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On a day trip to Mount Lofty, Max Anderson discovers there's more to the region than magnificent views.
Adelaide is rarely thought of as having hills. Ask anyone - they'll say it's flat. I have no idea why this should be since the Adelaide Hills are hard to miss: look along most of the city's east-west streets and you'll see them rising steeply from the plains to their modest peak of 710 metres. The Mount Lofty Ranges are closer than other ranges enjoyed by state capitals including Perth, Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney.
To put this claim of proximity to the test, leave Victoria Square in the CBD, scoot up the six-lane freeway and exit at Crafers. Quicker than you can say "Jeez, that took less than 20 minutes" you'll be standing at Mount Lofty Summit (see mtlofty summit.com), stemming the nosebleed and steadying yourself in front of the view.
The city of Colonel William Light is all before you. There's the 174-year-old street plan with its girdle of parklands quite discernible in the morning light; the sprawling outer suburbs gauzed in summer by a purple haze of jacaranda trees; the coastline of the Fleurieu Peninsula; and even Kangaroo Island, far off in Gulf St Vincent.
At this point you'll also notice that the air is clearer, cooler and sweeter, scented by the prodigious slopes of stringybarks. These dense eucalypt forests arguably define the Adelaide Hills's gateway region, which includes Mount Lofty plus the villages of Crafers, Stirling and Aldgate. From here, the topography falls off and the forests give way to rich agricultural lands, including the cool-climate vineyards that are spreading the Hills's name far and wide.
But now is as good a time as any to squint into the canopies for koalas, black cockatoos and superb fairy wrens. If you want to get some sense of isolation and history (the area was a meeting place of great importance to the Peramangk and Kaurna Aboriginal people as well as a tremendous resource for the settlers of the 1830s) you should take to any of the bushwalks that spread out from here. One leads to Cleland Wildlife Park, another back down to the city.
On the return trip you're in for a stiff hike but at least someone has thoughtfully provided a licensed restaurant at the Summit.
Only a few hundred metres from the Summit is Mount Lofty House (mtloftyhouse.com.au) and a dramatic volte face in terms of scenery. This Mercure hotel enjoys impossibly English rose gardens and a heart-stopping vista over the vines and vales that comprise Piccadilly Valley.
It seems only right to take tea - as you can in the hotel restaurant.
The adjacent Mount Lofty Botanic Garden (environment.sa.gov.au/botanicgardens) enjoys similarly magnificent views but this little-known treasure also offers six intersecting valleys of landscaped gardens with magical trails that wind through rhododendron gullies, magnolia nooks and fern corridors.
For some wilder life, you might consider Cleland Wildlife Park (clelandwildlifepark .sa.gov.au). Home to more than 130 native species, this open-plan grassland park is filled with day trippers who want to mingle with marsupials, including rare Yellow-footed Rock Wallabies (which yellow-foot it over a habitat specially made to reflect their Flinders Ranges homes). Koala cuddling is a concession to those who feel so disposed.
I prefer Warrawong Wildlife Sanctuary (warrawong.com) about eight kilometres away in an intimate valley behind the village of Aldgate. It was set up by John Wamsley, the visionary ecologist somewhat overshadowed by his infamous cat-hat. Today the 14-hectare sanctuary is rich with plant-life and atmosphere and, while you have to look a bit harder for the wildlife, there's plenty to surprise, particularly the platypuses that will (eventually) break the surface of their shaded, silvery ponds.
Entry to Warrawong is also free.
Since this is the gateway to the Adelaide Hills, you are in a perfect position to sample the local fare.
Stirling is the main town hereabouts, its genteel main street hiding some considerable summer dwellings built by wealthy folk in the 19th century who wanted respite from the heat. At lunchtime, take a pavement table outside Ruby's, Tranquilo, the rustic Organic Cafe or the Stirling Hotel Bistro and watch the steady procession of time, people and classic cars (the Hills is home to one of Australia's best collections). Top-drawer evening meals are to be had at The Locavore (all ingredients sourced within 160 kilometres), the Stirling Hotel's Mallee Grill Restaurant and the Aldgate Providore, in the neighbouring village of Aldgate. The Siemers Indian Restaurant is a long-standing Stirling favourite - and note the 1860s stone church next door, home to Aptos Cruz Galleries (aptos cruz.com), with a superb collection of designer furnishings, artefacts and tribal art.
If you want to try something different, throw yourself into the mix at the Sticky Rice Cooking School (stickyricecookingschool.com.au), where you learn to cook restaurant-standard food under the guidance of masters of Asian cuisines, including Thai, Vietnamese and Indian.
Classes take place in a pleasing space within a 1940s Stirling building with up to 18 students learning not only the techniques of cooking but also the cultural nuances behind it. Everything you need is provided but listen carefully - come evening time, you eat what you cook, usually with some carefully chosen bottles of wine.
Being this close to the Adelaide Hills wine region proper, you may be champing to sample some of those famous savs and pinots at a cellar door. The good news is that there are two very close to hand.
