Address & Contact Edit
St Kilda Mangrove Trail
St Kilda SA 5110
Phone: 08 - 8280 9355
Email: N/A
Web: http://www.salisbury.sa.gov.au/Play/Community_Facilities_and_Parks/Parks_amp_Facilities/St_Kilda#mangrove
About the Walking Trail
Enjoy exploring a flooded mangrove forest on an elevated walkway that meanders through tidal salt marshes, mangroves and sea grass channels to a
lookout that has scenic
views across the Barker Inlet.
The trail begins from Mangrove Street in southern
St Kilda. The walk is open daily between 9am and 4pm (except Christmas Day). Entry is free, but you need to obtain an Access
Gate Key from the kiosk (Tackle & Tucker) near the Adventure Playground. You need to leave a $20 key deposit, or leave something else of value (such as a Medicare card). Children must be accompanied by an adult.
Depending on tides, the boardwalk can be wet. Beyond
the entrance gate there are
toilets and an Interpretive Centre – although most of the info in the centre is also available on the many excellent interpretive signs along the way. Unfortunately, about half of the boardwalk is closed, however the remaining section out to the
Lookout is
well maintained with excellent signage.
Samphires form dense
meadows on slightly elevated areas on the landward edge of mangrove forests. The
meadows continually trap
debris washed in by the tide. The
debris is slowly broken down by bacteria, worms and crabs, raising the level of the saltmarsh floor.
Mangrove forests are one of the most productive plant communities on Earth. Millions of green leaves use photosynthesis to convert sunlight into tonnes of plant matter that forms the centre of the food web of the Barker Inlet.