Section 7: West Beach to Kingston Park

The Adelaide100® trail in this section starts on the foreshore at West Beach, and follows the Coast Park Path south around Holdfast Bay, past Glenelg and Brighton. The trail continues south to the section end at Kingston Park, beneath the Tjilbruke Monument, where the Adelaide100® trail heads inland back towards the hills.

About this Section

Following the coast south, the Adelaide100® trail along the Coast Park Path in this first section from West Beach is pleasantly separated from the sounds of traffic with Military Road set well back from the sea. The Adelaide Sailing Club at the West Beach boat ramp offers dinner five days a week.

Nearing Glenelg, the Adelaide100® trail makes a small deviation at Anderson Avenue to pick up the path along the Patawalonga estuary and marina. The Patawalonga is named named from the Kaurna language, the place of the swamp gum. The river mouth served as the first significant river port for the colony of South Australia, with the Port River at Port Adelaide comprising a shallow, mangrove river impassable — at that time — to large ships.

The Patawalonga drains an area of flat, swampy lands formerly known as the Cowandilla Plains or The Reedbeds, which spread extensively between the Patawalonga at Glenelg and West Lakes, a distance of 13km. In the mid 20th century, the swamps were drained, with the River Torrens / Karrawirra Parri diverted along Breakout Creek at West Beach to the coast. The draining of the wetlands allowed for the establishment of Adelaide Airport and extensive residential housing throughout the western suburbs.

The Old Gum Tree spur leads to the site of the Proclamation in 1836 of the colony of South Australia. When the European settlers arrived to settle Adelaide, they arrived at Glenelg and established a makeshift camp of tents and transportable huts near the banks of the Patawalonga. The Proclamation was read in one of the tents in the open woodland, near the distinctively arched old gum tree.

Cross the Patawalonga at the weir and head toward Colley Reserve, both the location of the hotly contested annual professional foot racing sprints, the Bay-Sheffield, and the finish of the annual City-Bay fun runs.

A short distance into Anzac Highway is the multi-award winning Orange Spot Bakery.

At low tide, out to sea, can be seen the concrete block reminders of an earlier time before the devastating 1948 storm, when visitors dressed in their Sunday finest, would stroll almost a kilometre out to the tea rooms perched way above the water-line at the end of the pier. The new jetty, built in 1969, is a shorter 215 metres in length.

Jetty Road offers a large range of meal, refreshment and retail options. A little further, the popular Broadway Kiosk is much more than a kiosk. There is a smaller kiosk on the way to another Jetty Road, at Brighton, also with food options. The Seacliff Hotel is a good option for dinner.

As the trail nears Kingston Beach, a headland rises above the beach, with Tjilbruke Monument on the high cliffs.

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Map Legend
Main Adelaide100® trail marked in blue
Main Adelaide100® trail
Optional spur/alternate route trails marked in red
Optional spur/alternate route trails
Start/Finish of Sections marked with black icons
Start/Finish of Sections
Points of Interest or Information marked with green icons
Points of Interest or Information
Walking Directions marked with orange icons
Walking Directions
Food and Refreshments marked with blue icon of cutlery
Food and Refreshments
Accommodation options marked with blue icon of bed
Accommodation options
Toilets marked with grey toilet icon
Toilets

Elevation Profile

Elevation profile of Adelaide100® Section 7 (West Beach to Kingston Park)
View all elevation profiles

  • Distance

    11km (½ day)

  • Start this section

    This Adelaide100® section starts at Chetwynd Street, West Beach, or at the West Beach Parks (caravan park at West Beach). Chetwynd Street is south of the end of West Beach Road and the West Beach Surf Life Saving Club.

    Link to location in Google Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/LErsZFbsLY5hMLgs9

  • End this section

    End this section of the Adelaide100® trail at Kingston Park, near the headland where the trail turns inland at the carpark south of the caravan park.

    Link to location in Google Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/cGCP7cA5KzYzXdek7

  • Getting to and from the trail

    This trail section is through suburban Adelaide, so is well serviced by public transport.

    Midway through this section, a tram line has services Glenelg to the City.

    There are train stations near the end of this section, at Brighton, Seacliff and Marino, with train services on the Seaford Line.

