am and close at 5pm (8pm in daylight saving), there are toilets and free parking at the entrance, and entry costs nothing. It pairs naturally with the rest of the quiet north: a tasting at Kersbrook Hill Wines & Cider afterwards, or a harder walk next door in Warren Conservation Park.