After the Barossa, we spent the next few days in the Adelaide Hills: down the back roads through Birdwood to Hahndorf for New Year’s Eve, a day on safari at Monarto Safari Park, and a night with the alpacas at Pymbroke Camp near Rockleigh.
Below you’ll find how to get around, the places we camped and stopped, with our scores and a link to each full review, and what to know before you go.
About the Adelaide HillsAbout
The Adelaide Hills rise straight up behind the city: rolling farmland, orchards and vineyards, gum-lined back roads and small towns like Birdwood, Lobethal and Hahndorf, the old German settlement that’s the best-known stop. To the east the hills drop away to the dry plains around Monarto and Murray Bridge, where the safari park is, and the Bremer Ranges run along that edge.
For a camping trip it works because everything is close. You can be in the hills in half an hour from Adelaide, spend the day on farm gates, cellar doors and Hahndorf’s main street, and still be at a bush camp by evening.
Best time to go
We went over New Year, which is cherry season at the farm gates and peak time for Hahndorf, but also hot and fire danger season, so the camps are gas only. Autumn brings the colour in the hills and cooler walking at Monarto, and spring is green and mild. Winter is cold and wet in the hills, but quiet.
- AutumnBest timeMarch–MayAutumn colourMild daysCooler walking at Monarto
- SpringBest timeSeptember–NovemberGreen hillsMild days
- SummerFairDecember–FebruaryCherries at the farm gatesBut hot and gas fires only
- WinterTake careJune–AugustCold and wet in the hillsQuiet towns
Getting There and AccessibilityGetting there
From Adelaide, the South Eastern Freeway gets you to Hahndorf in about half an hour, and Monarto is another half hour east. We came the slow way from the Barossa instead, south through Birdwood and along the back roads, which is the better drive if you have time: sealed all the way, through farmland, vineyards and avenues of gums, with farm gates and cellar doors to stop at. The only rough bit was the property track into Pymbroke Camp, which is narrow, rocky and steep.
Most hire companies don’t allow unsealed roads in a standard car, so check the terms or book a 4WD. We may earn a commission if you book through these links.
Map of the Area and Our StopsMap
The Adelaide Hills rise straight up behind the city, with the Barossa to the north and Monarto and the River Murray out to the east. Here’s how it all fits together, with the places we stayed and stopped.
Campgrounds in the Adelaide HillsCampgrounds
We camped at Pymbroke Camp, a Hipcamp with only three big sites on 79 acres near Rockleigh, with alpacas wandering through and long drops for facilities, 20 minutes from Monarto for $37 a night. At the northern edge of the hills, Wirra Campground in Para Wirra Conservation Park is a National Parks bush camp with a good camp kitchen, where we spent our first night in the area.
Wirra Campground, Para Wirra Conservation Park
Scored 8.7 out of 10- $27.50 a night
- $14.40 park entry
- Good phone reception
- Toilets
- Dogs allowed
Our take: An easy bush camp on Adelaide’s doorstep: booked gravel sites, a proper camp kitchen and free gas BBQs, with the Barossa close by. Read more
What we like
- 40 km from Adelaide
- Proper camp kitchen with sinks
- Free gas BBQs
- Fire pit on every site
- Barossa half an hour away
What we don’t
- No showers or drinking water
- Little shade on the sites
- Only 6 sites for vans
Pymbroke Camp, Rockleigh Hipcamp
Scored 8.0 out of 10- $37 a night
- Toilets
- No dogs
Our take: A quiet bush camp near Monarto: three big sites among the gums, alpacas wandering through and long drops. Read more
What we like
- Alpacas wander through camp
- Only three sites on 79 acres
- Big, shady site among the gums
- $37 a night
- 20 minutes from Monarto
What we don’t
- Rocky, steep track in
- No water or showers
- No pets
Sights
The two big days out are Hahndorf, with its old stone pubs and German main street, best in the evening when the verandahs light up, and Monarto Safari Park, with rhinos, lions, cheetahs and elephants in huge open yards, walking tracks and a hop-on, hop-off bus. On the way down from the Barossa, the farm gates sell cherries in summer, and small cellar doors like Tilbrook Estate sit right on the back roads.