    Check Adelaide Metro for train, tram and other bus services along the route.

    Car parking is available along streets and reserves along the route.

  • Terrain

    A walk following shared bitumen trails as you follow the Coast Park Path along the foreshore.

    Elevation at start: 12m
    Elevation at finish: 6m
    Minimum elevation: 1m
    Maximum elevation: 18m
    Total climbing: 72m
    Total descending: 77m

  • Need to know

    The trail is open year-round.

    Along the Coast Park Path the trail is shared use, and is generally 1.8m wide. Beware of other trail users, particularly cyclists, so stay on the left side of the trail as much as possible.

    Dogs are permitted along this section (the whole Coast Park Path of Section 7.)

  • Refreshments

    At the boat ramp at West Beach the Adelaide Sailing Club serves meals and refreshments.

    In Glenelg, a short distance into Anzac Highway is the multi-award winning Orange Spot Bakery. Closer to central Glenelg, Jetty Road and the foreshore offers a large range of meal, refreshment and retail options. There is a supermarket complex at the end of Jetty Road, 800 metres and two tram stops from the foreshore.

    About ½ the way through this section, the Broadway Kiosk is a popular cafe.

    At Jetty Road, Brighton, there is a pub and a range of food and refreshment options. Just north of the eastern end of Jetty Road, about a 700m walk, there is a supermarket.

    About ¾ the way through this section, the Seacliff Hotel serves meals, with balcony views over the ocean.

    Almost at the end of this section, the Seacliff Surf Life Saving Club also serves meals.

  • Toilets

    There are public toilets located along the coast beside the trail.

  • Staying along the trail

    At the start of the section, there is a caravan park and other accommodation options at West Beach Parks.

    There are hotel accommodation options in Glenelg.

    At the end of the section, there is a caravan park at Kingston Beach.

  • Places of interest

    Near Glenelg, take the Old Gum Tree spur to the site of the Proclamation in 1836 of the colony of South Australia.

    Wander out along the Glenelg or Brighton jetties.

Showcase

Walking through the dunes past the caravan park at West Beach
Walking through the dunes past the caravan park at West Beach
Recerational sailing boats at the boat ramp at West Beach
Recerational sailing boats at the boat ramp at West Beach
Walking along the Patawalonga Lake
Walking along the Patawalonga Lake
Walking past the apartments at Glenelg's marina
Walking past the apartments at Glenelg's marina
Moseley Square on the Glenelg. Photo by Devang Sahani.
Moseley Square on the Glenelg. Photo by Devang Sahani.
The beach at Glenelg
The beach at Glenelg
Glenara Historic Mansion in Glenelg South, built in 1873
Glenara Historic Mansion in Glenelg South, built in 1873
Affectionately named the 'Fish and Chip Man', the 'Person Sitting on Bench' sculpture is one of the sculptures that dot the foreshore between Glenelg and Brighton.
Affectionately named the 'Fish and Chip Man', the 'Person Sitting on Bench' sculpture is one of the sculptures that dot the foreshore between Glenelg and Brighton.
Brighton Jetty
Brighton Jetty
The World War One Memorial, the 'Arch of Remembrance' at Brighton
The World War One Memorial, the 'Arch of Remembrance' at Brighton
Brighton Beach
Brighton Beach
The pathway near Seacliff
The pathway near Seacliff
The peace sign sculpture, one of the many sculptures that dot the coastline near Brighton
The peace sign sculpture, one of the many sculptures that dot the coastline near Brighton

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Trail Map

View detailed trail maps by visiting the pages for each section above.

Open the map sidebar to view points of interest

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Map Legend
Main Adelaide100® trail marked in blue
Main Adelaide100® trail
Optional spur/alternate route trails marked in red
Optional spur/alternate route trails
Start/Finish of Sections marked with black icons
Start/Finish of Sections
Points of Interest or Information marked with green icons
Points of Interest or Information
Walking Directions marked with orange icons
Walking Directions
Food and Refreshments marked with blue icon of cutlery
Food and Refreshments
Accommodation options marked with blue icon of bed
Accommodation options
Toilets marked with grey toilet icon
Toilets