River Torrens Circuit

The River Torrens Circuit is a 5.8 kilometre loop of the Linear Park path where it runs through College Park, St Peters and Hackney, ten minutes or so from the Adelaide CBD. It is flat, sealed and a genuine loop rather than an out-and-back, with river red gums, wetland pockets and the city skyline on the western leg. AllTrails clocks it at about an hour and a quarter at walking pace, and both banks are walkable, so you can shorten the lap at almost any bridge.

The dog setup

This is a lead walk, start to finish. Dogs are welcome on the path but must stay on a short lead, under effective control, on every section of it; the City of Norwood Payneham and St Peters manages the College Park and St Peters stretches and the City of Adelaide takes over westward, and both require leads on the formal path. The one exception within reach is Hannaford Reserve at St Peters, off lead at all times and a short detour off the path if your dog needs a proper run.

Sharing the path

The Torrens corridor is one of Adelaide's busiest cycling routes, and this is a commuter path as much as a dog walk. Keep left and walk the dog on your left so it sits away from passing bikes. Expect commuter volume on weekday mornings and evenings, and a Saturday morning parkrun surge. A retractable lead is the wrong tool here: on a short lead your dog cannot swing into the bike line, which is the whole risk on this path.

Water and terrain

Sealed bitumen throughout and effectively flat, so it suits prams, mobility scooters and stiff-jointed dogs alike. Drinking fountains and rest stops sit along the way, and waste bag dispensers are at the main entry points including St Peters River Park. The river rises fast after heavy rain; keep dogs off the bank when it is running high and muddy.

Getting there and parking

College Park sits just south of the river, with access down local streets such as Ninth Avenue or Hackney Road. Street parking is available on the residential streets around the access points, and the path can also be reached on foot from the St Peters and Hackney side without touching a main road.

When to go

Early mornings deliver the best combination: low bike traffic, cockatoos and lorikeets working the red gums, and cooler air in summer. Late afternoon is the second-best window. Mid-day in January is hard work for a dark-coated dog, as the corridor has shade but long exposed stretches too.

Close by with the dogs

FIX. Specialty Coffee in College Park handles the post-walk flat white, and Marbella Espresso and Panini Bar is a short walk south for something more substantial.

Pepsi: four swans watched, zero swans chased, one restrained dramatic lunge that was really more of an opinion.

More routes are on the South Australia dog walks list, and the local guide to College Park covers the surrounds.