Morialta Falls, SA

Yay, another Waterfall Wednesday!

South Australia is an interesting and occasionally spectacular place, but a waterfall hotspot it is not. It has no permanent waterfalls  – zero, zilch, zip, nada, not a sausage. None. There are two reasons for this: 1) it is mostly flat, and 2) it’s mostly semi-arid. So you’re in Adelaide, it’s raining and you’re hankering for some sweet waterfall action. Where do you go? Try Morialta Falls (called Three Falls by the locals, in an attempt to show off their mathematical prowess).

Morialta Falls comes down from the Adelaide Hills, and is on the edge of the city’s built-up area about 10km from the centre of town. It’s easy to get to, with a gentle walk bringing you to the lowest (and by far the best) fall. I warn you, it isn’t much more than a dribble unless it’s recently been raining! Knowing this, Kylie’s parents dragged me there one bleak morning, and we scrambled all over the area but found nothing better than the path to the first fall.

The sheer quartzite cliffs contrasted nicely with the fan of water, captured at 1/8th second on my hand held camera. I particularly enjoyed the orange and black cliffs with random outbreaks of olive-green bushes. The second fall isn’t much, though taking the steep path up to its base does give you another excellent vantage point of the First Fall. If you’re in Adelaide during winter or spring, go check them out.