08/09/2026
Walk #903: Kinchina Rocky Gully Trail, Lavender Federation Trail
�🔗 https://facebook.com/events/s/walk-903-bridgewater-adelaide-/883015891338674/
📍 Distance: 7.10kms
🕒 Total Time: about 2 hrs
🏞️ Grade: 2
⛑️ AED: many thanks to Alyson S, much appreciated! 🙏
Well, today was another great day! The skies were blue, the sun was shining, the air was fresh and there wasn’t a breath of wind. What more could you ask for?
At 9:01am, a little later than our usual 08:31am start, 28 walkers set off from the Kinchina Rocky Gully Trailhead on Maurice Road, Murray Bridge. It wasn’t long before Anthony and his six dogs or was it 7 (?🤔) caught up with us, bringing our procession to 29 humans and six dogs, maybe 7!
We started out on a fairly flat, sandy trail, wandering through beautiful native bushland, then true to it's name Rocky Gully, we found ourselves climbing over rocks! The landscape had changed and great rocky outcrops began appearing around us. Huge weathered boulders, some were even balanced on top of one another, rose from the hillside, their surfaces patterned with shades of grey, rusty orange and brown.
The trail wound its way through the gully, sometimes smooth and sandy underfoot and at other times rocky enough to make us watch where we put our feet. There were a few little climbs to negotiate too. Nothing we couldn’t handle, although I may have spotted the odd “slight incline” in there but trust me they were fine!
Kinchina was absolutely beautiful today. The recent rains have transformed the landscape since we did our reccy walk. Fresh green growth covered the ground and brilliant yellow daisies seemed to be everywhere, and glowing in the sunshine.
There were plenty of little obstacles along the way too, including a fallen tree stretched right across our path. No problem for the BAHWG. Heads down, bend the knees and under we went! It was quite easy for the vertically challenged like myself! Just another day on the trail. 😂
And then things became a little interesting…
Somewhere amongst all those rocks, trees and masses of yellow flowers, we missed a trail. After we’d been walking for about an hour, after some discussion we decided it was time to turn around and retrace our steps.
Now, my theory is that the masses of yellow flowers confused me and made everything look completely different from our reccy walk. Thats why the trail looked so different today and instead of turning left we continued straight.
Anyway thst's my theory and I’m sticking to it! 😂😂
Ming asked me, “Are we lost?”
“Most certainly NOT lost Ming. We’re just creatively rerouted.”
Her reply?
“You always say that!” 😂
Well… she may have a point!
Strangely enough, our accidental turnaround became quite enjoyable. Walking the same trail in reverse gave us a completely different perspective. Things we’d walked straight past earlier suddenly caught our eye, different rock formations, a small tunnel which we didnt see on the reccy walk, little pockets of bushland and views we hadn’t noticed on the way out. Sometimes getting “creatively rerouted” has its advantages! 😂
Kinchina really is a beautiful place to walk, and today it was even more spectacular than when we were here for our reccy. The photos really don’t need much explanation.
☕️ After the walk we headed to Cafe Modra, where Graham and Jude treated us to a fabulous late morning tea. And there was certainly no shortage of carb loading! 😂 We settled around the tables and verandah, Jude made a pot of tea and Jude appeared woth cups of coffee, there were lots of conversations and Graham was kept busy at the barbecue cooking pancakes for us all.
There were scones, cakes, slices, ham and cheese croissants and some mango and yoghurt. Christine spied some chocolate balls so she was very happy!
What a wonderful way to finish the morning off. Good food, lots of chatter and laughter, and enjoying each other’s company. Oh and Lynda and Graham played Jenga which the clever Graham had made.
A huge thank you to Graham and Jude for opening their home to this rather large invasion of hungry walkers and for their wonderful hospitality. ❤️
Another beautiful morning, and another BAHWG adventure. We may not always take exactly the route we intended, but we always find our way back to coffee! 😂
We are part of Heart Foundation Walking ❤️
👉 If you would like to walk with us then join our walking group here:�https://www.heartfoundationwalking.org.au/fundraiser/id-vz7ued/bridgewater-adelaide-hills-walking-group
📱 FB page: click on the ‘More’ tab then click on ‘Events’ to locate upcoming walks.
⏰ Currently we walk:�Sun & Tues 08:30am*�Thurs 4:00pm*
‼️ Always check FB for updates before heading out the door.