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Belair National Park
IUCN Category III (Natural Monument)
Nearest town/city:	Adelaide
Coordinates:	35°00′47″S, 138°39′21″E
Area:	8.4 km²
Managing authorities:	Department for Environment and Heritage
Official site:	Belair National Park

Belair National Park (formerly known as Belair Recreation Park) is a national park in South Australia (Australia), 13 km south of Adelaide. It covers an 835ha area, and was the first National Park in South Australia. The park lies within the Adelaide Hills and Mitcham council area, and forms part of a chain of national park reserves located along the Adelaide Hills Face Zone. The Belair National Park is administrated by the Department for Environment and Heritage.

The Belair National Park has excellent recreation and social facilities within on outdoor environment. There are many areas of interest within the park, including Old Government House, the park Nursery, Playford Lake and the Adventure Playground. It has numerous tennis courts and ovals, and has walking, bike and horse-riding trails. The park has an outstanding presentation of the State’s native fauna, attracting visitors, showcasing the State’s park system and contributing to the community awareness of the natural environment.

The first European people traversed the Belair area in 1837. In 1840, Governor Gawler raised a government farm on which sick horses and bullocks from government departments could be agisted. In 1881, a proposal was put forward for small agricultural holdings and also, the park was dedicated, making it the first National Park in South Australia. Many exotic and non-indigenous plants were introduced and are now found in the park as weeds. Numerous native plants, such as Cootamundra wattle, have become environmental weeds after being introduced into areas outside their natural range.

The Belair National Park has suffered major disturbance to its natural ecosystems and natural vegetation communities through the accidental invasion of non-indigenous plants as well as the deliberate introduction of exotic and non-indigenous plants to certain zones within the park.

• Protected areas of South Australia

• Belair National Park home page
• Department for Environment and Heritage home page (South Australia)

Protected areas of South Australia v • d • e

National Parks: Belair | Canunda | Coffin Bay | Coorong | Flinders Chase | Flinders Ranges | Gawler Ranges | Innes | Lake Eyre | Lake Gairdner | Lake Torrens | Lincoln | Mount Remarkable | Murray River | Naracoorte Caves | Nullarbor | Onkaparinga River | Vulkathunha-Gammon Ranges | Witjira Conservation Parks: Acraman Creek | Billiatt | Black Hill | Cape Gantheaume | Cleland | Cox Scrub | Danggali | Deep Creek | Fairview | Kelly Hill | Hacks Lagoon | Lake Gilles | Marino | Monarto | Morialta | Naracoorte Caves | Ngarkat group | Scott Creek | Seal Bay | Simpson Desert | Spring Gully | Talisker | Telowie Gorge | Unnamed Recreation Parks: Brownhill Creek | Onkaparinga River | Totness Regional Reserves: Lake Frome | Nullarbor | Simpson Desert | Strzelecki  Conservation Reserves: Chadinga | Naracoorte Caves Wilderness Protection Areas: Cape Gantheaume | Ravine des Casoars  Game Reserves: Bool Lagoon