This SA Bakery run travels through the Adelaide Hills and the Fleurieu Peninsula, culminating at the histrionic town of Strathalbyn where we visit the Strath Corner Bakery.
Where do we start?
This ride starts at Thorndon Park Reserve, which is situated off Hamilton Rd at Paradise in the North Eastern suburbs. The car park is directly opposite "The Rezz" Hotel if morning coffee is required.
Alternatively, the route also passes by Morialta Conservation Park a little further south, which is also a good spot to meet.
Route overview
In total, the route covers a distance of around 235 km, with around 55% on gravel roads/dirt tracks and the remainder on bitumen. It is quite a diverse trek with numerous gates and two water crossings that can be quite deep and rocky. In fact at certain times of the year the one that fords Cox Creek can be impassable (bypass route added to to the file if needed.) For the bakery buffs there is also stops along the way at both Balhannah on the way down and Meadows on the way back, if a bun/coffee is required! Overall, the route looks like this:
Let's go!
Once past Rostrevor College our route takes us up the twisty Norton Summit Rd (not to be confused with Old Norton Summit Rd which runs parallel a little further south)
There are some sharp bends
as the road runs along the edge of Morialta Conservation Park. With certain sections quite busy with cars parked along the verges as rock climbers venture down to tackle the craggy cliffs not far from the road.
At points along the way the city skyline can be glimpsed out to the west.
Soon the Scenic Hotel at Norton Summit is reached at quite a complex intersection, with Old Norton Summit Rd and several other roads all meeting in close proximity.
We take our turn off to the left down Colonial Drive. It begins as bitumen..
but soon turns to gravel
It too runs along the Morialta Conservation Park and is a nice run through the forest on both sides of the road.
Colonial Drive ends after about 3km when it meets Moores Rd
The area that surrounds Moores Rd has been identified as an important Bushcare site due the area being an important remnant of local native flora and fauna.
Poking through the trees are views out to the west across the Adelaide plains to the gulf.
We soon pop out at Marble Hill Rd but directly across the intersection is Old Cherryville Rd which is well worth a look.
It's only a kilometer or so long but is winds its way down the picturesque gully
through some nice bushland.
at the bottom of the gully is the tiny settlement of Cherryville with several roads leading off but they all end up running into private property, so it's back up the main road that joins once more with Marble Hill Rd.
It's then down Pound Rd at Ashton where a magnificent property surrounded by orchards an be seen on the right
Further on Sixth Creek is crossed
From here we start our ascent up along Blockers Rd
This quite an iconic road in the area with a number of switchbacks and an eclectic mix of properties, including nicely tendered farms through to run down caravans nestled in the scrub.
One that can't be missed though is the rather extensive Peugeot wrecking yard that lines the road alongside (and inside) one particular property. If you're in the market for a Peugeot part I'd say this is the place to go!
Once past Blockers Rd we picked up Mawson Rd for a short section that passed by extensive fruit production that now utilize hundreds of square meters of protective netting.
Soon we branch off down Deviation Rd and then take Boundary Rd.
This is an interesting section of gravel road that runs parallel to Deviation Rd. It has numerous properties along it's edge that are tucked away in the scrub with one in particular towards the end that is fortified with lines of empty drums/ corrugated iron/tyres and even old rainwater tanks to keep prying eyes out!
We then skirt around the edge of Kenneth Stirling Conservation Park via Gum Flat Rd before running along Tanahmerah Rd that splits a one point to avoid the trees.
With the lure of a donut to much to ignore we head into Balhannah via Camac Rd (this run into Balhannah can be avoided by turning onto Beaumont Rd rather than Kerr/Carmac Rds)
and soon arrive at the local bakery.
which has a wide selection of pastries and buns
including probably my favourite chocolate donut in SA (always fresh as!)
We soon hook back onto our main route taking Greenhill then Kerr Rds, passing some great looking countryside on our way through.
and once through there we pick up Taminga Grove that runs off the main Hanhdorf Rd. This takes us under the SE Freeway
Past a couple of farms until the track splits in two
as it heads down towards the ford at Cox Creek. There is a flattish spot at this point which is a good place to get off the bike and walk down to check out the crossing (it becomes a little tricky to turn around past this point).
In years gone by the approach to the crossing was a dirt slope that became badly rutted but it has now been replaced with a concrete section down to the water. The problem is that the bottom of the concrete portion has been eroded where it meets the water leaving a nasty (underwater) step. The best line is over to the left hand edge but be warned, this crossing can be treacherous when flowing quickly and the bottom is rocky and uneven. On this day the water level was quite low with only a little flow and the rocks were easily seen so no problems.. (If it looks a little dicey an alternative route via Bridgewater is included in the .gpx file).
