Stringybark Hike

Moderate

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Parks.sa.gov.au lists this Grade 3, 4km loop (about 1.5 hours) as passing through stringybark, cup gum and pink gum forest with bottlebrush and tea-tree understorey, ending near a red gum and acacia swamp area.

☰ Trail details

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Distance

5.14 km

Est. time

1 hr 23 min

Elevation gain

78 m

Route type

Loop

Steepest stretch: +24m over ~300m (around the 2.7km mark)

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In an emergency

Call 000 for police, fire or ambulance — Australia's emergency number works even with a weak signal, and without a SIM if any carrier has coverage.

You're in Cox Scrub Conservation Park, Ashbourne, Fleurieu Peninsula, SA. Mobile reception in this area is not guaranteed — this is exactly why the offline map and GPS position on this page work without signal.

Tell someone your plan and expected return time before you set off. A PLB is the most reliable backup where there's no reception at all.

Tracks & plans

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Species to look for on this trail

Ancient trees and rare flora confirmed in this park. Spot one? Add it as a sighting pin below.

River Red GumDocumented on this trail

Eucalyptus camaldulensis

Iconic Australian watercourse eucalypt▾

Iconic Australian watercourse eucalypt

A large, long-lived eucalypt that lines watercourses across South Australia, usually growing to about 20m but capable of reaching 45m. Almost always found along rivers, creeks and floodplains rather than away from water.

How to spot it

Smooth white or cream bark with patches of yellow, pink or brown, rough bark slabs near the base, dull greyish-green lance-shaped leaves 50-300mm long, and white flowers in groups of 7-9. Look for it lining creek lines and gorge floors.

Family Myrtaceae · Source: Eucalyptus camaldulensis — Wikipedia

AcaciaFlowstone, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Pink Swamp-HeathDocumented on this trail

Sprengelia incarnata

Rare — SA: Rare▾

Rare — SA: Rare

Sprengelia incarnata, commonly referred to as pink swamp-heath, is a species of flowering plant of the family Ericaceae, and is native to south-eastern Australia and New Zealand. It is an erect, glabrous shrub with sharply-pointed, stem-clasping, egg-shaped leaves, and clusters of pink, tube-shaped flowers with spreading lobes.

How to spot it

Sprengelia incarnata is an erect, glabrous shrub that typically grows to a height of 0.5–2 m (1 ft 8 in – 6 ft 7 in), and has reddish-brown to red stems. The leaves are egg-shaped to lance-shaped, 3–20 mm (0.12–0.79 in) long and 2–6 mm (0.079–0.236 in) wide, with a stem-clasping base and a sharp point 0.4–0.7 mm (0.016–0.028 in) long on the tip. The flowers are borne in clusters of 3 to 20 in spikes 7–20 mm (0.28–0.79 in) long near the ends of stems, with bracts and bracteoles 5–10 mm (0.20–0.39

Family Ericaceae · Source: Atlas of Living Australia + Wikipedia: Sprengelia incarnata

Swamp BoroniaDocumented on this trail

Boronia parviflora

Rare — SA: Rare▾

Rare — SA: Rare

Boronia parviflora, commonly known as the swamp boronia, small boronia, tiny boronia, or small-flowered boronia, is a plant in the citrus family Rutaceae and is endemic south-eastern Australia. It is a weak, low shrub with elliptic to egg-shaped leaves with finely toothed edges and up to three pink, white or green four-petalled flowers arranged at or near the ends of the stems.

How to spot it

Boronia parviflora is a weak, low shrub that grows to a height of 0.1–1 m (0.3–3 ft) and has glabrous branchlets. The leaves are simple, sessile, elliptic to egg-shaped, 7–26 mm (0.28–1.02 in) long and 1.5–6.5 mm (0.059–0.256 in) wide with fine teeth along the edges. The leaves are sometimes reddish or purplish, especially on the lower side. The flowers are arranged singly or in groups of up to three in the upper leaf axils or on the ends of the branches, on a pedicel 2–11 mm (0.079–0.433 in) lo

Family Rutaceae · Source: Atlas of Living Australia + Wikipedia: Boronia parviflora

Grass DaisyDocumented on this trail

Brachyscome graminea

Rare — SA: Rare▾

Rare — SA: Rare

Brachyscome graminea, commonly known as grass daisy, is a perennial herb in the family Asteraceae and is endemic to Australia. It has mostly mauve-pink or purple daisy-like flowers and a yellow centre.

How to spot it

Brachyscome graminea is a perennial herb with slender stems rising from the base of the plant or upper leaves. The branches are weak, trailing, about 70 cm (28 in) long, either smooth or variably with fine soft glandular hairs. The leaves grow from the base and along the stems, mostly narrow egg-shaped or more linear, 2–16 cm (0.79–6.30 in) long, 0.1–1 cm (0.039–0.394 in) wide, sharply pointed without a stalk. The leaf edges entire, sometimes fleshy, smooth or with scattered hairs. The flower pe

Family Asteraceae · Source: Atlas of Living Australia + Wikipedia: Brachyscome graminea

Wildlife you might see on this trail

Animals confirmed in this park. Spot one? Add it as a sighting pin below.

Southern Brown Bandicoot

Isoodon obesulus

EPBC-listed Endangered (mainland/Tasmanian subspecies); IUCN Least Concern overall▾

EPBC-listed Endangered (mainland/Tasmanian subspecies); IUCN Least Concern overall

A small, nocturnal, ground-dwelling marsupial once common across coastal southern Australia, now with a more limited and fragmented distribution; it is listed Endangered under the EPBC Act even though the species overall is IUCN Least Concern, and the isolated Fleurieu Peninsula population in South Australia is a particular conservation focus.

How to spot it

Look for fresh conical diggings in leaf litter and soil rather than the animal itself, as it is strictly nocturnal; if seen, it has coarse grizzled dark greyish-brown fur, a creamy-white underside, a pointed snout and a short tail around 13 cm long. Favours dense ground cover in heath, shrubby woodland and scrub, and in South Australia is a key focus of Fleurieu and Eyre Peninsula recovery programs.

Family Peramelidae · Source: Wikipedia; EPBC Act (SPRAT)

Photo: John O'Neill (jjron) (Public Domain) via Wikimedia Commons