Stirling, South Australia: Travel guide and things to do

Located only 18 km from Adelaide via the South Eastern Freeway, Stirling is a village and district of extraordinary charm. In many ways it captures the essence of the Adelaide Hills. Being quite unlike the typical Australian town it is middle class in temper, European in vegetation, and Mediterranean in its ambience.

The township came into existence as a very conscious act of real estate selling. In 1854 Peter Prankerd, a close friend of the South Australian politician, Edward Stirling, laid out the town (he named it after his friend) and on 27 February, 1854 the firm of Samson, Wicksteed & Co auctioned the lots with the advertisement that the area 'approximated to the spring temperature of our native land'.

At the time Stirling had natural advantages as the area around it was ideal for market gardening and orchards and the route running through the village was the main road through the Adelaide Hills.

Today Stirling is by-passed by the South Eastern Freeway. Consequently it has been left as a delightful, elegant small village in the hills.

Things to see

A Walk Around Stirling West
There is a small brochure titled 'A Walk Around Stirling West' which is available from Tourist Information Offices in the Adelaide Hills. In this publication historian Tom Dyster outlines 24 places of interest (some are of buildings which no longer exist) around the village of Stirling including Druids Avenue, the Old Cottage Hospital, George Brown's Cottage (which dates from 1856 and is probably the oldest building in Stirling) and Old Mount Lofty Congregational Church. The best way to see Stirling is to simply drive around the tree-lined streets and admire the houses and gardens. This brochure will draw your attention to particular buildings and destinations in and around the village.