Once over the creek there are several large puddles to negotiate on what is now Gross Rd (this area can get very wet and muddy in winter).
Soon we hit the bitumen again for a brief run along the Strathalbyn Rd before we turn off down Mi Mi Rd (which is labelled as a No Through Rd). This begins as a sealed road
before it turns to dirt and ends at gate. This gate is sometimes open but there is a small track around the gate if it is closed. The short section of road past the gate leads down to Aldgate Valley Rd. The legality re Road User Access arrangements for this last section are a little unclear so it's up to individuals to decide if they go through or not (and I'm not advocating for its use) but I notice that Google Maps ran Street View cameras along the entire length of the road and the gate was open when they did so.
It's then a quick run along the bitumen until we reach Echunga and turn off opposite one of South Australia's oldest hotels, the Hagen Arms that's been trading uninterrupted for 178 years!
Not far out of town we turn off Church Hill Rd and pick up the Old Mt Baker Rd opposite a couple of old boilers that advertise the local footy club.
We pass by rolling vineyards
Before heading down Native Ave that passes by Vision Park Stud.
We're always looking out for fire tracks, this time it's Pinchbeck
That runs through a nice stand of gums
with excellent views of dams and pastures along the way
Some parts get a little wet but the surface is solid
Further on we come to Davidson Rd
another nice track through the scrub
with a number of (some large) water sections to negotiate (there's a side track around some)
Soon we meet the top of a ridge line at Bonython Rd where there are great views both to the east
and west!
It's then over the old Victor Harbor rail line, just north of the old Bungle Ranges Station which is still used as part of the tourist train route from Mt Barker.
Not long after the crossing we find Yates Lane
It starts off as a clear gravel track
then slowly turns into a more of a grassy run between the paddocks
with a number of gates to negotiate along the way
One in particular has a bit of a sloping approach that needs a little care when positioning your bike on the stand, otherwise..
After the last gate we pop over the bitumen of Penna Rd and head down through the grassy Roesler Rd (more a of a track!)
With high grass care needs to be taken to avoid hidden logs and rocks along the way.
The last little section has a bit of steep run down to Gemmell Rd
Soon we turn off Gremmell Rd onto Hillview Rd
Where excellent views can be seen our to the east towards the Bremer Valley.
Its a great ride along Hillview Rd as it winds its way south along the ridge line parallel to the main Strathalbyn Rd.
Once the main road is reached it's then just a short ride into Strathalbyn. With a population of around 7,000 the town sits on the edge of the Angas River.
Nestled not far from the main road at the intersection of High and Grey St sits an impressive piece of artwork..the Kenny Blake Memorial Sculpture.
Made from over 4,000 pieces of scrap metal, engine and mechanical parts
Local Goolwa artist James Stewart has made a very impressive memorial to the late motorcycle icon Ken Blake who grew up in Strathalbyn. After 11 Australian and International motor racing titles Ken was tragically killed during the 1981 Isle of Man Tourist Trophy Race.
As an important town in the area that dates back to the 1840's there are lots of historical remnants in the town including London House (now an antique shop)
Also of special interest is Gilbert's Motor Museum. As a family run business which began in the early 1900's, Gilbert Motors continued trading for 117 years before closing in 2018. It was then transformed into a Motor Museum which has a great displays of motoring history, motorcycles, vintage, classic and muscle cars. It's well worth a visit!
Finally, we make our way to our lunch destination - Strath Corner Bakery
It's a bust place with a great selection of hot food, pastries and cakes.
I gave the standard pie with sauce a go and scored it as:
Pastry: Nice and flaky 8/10
Filling: 8/10
Temperature: Perfect 10/10
After lunch it was then back to our route via the Old Bull Creek Rd
Past paddocks filled with freshly cut hay
The deer were also curious as we rode past
Around 9 km along Old Bull Creek Rd we come to the turn off to Dog Trap Rd.
Like a number of similar roads in the area it starts off as a quite well maintained twin track as it winds its way towards a farm entrance.
Once past that the track is roughens up a little
With a few puddles after rain
This track is well known for a particular water crossing that is found around a kilometre from the end. Over the years it's claimed a number of riders who have come unstuck mid way through. At times it can be quite deep rutty (depending on what the local 4x4's have been up to) and its often not possible to see the bottom. My advice it to always check the depth before venturing through!
A steady pace is the way to go..
safely on the other side this time round!
The rest of the track winds through the trees before coming out on Ashbourne Rd
After a quick run along the blacktop we then head north again on Sunnydale Rd which runs parallel to Dog Trap
Sunnydale changes name to Blackmore Rd along its length before Burns Rd. From there our route takes us down Spring Gully Rd
but the track is fine with a only few minor ruts near the top
It pops out on Bull Creek Rd, where some riders recently got a little carried away..
