Two days on South Australia's 1,200-kilometre Heysen Trail show exactly why the stretch through the Mount Lofty Ranges is one of the country's most rewarding long-distance walks — and how quickly conditions can change. Writing on The Trek, a thru-hiker recounts days 39 and 40 of the trail, covering roughly 30 kilometres from Cudlee Creek to Norton Summit, then on to the German heritage town of Hahndorf.
Day 39 was all about water. Heavy overnight rain had flooded fields, swollen creeks into torrents and pushed mushrooms up across the Cudlee Creek Native Forest Reserve. The steepest climb of the day arrived just as the rain intensified, leaving the trail slick with mud. The real drama came in Morialta Conservation Park, where the route crossed a river — normally calm — now thundering over a waterfall with no bridge. Rather than risk it, the hiker detoured via the Third Falls Track and Kookaburra overlook, a decision that paid off twice: better views, and a first koala sighting followed by a passing mob of kangaroos. The night was spent in unusual comfort at a Norton Summit host offering a tent with an actual bed, lights and power points, plus lemon-ginger tea and pumpkin soup after a 16:30 finish.
Day 40 brought more wildlife. In Giles Conservation Park, four koalas appeared within the first hour, and Cleland National Park delivered a relaxed close encounter with a mother kangaroo and joey. The trail climbs to the 710-metre summit of Mount Lofty — known to the Kaurna people as Wardli Wangathilla, "shelter up against the trees" — before dropping through Mount George Conservation Park to Bridgewater, where an original 37-foot water wheel from 1859 still stands. A short detour off the official route leads into Hahndorf, founded in 1838 by Prussian Lutheran families who escaped religious persecution aboard the ship Zebra and named the town after its captain, Dirk Meinerts Han. German restaurants and bakeries still line the main street — think apple strudel and quiche.
For travellers, this is a great reminder that the Heysen Trail is hikeable in short, spectacular sections. The Adelaide Hills leg is a day-walk-friendly combo of waterfalls, wildflowers, conservation parks and colonial history, all within reach of the city. Just pick your season: after heavy rain, expect flooded trail sections, dicey crossings and slippery descents.
