Playford Lake -- turtle spotting and birding at Belair NP

Playford Lake, at Belair NP, South Australia

Good water levels in Playford Lake in the springtime

Watch out for turtles and abundant waterbirds ... Playford Lake is a refuge for both.

There's no prettier place than Belair National Park's Playford Lake, on a sunny day in spring. The whole park is a refuge for wildlife, and the lake throngs with waterfowl of every kind ... and fresh water turtles, which bask in the sun on the surface.

There are scores of them in residence -- but these ancient reptiles are amazingly camera shy, and you have to be quick!

Freshwater turtles seem to thrive in Playford Lake... 

The turtles don't seem to have any natural predator, and food is plentiful, so long as water levels are high...

Water levels can get worryingly low in Belair NP in the summer,  but spring is the perfect time, if you're a turtle.

The walk around the lake is only about a kilometer. The truth is, you could hike it in a hurry in a matter of minutes! But who's in such a hurry? And besides, there's a photo-op every twenty meters down the path. We must have walked it fifty times, and the only time we did it quickly was on a winter's day when rain threatened.

If you like birds, there's usually countless opportunities to photograph about twenty different species, both in and out of the water. Lorikeets, galahs, sulphur crested cockatoos, little corellas, several kinds of honey eaters, swallows, superb fairy wrens, thornbills, golden whistlers ... and of course the waterbirds, such as --

The darter

Ibis

The Australian Little Raven, with its brilliant blue eyes. Not a crow!

The purple swamp hen. European coots and dusky moorhens are also common. 

White faced heron

The best time to walk Playford Lake -- the "Duck Walk," as it's called -- is probably September or October, while water levels are high, birds are nesting, golden wattle and wildflowers are everywhere, and it's not (yet) too hot. The lake area is always nice, but on a sunny day it can be very picturesque indeed.

It's also close enough to Belair NP's main gates that you can park outside and walk in -- which can be handy on busy weekend days and public holidays, when Belair can get astonishingly busy. (We went there one Easter Monday, and couldn't find a car park!)

Lucky shot! You couldn't plan this: a skimming dragonfly.

Golden wattle ... uh, "Ker-choo!" Yes, bring the tissues, in season!

Camouflage! Sitting ducks ... several species live around the lake.

Lower: Pacific black duck. Upper: could be a Hardhead, but if so, it's probably not pure-bred. Mallards abound on the lake, and they interbreed with ... everything. You get lots of hybrids that're similar to pure-bred species, but ... not quite.

The Duck Walk: a kilometer around Playford Lake, which is just off-camera to the right. Belair NP.

Playford Lake is one tiny part of Belair NP, and we know the whole park intimately. We'll come back to this region several times in these pages: koala spotting, orchid hunting, hanging out with kangaroos, shaking hands with very old oak trees, birding, picnicking ...! Here's the official map, which you can pick up free at the kiosk on entry, or download:

Yes, we've hiked virtually everything, including some extremely challenging trails. Some of these hikes can look easy, but two hours later, you know they're not! Playford Lake is a great place to start.