We instead head straight across the road and head down Bald Hills Rd
and as we travel along we can see that it was quite aptly named with plenty of Bald Hills!
It winds its way across the hills
We pass by the old back way to Bull Creek (via Nicole Rd)
and picturesque views!
Once in Meadows it's always worth a visit to what I consider the best bakery in SA Pik A Pie!
Our route now heads northward starting along Kondoparinga Rd
I'm always on the lookout for less used tracks and the open gate on Daymen Rd off to the left soon caught my attention
It started out looking good..
but unfortunately a fence blocked it as it reached the main Battunga Rd. After back tracking it was then over the main road and off down Pocock Rd.
This runs along the edge of Kuipto Forest
It's then down another "Fire Track" (Actually gazetted Bassham Rd)
That runs between paddocks
With a few puddles and rocky sections
Lots of freshly cut hay ready for bailing lined the latter part of the track
We soon meet the junction with Sand Rd
That leads us to Shepherd Rd and then on to the juction with the Strathalbyn Rd opposite the Echunga Golf course
We then turned off down Hampton Rd
That cuts across to Echunga Rd
It's then off on Darby Rd
which leads into Haines Fire track
Like many tracks in the area this was quite a rough track in years gone by but now, despite the signage, it's a easy and smooth run.
It skirts the edge of Totness Recreation Park
and winds it's way through native vegetation
before the dirt tuns to bitumen and it changes name to Paechtown Rd
Which runs through the little village of Paechtown, with a German heritage, that sits right beside the SE Freeway
It's only a few kilometers down the road from it's more famous cousin Hahndorf, which we briefly pass through.
Once past the busy main street of Hanhdorf we head east out of town past open pastures
until we find our way to Daniels Rd which runs off Junction Rd. Some years ago I found this road had been blocked off but thought I'd have a look to see if things had changed.
After passing the obligatory "No Through Road" and "Dry Weather Only" signs
it seems the previous barrier has long been dispensed with and it was found broken and overgrown by the side of the track.
It crosses the Adelaide - Melbourne railway line
then winds its way through the back blocks, passing dams and vineyards.
It soon pops out on Mattners Rd and we follow that until turning down White Gum Rd
Which is a nice flowing run through the gums
with freshly cut paddocks along the way..
Just before the main Onkaparinga Valley Rd we cross over the Amy Gillett Bikeway. This runs from just out of Oakbank through to Birdwood (22km total) and is a great ride on a push bike.
We track through Woodside,
before turning off the main street and heading up the hill on Tiers Rd to the Western Branch Rd turnoff
This runs parallel to the main road passes the Hallmark Farm Equestrian Center with its extensive jumps course right by the road.
Soon we come to the entrance of Golf Links Rd and its security gate. Over the years this road, which runs up to the Lobethal Oval, has been the playground of 4x4's in winter who thrashed around on the several muddy slopes which are encountered along the track. Some time ago the council decided enough was enough and installed lockable gates (and large boulders next to them) on either end. It's a little hit and miss as to when the gates are open (often closed in winter) but we were all good on this end.
For the most part the track meanders through the trees
with some nice views out to the ranges
but there are still some rutted sections depending on how often the gates have been open!
This time the northern gate was locked (?) but there was room to squeeze past between the gate and the boulder
Once past the gate we headed towards Charleston
then weaved our way past more hay bailing
and abandoned farm houses
with picture perfect views along the way
eventually we met Kenton Valley Rd (watch the tricky corner)
and then turned off up Nether Hill Rd
past the little 9 Hole Kenton Valley Golf Club
Our next leg took us along Odea Rd which was one of the worst hit roads during the 2019 Cudlee Creek Fires. Large gums that never recovered can be seen all along this road.
Numerous houses were lost along this road and have since been rebuilt but are still nestled in among the trees.
Despite the signage, the road is good quality all the way through.
We soon meet the intersection with Retreat Valley Rd, and follow the valley out to Gorge Rd
Once on Gorge Rd we pass through Cudlee Creek
and then head through the multiple twisty bends that Gorge Rd offers
at a few stops along the way the river can be seen deep down at the bottom of the gorge and there's often bikes to watch as they fly by.
of course such fun doesn't come without risk and the recent memorial of a young 19 year old rider killed just a few week before was a solemn reminder of this..
The area still attracts plenty of late night hooning
and a good place to torch a car it seems!
after one last look at the Kangaroo Creek dam and spillway
It's then off down the latter part of Gorge Rd with it's ever present rockfall areas that are well protected by wire mesh
Soon we pop out into suburbia once more and reach Thorndon Park Reserve and the end of our route!
Once again, I hope you enjoyed the ride!
A download for a .gpx file of the route can be found below.
The alternative bypass of Cox Creek Ford is below.
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