Australia 17 - Adelaide & South Australia (Chapter)

(Darren Dugan) #1

Adel Aide & South Au


Str Ali A


ADELAIDE


HILLS


Adel Aide & South Au


Str Ali A


SLEEPING


&EATING


Adel Aide & South Au


Str Ali A


STIRLING


AREA


4 ̈Sleeping ̈& ̈Eating
Hit the German ̈ Arms ̈ Hotel (%08-8388
7013;  www �germanarmshotel�com �au;  69  Main  St;
mains $16-29;h8�30am-9pm) or Hahndorf ̈
Inn (%08-8388 7063; www �hahndorfinn�com �au;
35  Main  St;  mains $17-32;h11am-9pm Mon-Fri,
8am-9pm Sat  & Sun) for German-style brat-
wursts, schnitzels and strudels. See also The
Lane (p741).

Rockbare ̈Retreat ̈ APARTMENT$$$
(%08-8388 7155;  www �rockbare�com �au;  102
Main  St;  per  2/4/8 people $400/400/520;a)
Behind Rockbare cellar door is this reno-
vated former-restaurant – brilliant value
for groups. Sleeping eight, the stone-walled
apartment has two bathrooms and an indus-
trial kitchen, and is all decked out in chic
urbane colours with exposed timbers, ab-
stract art and breakfast provisions for your
first morning.

Manna ̈ MOTEL$$
(%08-8388 1000; www �themanna�com �au;  25  &
35a  Main  St;  d without/with spa  from  $160/220,
2-bedroomapt from $220;aWs) The Manna
is a stylish, contemporary maze of motel
suites on the main street, spread over two
addresses. The older (more affordable) units
occupy a refurbished, exposed-brick motel
complex set back from the street.

Udder ̈Delights ̈ CAFE$
(www�udderdelights�com �au;  91a  Main  St;  meals
$11-18;h9am-5pm;v) This udderly delight-
ful cheese cellar/cafe serves salads, tarts,
pies, soups, cakes, generous cheese platters
and the best coffee this side of Stirling. Free
cheese tastings, too.

Haus ̈ CAFE,WINEBAR $$
(%08-8388 7555;  www �haushahndorf�com �au;  38
Main  St;  breakfast & lunch  mains $13-28, dinner
$25-33;h7�30am-11pm) Haus brings some ur-
ban hip to the Hills. Rustic-style pizzas are
laden with local smallgoods, and the wine
list is huge (lots of Hills drops). Also on of-
fer are baguettes, pasta, burgers, salads and
quiches. Good coffee, too.

88 Information
Adelaide Hills Visitor Information Centre
(%08-83881185,1800 353 323; www �visit
adelaidehills�com �au; 68 Main St; h9am-5pm
Mon-Fri,10am-4pmSat &Sun) The usual
barrageof brochures,plus accommodation
bookingsand internetaccess� Pick up its Short
Winery Trailmap if you’rethirsty�

Stirling Area
The photogenic little villages of old-school
Stirling (population 2870) and one-horse
Aldgate (population 3350) are famed for their
bedazzling autumn colours, thanks to the
deciduous trees the early residents saw fit to
seed. Oddly, Aldgate has also been home to
both Bon Scott and Mel Gibson over the years.

1 ̈Sights ̈& ̈Activities
Cleland ̈Wildlife ̈Park ̈ ZOO
(www�clelandwildlifepark�sa �gov �au;  365  Mt  Lofty 
SummitRd, Crafers;adult/child/family$20/10/50;
h9�30am-5pm, last  entry  4�30pm) Within the
steep Cleland ̈Conservation ̈Park (www�en
vironment�sa �gov �au; h24hr), this place lets you
interact with all kinds of Australian beasts.
There are keeper talks and feeding sessions
throughout the day, and you can have your
mugshot taken with a koala ($30, 2pm to
4pm). There’s a cafe here too. From the city,
take bus 864 or 864F from Grenfell St to
Crafers for connecting bus 823 to the park.

Mt ̈Lofty ̈Summit ̈ LOOKOUT
(www �environment�sa �gov �au/parks; Mt  Lofty  Sum-
mit Rd, Crafers;h24hr) From Cleland Wildlife
Park you can bushwalk (2km) or drive up to
Mt Lofty Summit (a surprising 710m), which
has views across Adelaide. Mt ̈Lofty ̈Summit ̈
Visitor ̈Information ̈Centre (%08-83701054;
www �mtloftysummit�com; h9am-5pm) has info
on local attractions and walking ̈tracks, in-
cluding the steep Waterfall Gully Track (8km
return, 2½ hours) and Mt Lofty Botanic Gar-
dens Loop Trail (7km loop, two hours). The
video of the Ash Wednesday bushfires of 16
February 1983 is harrowing. There’s a snazzy
cafe here.

Mt ̈Lofty ̈Botanic ̈Garden ̈ GARDENS
(www �botanicgardens�sa �gov �au;  gates  on  Mawson
Dr &LampertRd, Crafers;h8�30am-4pmMon-Fri,
10am-5pmSat &Sun) F From Mt Lofty, truck
south 1.5km to the cool-climate slopes of the
botanic garden. Nature trails wind past a lake,
exotic temperate plants, native stringybark
forest and bodacious rhododendron blooms.
Free guided walks depart the Lampert Rd car
park at 10.30am on Thursdays from Septem-
ber to October and March to May.

Deviation ̈Road ̈ WINERY
(www�deviationroad�com; 214 Scott CreekRd, Long-
wood;h10am-5pm) Nothing deviant about
the wines here: sublime pinot noir, substan-
tial shiraz, zingy pinot gris and a very decent
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