Fremont Park is arguably one of the city’s most beautiful and diverse recreation spots. Centrally located near the Elizabeth City Centre, this picturesque park features a lake (home to ducks and other waterbirds), two playgrounds, including all-abilities play equipment, basketball court, an outdoor exercise gym, gazebo and plenty of shady green spaces. Excitingly, the park is still improving, with a dog park, 5600 shrubs, 250 trees, a public toilet, paths and lighting to be installed. This upgrade is expected to be completed in winter 2023.

Boasting 3.6 hectares of wetlands, boardwalks and bridges – this park has large open spaces, sheltered barbecue areas, a dog park and a huge playground with swings, climbing tower and play equipment for toddlers. Connecting to the park is the Smith Creek walking trail. Meet here each Saturday morning at 8 am for Parkrun. It’s a great way to improve your fitness.

Explore the nature play forest and meet the locals - emus, kangaroos, lizards and echidnas, which all wander through the park. Para Wirra Conservation Park is a protected National Park, with modern facilities in a natural bushland setting. It includes the Lake Picnic Area, the Knob Lookout, Wirra Campgrounds and the Gawler View Playground. The park has beautiful and challenging walking/hiking trails like the Devil’s Nose Track and the Lizard Rock Hike. If bird watching is your thing, you won’t be disappointed with colourful scarlet robins, blue wrens and eastern spine bills which visit the park.

The Smith Creek Trail is a family-friendly path that winds its way from Smithfield Plains to Stebonheath Park at Andrews Farm. The three kilometre trail is perfect for walking, scooting or cycling. Way-finding maps are located at either end of the trail, with artwork and other points of interest along the way.

Jo Gapper Activity Park is one of the jewels in the crown of Playford’s parks. The park features a playground, football oval, basketball and tennis courts, walking trail and lookout, and a dog park with lighting.

Nestled behind our business hub, the Stretton Centre and the Playford Library, you will find the Town Park. Bring your bike, board or scooter and ride the skate bowl, enjoy the water play area in the warmer months, have a picnic on the lawns, play on the two playgrounds or shoot some hoops on the basketball key. There’s a huge rope climbing pyramid, two slides, swings, flying fox, a climbing wall plus barbecue facilities and sheltered picnic tables. The waterplay is active every day, 10am to 7pm during daylight saving from October to April. There are public toilets, free wi-fi and bike racks.

Slam-dunk on the basketball hoop or squeeze in a workout on the fitness equipment. There’s also a pump track and a playground with an undercover tube slide, tower, rock climbing wall and nature play. The park is close to the local Drakes supermarket, Angle Vale Tavern, Sneaky’s Restaurant and Virgara Wines, so it’s great spot for a day trip.

While meandering through the hills, you can take in the stunning views across our city and beyond. These are best viewed at sunset or the “golden hour”. Impress your companions – or even a date – with a well-deserved glass of vino at one of two local wineries, Uleybury Wines and Tenafeate Creek Winery – which have superb views of rolling hills and native bushland.

This public seed orchard has been developed to allow the convenient, safe and rapid collection of high volumes of local-native seeds for regeneration projects with minimal impact on remnant populations. These local plants in turn provide habitat and food sources that attract local native birds, insects and animals.

A shared-use bitumen trail running parallel to the Northern Expressway, which is flat and perfect for cycling or walking short and long distances. The northern entrance is at the corner of Two Wells Road and Weaver Road, Gawler. The southern entrance is at the end of a cul-de-sac parallel to Port Wakefield Road, Waterloo Corner. Users can connect from the southern end on to the Tapa Marthinthi Yala Shared Use Path for a longer journey, which runs alongside the Northern Expressway. Highlights along the trail include the former Smithfield Magazines, which date back to the early years of World War Two and were used to store munitions and explosives.

Eyre Sports Park has it all – a nature playground, equipment to climb and quality facilities dedicated to rugby, soccer and cricket. Enjoy the walking trail around the oval.

With places for quiet contemplation, including the sheltered picnic area, there are a number of areas to relax. Then you can cross the bridge to the adjacent reserve, where bright orange fitness equipment spells out “Virginia”.