The Department for Environment and Water (DEW) has announced a new walk-in campground for the Adelaide Hills near the South Para Reservoir Reserve.
DEW said the site, in Old Kersbrook Forest near Kersbrook, was expected to cater for up to 20 people with tent campsites, a toilet block, picnic facilities and rainwater tank as demand for campsite bookings surges across the State.
Minister for Environment and Water, David Speirs said the new campground was one of 27 campgrounds being built or upgraded to include world-class fossil and mountain-biking experiences, new multi-day walks, trails, roads, campgrounds, kayak launches and car parks.
“The new campground at Old Kersbrook Forest will be a perfect place to stop and camp enroute between Para Wirra Conservation Park and Mount Crawford Forest,” Mr Speirs said.
He said further details on the new campground were expected to be available later this month (October), following the completion of the project’s early planning process.
Mr Speirs said campground bookings, as well as national park and forest visitor numbers, had surged since the COVID-19 pandemic.
He said that, from January 2021 until the end of August, more than 131,382 visitors booked to camp in a national park or reserve– the most ever for this period – which was a 66 per cent increase since the same period last year.
The Minister said campground bookings had also significantly increased from 12,088 in 2019-20 to 34,447 in 2020-21.
Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development, David Basham said ForestrySA was developing a Mount Lofty Ranges Recreation and Tourism Strategy 2021-2026, which would guide future recreation and tourism initiatives, including camping opportunities.
