Anstey Hill Recreation Park is a 362-hectare (890-acre) protected area established in 1989 and located approximately 19 kilometres (12 mi) northeast of Adelaide, South Australia.

The park is a significant reserve of bushland in the foothills of the Mount Lofty Ranges and is home to rare or vulnerable native plants and animals, and problematic invasive species.

It is managed by the City of Tea Tree Gully, the Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources and a volunteer group—The Friends of Anstey Hill.

The Gun Emplacement, a listed Geologic Monument and remnant of an ancient land surface, lies in the southwestern corner.

It lies at the edge of the Mount Lofty Ranges' foothills and forms part of the "hill's face" that is visible from Adelaide's metropolitan area.

The Adelaide–Mannum water supply pipeline crosses the park's south, and an associated filtration plant is sited on its southern boundary.

This volunteer group makes significant contributions to revegetation, weed control, ruin stabilisation and creation of walking trails.

The intention is to satisfy both biodiversity and recreation objectives in the park and reducing the incidence of illegal mountain bike riding in other non-designated areas.

[10] Anstey Hill Park lies between Bureau of Meteorology measured rainfall contour lines that denote an annual average from 580 to 820 mm (23 to 32 in).

[11] Apart from springs in Water Gully, the site of Newman's Nursery ruins, all of the numerous creeks in the park are seasonal and dry for much of the year.

This zone is a major land fault separating the Adelaide Plains from the Mount Lofty Ranges and runs north-north-east across the park from its southwest corner.

Sand layers were then folded and slightly metamorphosed during the delamerian orogeny, a period of mountain building caused by tectonic plate movements and resulting east–west compression of Australia.

Tea Tree Gully freestone, as found in the largest quarry in the park, is a feldspathic sandstone bedded with quartzite.

Of significant concern, largely for their impact on native flora, are bridal creeper (Asparagus asparagoides), boneseed (Chrysanthemoides monilifera), artichoke thistle (Cynara cardunculus), varieties of broom, Spanish heath (Erica lusitanica), fennel (Foeniculum vulgare), olives, blackberries, common gorse (Ulex europaeus) and dog rose (Rosa canina).

[27] The name of the park derives from a road built by George Alexander Anstey, a South Australian pastoral and horticultural pioneer.

This name was first used by Major William Hubert Edmunds, a Lieutenant cartographer in the Boer War who later enlisted in the Commonwealth of Australia forces.

The report, in part, recommended that a regional park be established north of Anstey Hill and southeast of Tea Tree Gully.

Significant European uses of the park's land have been Newman's Nursery, a main road, mines, quarries and a water filtration plant.

[36] During a severe storm in February 1913, 2 inches (51 mm) of rain fell in an hour, setting the streams, creeks and roads awash and damaging the nursery.

The new owner removed everything of value from the property; slate paving and benches were sold, buildings were stripped to walls and foundations, pine trees lining the entrance road were turned to box wood and some outbuildings were knocked down.

[24] Tea Tree Gully Freestone from some quarries has been used for the facades and ornamental dressing of many of Adelaide's Victorian public buildings.

The Tea Tree Gully Silver Mining Company began work in the area in 1888, constructing a tramway, blacksmith shop and a new road.

[43] Stone from the first quarry was used to build a family home, on the south east corner of nearby Valley and Grand Junction roads.

[20] The historic Ellis Cottage and Rumps Bakery buildings lie near the corner of Perseverance and North East roads.

[47] Assisted by a government grant and supervised by the Department of Environment and Heritage, the Friends of Anstey Hill stabilised both buildings in 2000.

Based partly on seismic refraction traverses, a ridge underlain by dolomite and quartzite was deemed to be stable enough for construction.

[48] The plant was intended to serve 70,000 homes in the outer northeastern suburbs of Adelaide, specifically those north of the River Torrens.

[49] A small hydroelectric plant began operating in adjacent Hope Valley in 2003, using the head of water as it flows down Anstey Hill.

From 1842 to 1846, Anstey constructed a replacement private road with a devil's elbow (double hairpin bend) that followed the land's contours more closely.

Before the production could be staged, the abandoned quarry had to be cleaned of a large amount of rubbish and weeds, and the dirt track sealed in order to carry the traffic.