The park is in a rugged bush environment, with a narrow gorge set with three waterfalls, bounded by steep ridges and cliffs.

John Smith Reid who was a landholder in the area, offered to donate part of his land in 1911 to create a national reserve.

On 29 September 1966, a proclamation made under the Crown Lands Act 1929 resumed all of the land occupied by the National Pleasure Resort and then divided it into a reserve for "waterworks purposes" and a reserve with the name, the Morialta Falls National Pleasure Resort.

[8][9] It is said that the area was used as a hunting ground, and to collect firewood, during the winter months when the Kaurna would retreat from the coast to the hills.

[12] Morialta Conservation Park covers 5.33 km2 within the Mount Lofty Ranges, which run north–south to the east of Adelaide's coastal plain.

It is bounded by Black Hill Conservation Park on the north, Norton Summit road on the south, the suburb of Rostrevor on the west, and by agricultural land on the east.

The park caters for a variety of activities, including bushwalking, picnics, rock climbing and bird watching.

Four members of the club were given an introduction by the National Fitness Council of South Australia and began regular climbing at the site.

A visit by international climbers in 1971 saw the standards of free climbing increase at the park, with many new bold routes being led.

[19] Remarkably, The Lost Walls were not discovered until 1986, hence their name and is the most recent addition of a significant number of climbs.

These rings greatly simplify the task of building an anchor, making outdoor climbing accessible to a broader range of people.