The South Para River is a river in Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

. It rises in the Mount Lofty Ranges

Mount Lofty Ranges

The Mount Lofty Ranges are the range of mountains just to the east of Adelaide in South Australia.-Location and description:The Mount Lofty Ranges stretch from the southernmost point of the Fleurieu Peninsula at Cape Jervis northwards for over before petering out north of Peterborough...

 near Mount Crawford

Mount Crawford (South Australia)

Mount Crawford is a hill in South Australia approximately 15 km north of Birdwood, in the Mount Lofty Ranges. It also refers to the Mount Crawford Forest which is a grouping of several government forest lands in the area, the largest encompassing the area around Mount Crawford - others are to the...

 and Kersbrook

Kersbrook, South Australia

Kersbrook is a town near Adelaide, South Australia. It is located in the Adelaide Hills Council local government area. At the 2006 census, Kersbrook had a population of 367.-History:...

 and flows northwest through the Mount Lofty Ranges

Mount Lofty Ranges

The Mount Lofty Ranges are the range of mountains just to the east of Adelaide in South Australia.-Location and description:The Mount Lofty Ranges stretch from the southernmost point of the Fleurieu Peninsula at Cape Jervis northwards for over before petering out north of Peterborough...

, passing through the Warren Reservoir and the South Para Reservoir

South Para Reservoir

South Para Reservoir is the second largest reservoir in South Australia, behind Mount Bold Reservoir, and the principal reservoir of the South Para River system...

, before merging with the North Para River

North Para River

The North Para River rises from the Barossa Ranges near Eden Valley and flows southwest through thhe Barossa Valley, passing through the towns of Nuriootpa, Tanunda, before merging with the South Para River in Gawler forming the Gawler River....

 in Gawler

Gawler, South Australia

Gawler is the first country town in the state of South Australia, and is named after the second Governor of the colony of South Australia, George Gawler. It is located north of the centre of the state capital, Adelaide, and is close to the major wine producing district of the Barossa Valley...

 forming the Gawler River

Gawler River

Gawler River, is a confluence of the North Para and South Para Rivers at the South Australian town of Gawler. It is also the name of a suburb, between Gawler and Angle Vale....

.

The South Para River catchment is one of the key watersheds

Drainage basin

A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...

 in the northern Mount Lofty Ranges

Mount Lofty Ranges

The Mount Lofty Ranges are the range of mountains just to the east of Adelaide in South Australia.-Location and description:The Mount Lofty Ranges stretch from the southernmost point of the Fleurieu Peninsula at Cape Jervis northwards for over before petering out north of Peterborough...

. It plays an important role in the functioning of South Australia

South Australia

South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...

, providing much of the water used by Adelaide

Adelaide

Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...

's domestic supply in the Northern Adelaide area. The rainfall in the South Para River catchment varies from 775 mm per annum in the north-east of the catchment to 675 mm per annum near Williamstown. Its waters are also used for livestock production

Livestock

Livestock refers to one or more domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to produce commodities such as food, fiber and labor. The term "livestock" as used in this article does not include poultry or farmed fish; however the inclusion of these, especially poultry, within the meaning...

, cereal cropping

Cereal

Cereals are grasses cultivated for the edible components of their grain , composed of the endosperm, germ, and bran...

and recreation.

Tributaries

• Watts Gully Creek
• Malcolm Creek