Walking SA has a vision for the establishment of Adelaide100 initiated by passionate Board member Jim McLean. Adelaide is renowned for its beautiful parks and reserves that encircle our city, enhance our suburbs, thread along our coast and feature throughout the hills. Our landscape, and nature reserves coupled with a favourable climate and fantastic food and wine make Adelaide one of the most liveable places in the world.

As such, South Australia is an ideal nature tourism destination and we are already attracting many national and international walkers into our state. Now is the time to capitalise on existing assets and create new initiatives to capture the growing nature tourism market. We have the opportunity to use existing infrastructure to develop a unique walking experience that show cases our near city vistas, produce and experiences. The Adelaide100 will cater for different walking abilities providing a variety of walk options within the longer trail, and link people to great places to stay, eat and enjoy along the way.

There is no other city in the world with a sign posted loop trail that traverses city, coast, bush and suburbs, incorporates shorter or longer walks, provides accommodation, food, historical and cultural information and links up and promotes other trails. The Adelaide100 links up existing infrastructure, creating short distance links and trail loops to create a 100km network.

Joined up, well-signposted trails with way finding (maps and apps) will provide more options for more people and will attract more people looking for nature tourism experiences. The new sections of the trail have been designed to ensure that walkers can complete short distance legs or the entire trail with easy access to provisions and accommodation if required. This will ensure that short stay tourists as well as local walkers are catered for.

Monument Road

If you asked the locals of Norton Summit about Monument Road you would be told that it exists. Some even know roughly where it might be. On most maps, street directory included, you find a line that looks like Monument Road. With the right search criteria its name is recognised by the Property Location Browser, and there it is, with Norton Summit land holdings on both sides.

Monument Road looks the perfect walking route for a number of reasons. Local residents could use it as a direct, safe, healthy way to reach their hub of community facilities. It is an ideal spur, loop and alternate route of the Heysen Trail which goes right through Norton Summit. It is only 1.6km in length but is the perfect inclusion in the long distance Adelaide100 walking trail.

Despite what paper and electronic mapping shows, finding Monument Road on the ground is not straight forward. It is vehicular track at one end and a well-defined corridor of paddock at the other, but is apparently completely blocked off in between.

Walking SA has now determined where the road reserve is, and in partnership with Skyline Walkers and the Friends of the Heysen Trail has committed to developing Monument Road for use by walkers. Consultation processes with local residents, the broader rate paying community, and the Adelaide Hills Council (AHC) have been completed. Infrastructure requirements have been determined. A detailed submission has been lodged with the AHC. Initial response is favourable – Monument Road is in the AHC 20 Year Strategic Plan (document part 1, document part 2).

It is envisaged that work on the ground will be conducted in the immediate term. Markers, stiles, information boards, and maintenance and management strategies, will be put in place. The opening of this public asset will advantage local walkers and long distance walkers alike. It will bring to the local and wider community the benefits of walking that we know so well.