The first is the recently opened Deviation Road (deviationroad.com), about five minutes' drive from Stirling at Longwood. It's run by fifth-generation winemaker Hamish Laurie and enjoys a pretty bushland setting across from the Mark Oliphant Conservation Park. With cheese platters and a large deck, the cellar door lends itself to sunny sipping and long afternoons.
The second is the Bridgewater Mill cellar door in Bridgewater, the place to try wines wearing the Petaluma, Croser and Bridgewater Mill labels.
If this so far seems a touch sedate, remember, you are in the Hills and gravity is here to serve: Escapegoat (escapegoat.com.au/lofty-descents) will meet you at Mount Lofty Summit with as many mountain bikes as you need and take you off-road to the bottom with a few stops on the way. There's also a challenging but unflaggingly pretty 18-hole golf course at Mount Lofty Golf Club near Stirling (mountloftygolfclub.com.au). After a half-day of either, you'll be perfectly placed to counter any suggestion Adelaide is flat.
Cycling adventure not reserved for the pros
THE world's leading professional cyclists enjoy the Fleurieu Peninsula's scenic beauty while they ride several stages of the annual Tour Down Under and recreational cyclists can enjoy the same vistas at their leisure by pedalling along the Encounter Bikeway that spans the peninsula's southern coast.
Snaking 30 kilometres from Goolwa to The Bluff that looms west of Victor Harbor, the trail is a mix of purpose-built bike path and shared roadways offering continuous glimpses of the Southern Ocean.
Mostly it's a flat, gently winding path with only modest undulations and is designed more for hobbyists and families than lycra-clad competitors. It therefore has great tourist appeal, running beside sections of the train line that carries the steam-driven Cockle Train and leading straight past the South Australian Whale Centre in Victor Harbor. It also includes several key vantage points that are popular among whale watchers during winter months.
Even without playful aquatic life to observe, riders will invariably see big waves crash spectacularly against the granite cliff face at Port Elliot and neighbouring Boomer beach and discover a few hidden beaches away from the main roads, such as Basham beach and Fisherman's Bay.
The trail provides easy access to a string of impressive art galleries and artist workshops, from blacksmith artist Chris Murphy at his Blue Temper ironworks studio (Goolwa Road, Middleton, 0439 844 774) to the Ocean Art Gallery, with works from local artists in the former station house beside the Victor Harbor train station (call (08) 8552 1316) and the South Coast Regional Arts Centre in the historic Old Goolwa Police Station (Goolwa Terrace, Goolwa, (08) 8555 7289).
FAST FACTS
Getting there
Qantas, Virgin Blue and Tiger Airways fly daily to Adelaide from Sydney (from $190 return) and Melbourne (from $120 return). Hertz rental cars (hertz.com.au) can be collected and returned at Adelaide airport, from $50 a day. GPS units cost $12 a day.
It's not hard to head into the Hills — simply point and shoot. From the centre of Adelaide, get onto Greenhill Road and turn south-east onto Glen Osmond Road, which runs straight into the South Eastern Freeway (a big six-laner that climbs quickly). You'll climb for 10 kilometres, passing through tunnels; just as you crest the hill, you'll see the Crafers exit. A little further is the exit to Stirling and Aldgate.
The more adventurous can take the Old Mt Barker Road, which follows the freeway and includes a well-named hairpin called The Devil's Elbow. Alternatively, stay on Greenhill Road, which will take you a 'back way' to Mt Lofty Summit. It's especially scenic but it's also tight and vertiginous.
Staying there
Thorngrove Manor is a Small Luxury Hotels of the World hotel hosting a maximum of six guests. A spectacular folly created by architect (and host) Kenneth Lehmann, it's a composite of gables, towers and turrets which at once caters to romantic notions and satisfies Stirling's historical penchant for lofty grandeur. Rooms are from $760 per couple per night including continental breakfast. See thorngrove.com.au.
The Stirling Hotel is a swish pub with fine dining and bistro. Last year it opened Five Rooms, a collection of five cool, minimalist, funky retreats located on the second floor of the stately sandstone pub. The bathrooms in the balcony rooms are heavenly. Prices are from $240 per couple per night, including a bang-up breakfast in the Bistro. See stirlinghotel.com.au.
If you're looking for an unusual retreat, how about a night with the animals at Warrawong Sanctuary? The cabins evoke the wilderness camping thing but they're powered and have en suite bathrooms. Breakfast is included, served in the sanctuary cafe. From $225 per night for two adults and two children. See warrawong.com.
The region has a number of B&Bs that enjoy quintessential Hills gardens and one of these is Corktree Cottage (paulinehurren.com.au/corktree.html) in Crafers. It's run by acclaimed local architect Pauline Hurren whose garden is frequently part of the Open Garden Scheme. The cottage sleeps up to four and costs from $175 per couple per night with provisions for continental breakfast.
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