Hahndorf and the Adelaide Hills
Scored 9.1 out of 10- Free to visit
- Dogs allowed
Our take: The Adelaide Hills in one easy day: farm-gate cherries, a cellar door and Hahndorf’s German main street at night. Read more
What we like
- Old German stone main street
- Cherries and fruit at the farm gate
- Hills cellar doors on the way
- Lit up and lively at night
What we don’t
- Busy and parking tight in summer
- Meals and wine add up
Monarto Safari Park
Scored 8.9 out of 10- Adult $57
- child $32
- Toilets
- No dogs
Our take: A real safari day near Adelaide: rhinos, lions and elephants in big open yards, walking tracks and the Zu-loop bus. Read more
What we like
- Big African animals up close
- Walking tracks between the yards
- Hop-on hop-off shuttle bus
- Viewing decks with binoculars
What we don’t
- Little shade on a hot day
- Tickets add up for a family
Tours in the Adelaide HillsThings to book
If you’d rather not drive between tastings, a few day tours leave from Hahndorf or Mannum and can be booked through ClassBento: a brewery day around the Hills that ends with a wander down Hahndorf’s main street, a helicopter flight over the Barossa with cellar door tastings, a gin day that starts with the lions at Monarto, a chocolate and wine picnic in the Hills, and, out on the Murray past Mannum, a night of stargazing in a dark sky reserve.
Adelaide Hills Beer Tasting Experience
A full day around Hills breweries, with tasting paddles, lunch at Prancing Pony and a wander down Hahndorf’s main street.
Book at ClassBentoBarossa Valley Helicopter Tour and Wine Tasting
A day tour with a 10-minute helicopter flight, two cellar door tastings, lunch and a stop at Maggie Beer’s Farm Shop.
Book at ClassBentoWild Gin Tasting Experience
A day with the Lions 360 walk at Monarto Safari Park, a behind-the-scenes gin tasting at Ambleside Distillers and lunch.
Book at ClassBentoGourmet Chocolate and Fine Wine Tasting Experience
A tour of the Jurlique farm, a chocolate and wine pairing and a gourmet picnic in the Adelaide Hills.
Book at ClassBentoAstronomy Night Sky Viewing Experience
A 90-minute guided look at the night sky through a telescope in the River Murray International Dark Sky Reserve.
Book at ClassBentoPractical TipsPractical tips
A weekend in the Adelaide Hills takes a little planning: Monarto runs on booked tickets, Hahndorf is busiest in the middle of the day and the bush camps are basic. Here’s what we’d sort out before going.
- Book Monarto online. Tickets are for a set date, and the last bus leaves the visitor centre at 3 pm.
- Come back to Hahndorf in the evening. The main street is packed in the middle of the day, and parking is much easier later.
- Bring water to the bush camps. Neither Pymbroke nor Wirra has drinking water.
- Gas only in summer. Fire danger season starts early out here, so cook on gas.
- Carry cash for the farm gates. Some fruit stalls work on an honesty system, though Hillview also takes bank transfer.
Summary
The Adelaide Hills are an easy few days close to Adelaide: back roads through the farmland, cherries at the farm gates, Hahndorf at night and a safari day at Monarto, with a bush camp at Pymbroke or Para Wirra at the end of each day. Before the hills, we spent two days in the Barossa Valley. From Pymbroke we drove east into Victoria, to the Grampians.
An easy few days close to the city.
Back roads through rolling farmland, farm-gate cherries and cellar doors, Hahndorf’s German main street at night and a real safari day at Monarto, with a bush camp among the alpacas at Pymbroke or a national park camp at Para Wirra at the end of the day.
- Travellers
- Families
- Campers
Yes. The drives and the towns cost nothing, the camps are $27.50 to $37 a night, and Monarto is a full day out for $57 an adult.
Recommended Gear for the Adelaide Hills
There’s no drinking water at the bush camps, so carry plenty in good water containers, and pack a gas stove like the Dune single burner for the fire season. A camping fridge keeps the farm-gate cherries cold, and the gums at Pymbroke are made for a camping hammock.
