[2][5] The conservation park consists of land in section 3943 in the cadastral unit of the Hundred of Onkaparinga.

In 1980, it was described as follows:[5]Charleston Conservation Park preserves a pristine remnant representative of the transition between the wetter stringy bark forests on the western side of the Mount Lofty Ranges and the drier mallee woodlands to the east.

A large diversity of flora and fauna are represented in the park including at least seventy-six bird species.

The understorey is dominated by Acacia pycnantha with occasional thickets of Leptospermum myrsinoides and Xanthorrhoea semiplana.

Small, regenerating stands of Acacia melanoxylon and Callitris preissii are of interest.