SECTION 10: Edwards & Hamilton URRs to Willunga

8.5 km, Moderate Hike, Grade 3 

MAP SECTION 10

FROM: junction Edwards & Hamilton URRs, McLaren Flat, SA, 5171 (car parking is 400m away from the end of this Section at the southern end of Brightview Brae, McLaren Flat, 5171)

TO: junction High St & St Andrews Terrace, Willunga, SA, 5172

At the section start, climb the stile, and follow the path southwest along Edwards unmade road reserve. You will be walking amid Grey Box, Eucalyptus Porosa and Knotted Sheoak with views across the Basin to the coast on your right and the Range rising to your left.

After the next stile the path descends quite steeply to cross a creek by a bridge and come up at the top end of McMurtrie Rd East. Pass the entrance to a homestead and continue along the track. Step over into an area of native grasses before descending once again amid large river red gums to cross a creek by steppingstones.

Another stretch of path through trees leads to a stile. Over this stile you follow the fence to a kissing gate. Passing a house and a new winery you join the driveway and after a few hundred metres come to Penny’s Hill Rd.

Cross this road with great care and walk straight ahead to climb over a stile and continue along the road reserve near a fence on your left. At the next stile you descend to follow a path down into a ravine to cross the well-named Breakneck Creek by a bridge and ascend  the other side. The path zig zags over this ravine at a moderate gradient but the ravine itself is very steep, so take care to stay on the path.

Once across, you climb a stile and walk though more trees with peeping views to the coast to reach the eastern end of Rifle Range Rd. Pass a stone gateway on your left to enter a corridor between two fences which is narrow to begin with but soon widens. You will have bush on your right and vineyards to the left.

After a slight swerve the fenced corridor leads to a limestone ‘stairway’ and beyond to a creek under a large clump of bamboo.

Up the other side, use the slip-through near gates and continue along a track between trees. Join Edwards Rd, now a sealed road, where Jackson Hill Rd goes off to the left.

Walk along Edwards Rd until Binney Rd where you turn right and follow it to Strout Rd. There is a small cemetery on the north-eastern corner of this intersection and the Lions Club run monthly auctions on the site on the north-western corner.

Turn left here to follow a path through to re-join Edwards Rd. Turn right to walk along Edwards Rd to the electricity substation, where Kings Hill Rd joins. Here you go straight ahead instead of turning right as the road does.

Cross a clear area where native vegetation regeneration is underway, go down a bank to step over a small creek and come up the other side through a post and chain fence to join Vickery Lane.

This leads to Hall Rd where you turn left following an unsealed road to walk up a hill and down past a dairy farm to enter Willunga. Follow the roadside path around the edge of the golf course and then turn left up St James St. Continue straight on where it becomes a no through road and crosses an old bridge to eventually reach the High St extension. The historic Willunga Courthouse and grounds are here. Turn right and slight right  to walk down the High St.

The section end post and the start of Section 1 is at the bottom of the street opposite the library at the junction with St Andrews Terrace.

NOTES 

Car parking:

  • carparking at the McLaren Flat end is at the southern end of Brightview Brae, 400m north of the Section 10 start
  • parking in Willunga is available at the Rose Garden on Aldinga Rd

Dogs:

  • no dogs from Penny Hill Rd to Rifle Range Rd 
  • dogs on leads for 400m between Brightview Brae and Section 9/10/11 post
  • dogs on leads from Rifle Range Rd to Jackson Hill Rd