Early seasonal closure of the Heysen Trail with Fire Danger season for Mt Lofty Ranges brought forward.

Early start to the 2018-2019 Fire Danger Season means closure of the Heysen Trail between Cape Jervis and Tanunda.

The SA Country Fire Service (CFS) has declared an early start to the fire danger season for the Mount Lofty District. As a result the trail south of Tanunda will now close on Saturday November 17th, 2018. 

Previous announcements resulted in the the trail north of Tanunda being closed to walkers since 1 November 2018.

Therefore, the entire length of the Heysen Trail from Cape Jervis in the south to Parachilna in the north, will be closed from November 17th.

The Heysen Trail south of Wirrabara will remain closed up to and including Tuesday April 30th, 2019. The Flinders Ranges Fire Danger season is expected to finish a few weeks early, so that at this stage the trail north of Wirrabara will remain closed until April 15th 2019.

Walkers advised to monitor the CFS website for changes to the closure dates.

However, as is always the case, these dates are subject to review and it is possible the trail closure may be extended. Walkers are advised to monitor the CFS website for any further announcements.

Some sections of the trail remain open over the Fire Danger Season

During the declared fire danger season some sections of the Heysen Trail remain open to walkers. They are principally the sections of the trail that are not on private land. These include public roads, Conservation Parks and Reserves, Forests and vacant land.

Please note that Conservation Parks and Reserves and Forests are closed on days of Total Fire Ban. The CFS publishes these bans, as does the Bureau of Meteorology. In addition, the media also broadcast weather reports including fire ban information.

If you want to walk on the trail, check which Fire District you will be in. The Fire Districts are listed on the Fire Danger Season page of the Friends website.