Adelaide to the Adelaide Hills and Barossa Valley

Mount Lofty Summit is the highest point of the Mount Lofty Ranges in Adelaide Hills, rising to 710 metres above sea level. The same-named lookout, which is easily accessible from the carparks at the summit, delivers a view of Adelaide’s city skyline to the coast, as well as the Piccadilly Valley to the east.

From the lookout, follow the path leading to the Mount Lofty Botanic Garden and explore all 97 hectares of the park. Choose from a handful of short walking trails of varied difficulty, leading to different parts of the garden. The Lakeside Loop leads to a picturesque lake and a series of plant-themed artworks with just a kilometre of walking.

Looking for a different view? Take the Heysen Trail from the summit and walk through native bushlands to Waterfall Gully, where the largest of the seven waterfalls sitting within Cleland Wildlife Park tumbles down a sheer charcoal-coloured rock face.

From Mt Lofty, a fifteen minute drive to the north leads to Morialta Conservation Park where you can explore landscapes like creeks, woodlands, gorges and waterfalls. Fifteen more minutes north and you’ll reach Castambul where you can start navigating the famous Gorge Road which lets you drive through foothills, intriguing towns, wineries, and the roadside Kangaroo Creek Reservoir Lookout.

You can stop and treat the kids to a wildlife experience at the Gorge Wildlife Park, home to both Australian native wildlife and American alligators, meerkats, and other mammals from around the world. Push on for a few more minutes to reach Cudlee Creek where you can sample a drop or two at Mt Bera Vineyards’ historic homestead.

If you can’t wait a moment longer to quaff that famous Barossa Valley wine, take Little Para Road at Chain of Ponds. Along the way, Kersbrook is a pleasant historical farming town with ample wildlife and plenty of fresh produce. It’s also home to Kersbrook Hill Winery, producer of the critically-acclaimed Dons Acre Shiraz.

Stop at the South Para Reservoir, known as South Australia’s watering hole, where families and fishing enthusiasts can spend time leisurely in the gentleness of nature. Lay down a mat and have a picnic by the picturesque waterside views of the surrounding hills.

The reservoir also offers various water activities like canoeing and kayaking, and if you’re up for a challenging activity, you can hike or mountain bike your way to the Warren Reservoir in Williamstown via the 12 kilometre trail linking the two reservoirs.

Although several grape varieties are grown in the Barossa, it’s the Shiraz that takes home all the prizes. Shiraz (or Syrah) grapes are renowned for liking it tough and proving themselves against all odds. The region’s poor soil, a mix of clay and loamy, sandy, brown and dark-grey soils may, at first glance be better suited to making bricks than world class wines but the area’s long history (since 1842) of award winning wines tells a different story.   

The vineyards of the Barossa have also developed the Barossa Old Vine Charter — a pedigree of vines to ensure the very best producers live on.