Adelaide to Hahndorf Day 3

This morning I got a taxi from the Hotel to south Adelaide to pick up the campervan from the rental place. I couldn’t get the campervan till 10am so it was a later start to the morning than I had hoped for. I scored well with the campervan, it was brand new and has never been slept in or hired out. It is a 5 speed manual with all the mod-cons and very easy to drive. It has a kitchen sink, microwave, fridge and gas hotplate. The twin bench seats and table in the back collapse down at night to form a double bed. Above, in the HiTop section of the campervan there is a ceiling area that also turns into a bed. It also comes with outdoor tables/chairs etc.

I didn’t have much of a plan today other than to head out into the Adelaide Hills area. With the help of my GPS I left Adelaide CBD on as many minor roads as I could stopping first at the hill town of Stirling. From there, I toured through more hill towns, Healthfield, Mylor, Aldgate and Bridgewater before ending up at the old German town of Hahndorf.

Hahndorf was not quite what I imagined it would be. For some reason I pictured it as being situated on the edge of a cliff with expansive views out across Adelaide. Instead the township is flat with a single very long main street with obvious German influence. I think the best way to describe it would be as a Maleny on steriods, more touristy with less of the alternative community and more of the New Farm/Newstead demographic. The entire main street is lined with restaurants, cheese shops, wine cellars and gift/craft shops. Vineyards are perched on the hilltops above the town.

One thing amount all these hill towns is that they would be spectacular in Spring and Autumn when the trees that line all their streets in would be a riot of colour rather than mostly bare as they are now. There is definitely a change in temperature now here in the Adelaide Hills, it is a bit chilly tonight. Tomorrow will be more touring through the towns in the area but I will be covering alot more area than I have today.