About the Walking Trail

The Captain McKenna Pathway is one of three trails that make up the Adelaide Airport Trails network.

The other two Adelaide Airport Trails are:

• Reece Jennings Bikeway, which connects the Anna Meares Bike Path with Glenelg North
• Anna Meares Bike Path, connects the northern end of the Reece Jennings Bikeway to close to Ikea and the terminal

The western end of the trail begins at the junction of Tapleys Hill Road and Warren Avenue/ James Melrose Road. The Reece Jennings Bikeway’s southern trailhead is nearby, on the opposite side of Tapleys Hill Road.

The trail is a shared use trail, for cyclists and walkers. The trail is a bitumen surface, wide and flat. The trail is suitable for people with mobility access, including wheelchairs, prams and cyclists. The trail follows the aiport’s southern boundary fence, providing views into the airport, including the runways and main terminal building. Brownhill Creek also follows the southern boundary, as it drains into the northern end of the Patawalonga.

The trail is the most pleasant of the three Adelaide Airport Trails, as it passes through quiet open space, suburban and industrial areas. There are opportunities for children to feed ducks (in the park at the western end of Ansett Avenue), and two playgrounds (Baroda Avenue and Beare Avenue). The western 1.5 kilometres of the trail is along a raised embankment above the river, and as such is closely fenced by wire fences on both side.

The eastern end of the trail currently terminates at the Beare Avenue playground. Some short extensions in June 2017 extended the trail to this playground. The Adelaide Airport Masterplan includes a vision to continue to to extend the trail northwards to connect to the Terminal, which is close to the start of the Anna Meares Bike Path, which would map the Adelaide Airport Trails network a loop. This can be walked or cycled now, as it follows quiet suburban streets.