After the Adelaide Marathon: Hahndorf
The Route: Adelaide → Hahndorf → Adelaide Airport Logistics: Hire car or tour. About 40 minutes each way on the South Eastern Freeway through the Heysen Tunnels. Marathon Month: May Duration: 1 night
Adelaide CBD ──(approx. 40 mins by car, M1 South Eastern Fwy)──> Hahndorf
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Adelaide Airport (ADL) ◄──(approx. 45 mins by car)─────────┘
The Adelaide Marathon ends at Pinky Flat by late morning in early May, which leaves the rest of Sunday for sleep and Monday for something slower. Hahndorf is 30 km from the city, up the escarpment that rises straight out of the eastern suburbs, and it is the easiest overnight escape Adelaide offers: a short drive, one main street, and nothing that needs climbing.
May in the Adelaide Hills is the tail of autumn. The hills are a few degrees cooler than the city and noticeably damper, and the deciduous trees planted by European settlers, oaks, elms and liquidambars, turn red and gold along the roads between Hahndorf, Stirling and Aldgate. In most years the colour is at its best from late April into May, though it depends on the season. Evenings are cold enough for a fire, which several of the pubs light.
A car gives the most freedom, and the drive is simple: the M1 South Eastern Freeway climbs out of the city through the Heysen Tunnels and past Crafers, and the Hahndorf exit comes about 40 minutes after leaving the CBD. Adelaide Metro buses also serve the Hills from the city; check the route and Monday frequency at adelaidemetro.com.au before relying on one. Several Adelaide operators run day and overnight tours that include Hahndorf and nearby cellar doors, which removes the question of who drives after a tasting.
Night One: Hahndorf
Hahndorf is Australia's oldest surviving German settlement, founded in 1839 by Prussian Lutheran families who arrived on the ship Zebra and named the village after its captain, Dirk Hahn. The German identity is still worn openly, sometimes with more enthusiasm than accuracy, in the bakeries, butchers and beer halls along Main Street.
Main Street is the recovery walk. It runs for about a kilometre through the village, flat, sealed and lined with shaded footpaths, with stone cottages, galleries and cafés on either side and benches where the legs demand them. Walk it slowly one way and slowly back.
The Hahndorf Academy on Main Street, a former school built in the 1850s, now houses a gallery with a collection linked to Hans Heysen, the landscape painter who lived here for most of his life and painted the Hills' river red gums obsessively. His house and studio, The Cedars, sit just outside the village and open for guided tours; the grounds involve some uneven ground, so choose the house tour over the garden walk if the legs are struggling. Check days and prices before going, because both change seasonally.
Beyond the village, the Adelaide Hills wine region spreads across the ridges, known for cool-climate sauvignon blanc, chardonnay and pinot noir. Cellar doors are a 10 to 20 minute drive away. Most charge a small tasting fee, often waived with a purchase.
Where to stay: The Manna of Hahndorf, on Main Street, puts the village's whole walk outside the door, which is all a post-marathon body wants. Mount Lofty House, 15 minutes back towards the city at Crafers, is a grand old country house on the summit ridge with views over the Piccadilly Valley, better for a slower, quieter night.
Where to eat: The Hahndorf Inn on Main Street serves the German-leaning pub food the village is known for, pork knuckle and sausages with sauerkraut, the sort of heavy plate that suits a runner still in calorie deficit. For something lighter, the cafés along Main Street serve breakfast from early, useful before the drive back.
Getting to Adelaide Airport
Adelaide Airport (ADL) is about 45 minutes from Hahndorf by car, straight down the South Eastern Freeway and across the city's southern suburbs. Allow extra time on a weekday morning, when the freeway into Adelaide slows through the tunnels. Car hire returns are at the airport terminal.