Adel Aide & South AuStr Ali AADELAIDEHILLSAdel Aide & South AuStr Ali ASLEEPING&EATINGAdel Aide & South AuStr Ali AOAKBANK&WOODSIDEbubbly, too. Grab a cheese platter and wind
down in the afternoon in the sun.
Stirling ̈Markets ̈ MARKET
(www�stirlingmarket�com �au; Druids Ave, Stirling;
h10am-4pm4th Sun of the month) This lively
market takes over oak-lined Druids Ave
in Stirling: much plant-life, busking, pies,
cakes and Hills knick-knackery (not many
druids...).
4 ̈Sleeping ̈& ̈Eating
Mt ̈Lofty ̈House ̈ HISTORICHOTEL$$$
(%08-8339 6777; www �mtloftyhouse�com �au; 74
SummitRd, Crafers;dfrom $229;aWs) Pro-
prietarily poised above Mt Lofty Botanic
Garden (awesome views), this 1850s baro-
nial mansion has lavish heritage rooms and
garden suites, plus an upmarket restaurant
(also with killer views). The perfect honey-
mooner or dirty weekender.
Mt ̈Lofty ̈Wilderness ̈Cottage ̈YHA ̈CABIN$$
(%08-84143000;www �yha �com �au; Mt Lofty Sum-
mit Rd, Crafers;per night $140) A short detour
off the road on the steep flanks of Mt Lofty,
this 1880 stone cottage was originally a shep-
herd’s hut. Today it’s a basic, self-contained,
two-bedroom cabin sleeping eight, with
peek-a-boo views of Adelaide through the
eucalypts. Minuimun two-night stay.
oStirling ̈Hotel ̈ PUB, BOUTIQUEHOTEL$$
(%08-83392345;www �stirlinghotel�com �au; 52 Mt
BarkerRd, Stirling;mains$16-38;hnoon-3pm&
6-9pmMon-Fri,8am-9pmSat &Sun) The owners
spent so much money tarting up this gor-
geous old dame, it’s a wonder they can pay
the staff. A runaway success, the free-flowing
bistro (classy pub grub) and romantic res-
taurant (upmarket regional cuisine) are al-
ways packed.
Upstairs are five elegant, contemporary
suites (doubles from $220), three of which
have open fireplaces (for winter) and breezy
balconies (for summer). All have flat-screen
TVs, quality linen and luxe bathrooms you’ll
actually want to spend time in.
Organic ̈Market ̈& ̈Café ̈ CAFE$
(www�organicmarket�com �au; 5DruidsAve, Stirling;
meals$8-18;h8�30am-5pm;v) (^) S Rejecting
Stirling’s pompous tendencies, hirsute Hills
types flock to this vibrant, hippie cafe. It’s
the busiest spot in town − and rightly so.
The food’s delicious and everything’s made
with love. Gorge on bruschetta, plump sa-
voury muffins, great coffee and wicked Por-
tuguese custard tarts.
Oakbank & Woodside
Strung-out Oakbank (population 450), lives
for the annual Oakbank ̈ Easter ̈ Racing ̈
Carnival (www�oakbankracingclub�com �au), said
to be the greatest picnic race meeting in the
world. It’s a two-day festival of equine splen-
dour, risqué dresses and 18-year-olds who
can’t hold their liquor.
Agricultural Woodside (population 1830)
has a few enticements for galloping gour-
mands. Woodside ̈Cheese ̈Wrights (www�
woodsidecheese�com �au; 22 Henry St, Woodside;
tastingsfree, cheesesfrom $4; h10am-4pm) is a
passionate and unpretentious gem produc-
ing classic, artisan and experimental cheeses
(soft styles a speciality) from locally grazing
sheep and cows. Stock up on rocky road,
scorched almonds and appallingly realistic
chocolate cow pats at Melba’s ̈Chocolate ̈
& ̈Confectionery ̈Factory (www�melbaschoco
lates �com; 22 Henry St, Woodside; tastings free,
chocolatesfrom $2; h9am-4�30pm).
Gumeracha,
Birdwood & Lobethal
A scenic drive from Adelaide to Birdwood
leads through the Torrens River Gorge to
Gumeracha (population 400), a hardy hill-
side town with a pub at the bottom (mak-
ing it hard to roll home). The main lure here
is climbing the 18.3m-high Big ̈ Rocking ̈
Horse (www�thetoyfactory�com �au; Birdwood Rd,
Gumeracha; admission $2; h9am-5pm), which
doesn’t actually rock, but is unusually taste-
ful as far as Australia’s ‘big’ tourist attrac-
tions go.
Behind an impressive 1852 flour mill in
Birdwood (population 1130), the National ̈
Motor ̈ Museum (%08-8568 4000; www �his
tory �sa �gov �au; ShannonSt, Birdwood;adult/child/
family $12/5/30;h9am-5pm) has a collec-
tion of immaculate vintage and classic cars
(check out the DeLorean!) and motorcy-
cles. The museum marks the finishing line
for September’s Bay ̈to ̈Birdwood (www�bay
tobirdwood�com �au): a convoy of classic cars
chugging up from the city.
Nearby is Lobethal (population 1660), es-
tablished by Lutheran Pastor Fritzsche and
his followers in 1842. Like Hahndorf, Lobe-
thal was renamed during WWI and ‘Twee-
dale’ was the rather unfortunate choice. It
hits its straps during the Lights ̈of ̈Lobe-
thal (www�lightsoflobethal�com �au) Christmas