Page 24 - Riding On No.157 Summer 2022

Northern Exposure

–A South Australian Getaway.

A couple of days, a couple of ways. North of Adelaide leads you with riders.
to some of our own Big Sky Country.
Another 70 ‘clicks’ beyond is Clare, a great place to linger and
I hope you are not bored with my fixation with South explore. If you’re bedding down here, I can vouch for the
Australian riding, but you’re getting the idea that the land of Discovery Park, especially for groups and mates who don’t mind
the ‘Croweaters’ presents a great variety of rewarding riding sharing a cabin. The main street is chockers with places to eat
environments. From lush forests, with their twisty turny byways, and drink. On one recent trip, we enjoyed a hearty lunch at the
to wide-open Arizona-like desert landscapes. All within an hour Main Street Bakehouse and we’re still talking about the Ned
or two of the CBD. Kelly (with whole egg) and Shiraz pies.
To the north of Adelaide are the flat plains of Virginia and If you’ve decided to stay overnight, you can check out any
Elizabeth, bordered to the east by the Mount Lofty Ranges number of wineries in the vicinity and sip your booty in the
which, as you continue north, lead to the iconic Flinders comfort of your cabin. The Clare Valley Wine, Food and Tourism
Ranges, the perfect location to exercise your new Pan America. Centre is right next door to the Discovery Park, so you can pop
in and plan your attack. Or you can just cheat and buy your
I’ve ridden these roads more times than I can honestly recall wine there as the selection is a comprehensive sampling of the
both solo and in company, all through the Barossa, Clare and famous region. Coffee and snacks too.
Eden Valleys, either on day or multi-day excursions. Planning
is easy, roads are generally excellent and there are lots of On one recent ride astride a fancy new Harley-Davidson
accommodation options with plenty to explore and experience. Sportster S, we treated ourselves to an overnight stop at the
completely renovated Watervale Hotel, and what an eyeopener
For the sake of this exercise, let’s follow the well-trodden route that was. A labour of love of power couple, Warrick Duthy and
from Bolivar, around the Edinburgh RAAF base on the M2 Nicola Palmer, the once ramshackle pub is now a stunning
toward Gawler from where we can decide to continue north to gourmet retreat of the highest order. The Watervale Hotel lifts
the Clare Valley and the so-called Copper Triangle (a historic the bar (excuse pun) to stratospheric levels thanks to expert
region founded by Cornish miners in the 1860s) or east to the chef, Nicola, and offers international standard cuisine using
Murray River outposts of Blanchetown, Swan Reach and Walker predominantly regional produce, much of it from their own
Flat. These villages all have either bridge or ferry crossings biodynamic farm just down the road. For overnighters and
that take you beyond, through vast, rolling wheatfields, to the groups, there is a whole house next door for rent.
Riverland towns of Renmark, Loxton and Barmera. We’ll tackle
these another time. Another time on a club ride, Burra’s Royal Exchange Hotel put
on a BBQ lunch in the beer garden, but there are several other
Unless you’re in a hurry, ditch the featureless A32 and decent pubs in town and plenty of places to stay amongst the
instead dawdle along the ‘B’ roads through either Kapunda historic sandstone neighbourhood.
or Hamley Bridge, both of which offer fuel and refreshments.
I’m embarrassed to say, the Hamley Bridge Hotel and the four If you’re a history nerd (my hand is up) you can check out the
Kapunda pubs remain untested in recent times, so please let us old copper mining ruins just outside town, and, if you widen
know your favourite. The brand new bakery and cafe, L’il Mo’s, the arc you’ll find such gems as the Midnight Oil house (from
is worth checking out. I hear the chunky beef pie is a big hit the album we’ve all seen), the restored birthplace of Sir George

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