Mt Lofty House was built in 1852 by Arthur Hardy, the patriarch of the famous winemaking Hardy family, as his family's summer house. After it was sold by the Hardy's the house fell into decline over time and was then burnt to the ground in the disastrous 1983 Ash Wednesday fires.
Since then, it has been fully rebuilt and faithfully restored to its former glory and is now an iconic luxury hotel and 3 Chefs' Hats dining destination (Hardy's Verandah Restaurant).
There are beautiful views from the garden terrace over the Piccadilly Valley and the Adelaide Hills winemaking region beyond ......
After wandering around the public areas of the hotel and its gardens we took a walk through the nearby Mt Lofty Botanic Gardens. Plantings dating from Arthur Hardy's time formed the Gardens originally but these days its borders are extensive and would take most of a day to fully explore. We chose a fairly strenuous walk today through the rhododendron gully, past the duck pond and up to the very steep inclines of the Heyson Trail as it wound through native bushland.
This part of the walk got the heart pounding.
Adelaide CBD is an easy, less than half hour drive from Mt Lofty House so we headed there for a grazing lunch at the wonderful Adelaide Central Markets. It was crowded of course at lunchtime but we managed to find a table for 6 and plenty of foodie delights to make the trip into the city worthwhile.
We head back to Canberra tomorrow - at the end of this fabulous, extended road trip, covering four state border crossings, 3,500+ kilometres of driving, two three-hour flights halfway across the continent and so many different landscapes and experiences enjoyed - all wonderful. The weather has not always been kind to us, but the rain has made the country look green, damp and bountiful, with blossoms outs everywhere. We live in a beautiful, amazing country and it is such a privilege to see it and learn more about it.
1 comment:
Thank you so much to include us in your travels. We have enjoyed it so much.
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