The Lavender Federation Trail is a long distance

walking trail A trail, also known as a path or track, is an unpaved lane or small road usually passing through a natural area. In the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, a path or footpath is the preferred term for a pedestrian or hiking trail. The ...

in the eastern Mount Lofty Ranges in South Australia. It extends from

Murray Bridge Murray Bridge may refer to. *Murray Bridge, South Australia, a city and locality *Rural City of Murray Bridge, a local government area in South Australia *Corporate Town of Murray Bridge, a former local government area in South Australia See also ...

Clare Clare may refer to: Places Antarctica * Clare Range, a mountain range in Victoria Land Australia * Clare, South Australia, a town in the Clare Valley * Clare Valley, South Australia Canada * Clare (electoral district), an electoral district * Cl ...

. It is named after

Terry Lavender Terry is a unisex given name, derived from French Thierry and Theodoric. It can also be used as a diminutive nickname for the names Teresa or Theresa (feminine) or Terence or Terrier (masculine). People Male * Terry Albritton (1955–2005), Am ...

OAM and development started in 1999.

Route

The trail starts at Sturt Reserve by the Murray River in Murray Bridge. It climbs out of Murray Bridge through Rocky Gully and Kinchina Conservation Park, and passes

Monarto Safari Park Monarto Safari Park, formerly known as Monarto Zoological Park and Monarto Zoo, is a open-range zoo located in South Australia administered by the Royal Zoological Society of South Australia. It is located at Monarto, approximately from Adel ...

. The trail crosses the ridge with views over the Bremer River valley, and up to the summit of Mount Beevor (503m). The trail continues north along the eastern Mount Lofty Ranges through the

Eden Valley wine region Eden Valley wine region is a wine region located in South Australia immediately north of the capital city of Adelaide which covers an area in the Mount Lofty Ranges extending from Truro in the north to just south of Springton in the south. T ...

to Truro. The next section continues north to

Eudunda, South Australia Eudunda is a rural town in South Australia, roughly 103 kilometres northeast of Adelaide, established in 1870 after settlers began moving into the area in the 1860s. As of the 2006 census, Eudunda had a population of 640. Eudunda is in the Regio ...

. It was extended to Manoora in 2017. The trail was completed to Clare with a grand opening on 5 May 2018. There are several loops off of the main trail, including: * Tungkillo Loop Trail * Eden Valley Loop Trail – 18 km * Springton Loop Trail – 17 km * Moculta Loop Trail – 10.5 km * Moculta–Truro Spur – 9 km * Truro Spur Trail – 5 km * Point Pass Loop Trail – 14 km * Robertstown Link Trail – 7.5 km

Geology and biology

The trail passes through wetlands near the Murray River, rocky gullies up the eastern slopes of the ranges, past the ruins of former farmhouses and copper mines. There are native plants, grain crops, and grape vines then more crops and grazing land.

History

The first section of the trail from Murray Bridge to Mount Beevor near Harrogate opened in 2000. Stage 4 opened in 2014 from Truro to Eudunda. The trail has been progressively extended northwards through Tungkillo, Springton, Eden Valley,

Keyneton Keyneton is a locality in South Australia. The town is in the Mid Murray Council local government area, north-east of the state capital, Adelaide. At the 2011 census, Keyneton and the surrounding area had a population of 534. The town was name ...

, Moculta, Truro, Dutton,

Eudunda Eudunda is a rural town in South Australia, roughly 103 kilometres northeast of Adelaide, established in 1870 after settlers began moving into the area in the 1860s. As of the 2006 census, Eudunda had a population of 640. Eudunda is in the Regio ...

Waterloo Waterloo most commonly refers to: * Battle of Waterloo, a battle on 18 June 1815 in which Napoleon met his final defeat * Waterloo, Belgium, where the battle took place. Waterloo may also refer to: Other places Antarctica *King George Island (S ...

, Manoora to

, The final stage opened on 5 May 2018.

References

{{reflist Hiking and bushwalking tracks in South Australia