The Gawler Greenway is a railside path which follows part of the suburban line to Gawler. The trail is a shared-use path with some on-road sections featuring sharrows. There is a 350 m section of compacted rubble, indicating that this is a work in progress. It’s a long-term state government project that will ultimately cover 45 km. The 14 km section between the CBD and Dry Creek described here is substantially complete and several smaller bits are being progressively completed. The trail follows an operational line and comprises a mixture of shared-user paths and bike lanes on quiet minor roads. The trail moves through a variety of landscapes such as inner urban residential areas, industrial factories, rail yards and wetlands.

Adelaide CBD to Islington Railyards (9 km)

Like many railside trails in inner-city suburbs, space is limited so shared paths tend to follow unusual routes and signage is often not as good as it could be. The following information is provided to help with navigation.

• The trail starts in the CBD, on the banks of the River Torrens adjacent to the Adelaide Railway Station
• Proceed west along the river, past the Torrens Lake Weir and turn left into the shared-use railway underpass
• Continue along the edge of the River Torrens and cross the high-level bridge just before Port Rd
• On the other side of the river, continue straight on, using the bridge to cross over the Outer Harbor Line. Follow the path to the left and turn right, then right again when the path gets to Park Tce
• Follow the trail as it slowly curves to the right through the parklands until it reaches the railway line. Use the crossing to cross the line and follow the trail to the left which passes the former North Adelaide Station. Just past the station car park, take the trail to the left and follow the railway line.
• Follow quiet Park Tce until it returns to the railway line, where you can cross Hawker St. The streets are marked with sharrows indicating the direction to be followed.
• Once over Hawker St, turn left into Gilbert St and then left into Albert St/Gutherie St which can be followed right through to Torrens Rd
• Turn left at Torrens Road and use the footpath to travel a short distance down to the rail line where the trail travels under the Torrens Road overpass. The overpass is a good place to stop for a rest. There is a bike repair station under the overpass.
• The trail continues on northward along Davenport Terrace for 2km, where a rubble track on the edge of a future property development can be used for a small distance. This section of trail will be upgraded once the property development and stormwater drainage works have been completed. When nearing the Regency Road railway bridge, take the railway pedestrian crossing on your left. Once over the railway line, cross the road and use the underpass to get to the other side of the Regency Road. There is often broken glass in the underpass so take care when riding through.
• Turn left coming out of the underpass, cross Pedder Cr and follow the cycle trail, until you reach the traffic lights at Naweena Rd. Cross Naweena, turn right, and follow the on-road bike lane for 2.7 km. When the road veers left, take the shared-use path on the right. There are good blue-and-white directional signs along this section.
• The shared-use path will take you over the intersection where you can continue to follow the path to an underpass which will take you under Grand Junction Road. The trail has taken a slight detour as the Islington Rail yards and associated industrial precinct prevent the trail from following the Gawler railway line.

Islington Railyards to Dry Creek (5 km)

• Once through the Grand Junction Rd underpass, cross the road and, slightly to your right, you will see the trail recommence.
• Follow the trail through the industrial estate (not the most scenic or fragrant ride) for 1.2km and cross Cormack Rd using the pedestrian crossing. The Gawler Line is now adjacent to the trail on the right.
• Once over Cormack Rd, follow the trail to the left and then across Magazine Rd and turn right and follow it north for 450 m and turn right into Henschke St. Follow Henschke St to the end and you will see the trail start on the left. The Gawler Line is now on the right
• Follow the trail for 1.75 km until it reaches Salisbury Hwy
• The trail ends here but may continue on to Mawson Lakes at some stage

CONNECTING PATHS

• Magazine Railside Trail (500 m): Henschke St, which is part of the Gawler Rail Trail, also forms part of the Magazine Rail Trail. The area slightly to the west of Magazine Rd was originally a 600-mm gauge track which ran a horse-drawn train from the Dry Creek railyards, along Henschke St and Magazine Rd, to the explosives storage area at the northern end of Magazine Rd. As residential and industrial development moved closer to the explosives storage huts, the risk became too great and the storage facility was relocated. This trail is important as it connects the Gawler Rail Trail to the Port River Bikeway and Tapa Martinthi Yala shared-use path which follows the Northern Connector Freeway (M2).
• Wetlands Trail (2 km): There is a scenic alternative to the section of the Gawler Rail Trail from Henschke St to Salisbury Hwy. Follow Magazine Rd until you reach the Port Expressway. Turn right and follow the rubble path for 200 m where the path heads into the wetland area. The trail continues on through the wetland with occasional narrow and low bridge crossings before it arrives back near Salisbury Hwy. This is not a formal path or trail and it could  be described as a goat track in some sections. Cyclists need to assess the risk associated with travelling on an unmade track through a wetland.
• Port Expressway Connection: At the northern end of Magazine Rd, a shared-use path veers to the left and follows the expressway and the Barker Inlet Wetlands for 900m before passing under the expressway in what can only be described as a modified stormwater drain (it’s better than crossing the expressway but often a little damper). Follow the shared-use path and turn left onto a wider path/road which can be followed to Salt Pan Junction. At this point you have two options – turn left and follow the Port River Bikeway toward Port Adelaide (7.6 km) or travel onward (north) on the Tapa Martinthi Yala (Kaurna term meaning “pathway to embrace today”) shared-use path which follows the freeway (16.7 km). Tapa Martinthi Yala connects with the Stuart O’Grady Bikeway which leads to Gawler (22.6 km)