Adelaide Hills
Adelaide's High Country
On the lands of the Peramangk people.
schedule 1 min read / Updated Jun 2026
Twenty minutes from the Adelaide CBD, the Adelaide Hills are a dense network of cool-climate vineyards, German heritage villages, and conservation parks rising directly behind the city.
The Adelaide Hills follow the Mount Lofty Ranges immediately east of Adelaide. The highest point, Mount Lofty Summit at 727 metres, is reached by a sealed road and is the closest serious lookout to the city. The hills are cool-climate wine country, particularly known for Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and methode champenoise sparkling. The cooler altitude sets the region apart from the warmer Barossa and McLaren Vale to the north and south.
The heritage town of Hahndorf was settled by Lutheran refugees from Prussia in 1839 and is the oldest surviving German settlement in Australia. Its main street is full of bakeries, sausage shops, and beer halls. Other notable hills towns include Stirling, Aldgate, Mylor, and Lobethal, which is famous for its Christmas lights display every December.
Cleland Wildlife Park sits in the hills and offers hand-feeding of kangaroos and koalas. The Heysen Trail, a 1,200 kilometre long-distance walking track, starts at Cape Jervis to the south and runs north through the hills.
Tourist locations
Places to visit in Adelaide Hills.
9 locations to explore
Beerenberg Farm
Pick strawberries, taste award-winning jams
Free (strawberry picking priced per punnet)
Full guide arrow_forwardCleland Wildlife Park
Hold a koala, feed kangaroos
$34.50 adult, $19.00 child (4-15 years)
Full guide arrow_forwardHahndorf
Australia's oldest German settlement
Free
Full guide arrow_forwardMelba's Chocolate Factory
Old-fashioned chocolate making
Free
Full guide arrow_forwardMount Lofty Botanic Garden
Cool-climate garden magic
Free (parking fees on weekdays)
Full guide arrow_forwardMount Lofty Summit
Adelaide's highest panoramic lookout
Free (parking fees apply)
Full guide arrow_forwardNational Motor Museum
Australia's motoring story
$16 adult, children free
Full guide arrow_forwardThe Cedars
Home of Hans Heysen
$17 adult (guided tour)
Full guide arrow_forwardWarrawong Wildlife Sanctuary
Spot platypus in the wild
$23 adult, $15 child (3-14 years)
Full guide arrow_forwardWhat's on
Events at Adelaide Hills.
Scenic views
Lookouts near Adelaide Hills.
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Attribution
Sources & credits
Content (1)
Images (2)
- Shearer' works office and Shearer's house above the factory... · denisbin from Adelaide, Australia · CC BY-SA 2.0
- Two South Australian Railways Rx class locomotives hauling M... · State Government Photographer · CC0
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