Kidman Flower Co is a unique native flower farm run by hospitable husband and wife duo Ange and Des Kidman. Overlooking the Onkaparinga Valley near Balhannah, it’s a beautiful part of the world yet only 20 minutes from the centre of Adelaide. While the Kidmans supply the country’s florists and markets with Australian native flowers, they also sell to the public via their shed door sales and open the farm on a monthly basis during harvest (April to October) with ‘flower farm experiences’. Tour the 30-acre plantation, and learn the different varieties of low maintenance but vibrant natives as you gather armfuls to create your own bunch back at the shed. Ange will teach you the art of flower arranging over homemade morning or afternoon tea or a glass of tea or bubbles. Just like our renewed interest in native Australian ingredients in cooking, the Kidmans are seeing a revival in native flowers because of their low-maintenance nature, and virtually organic growing conditions. Plus they look beautiful so take away your impressive bouquet – the natives are long lasting! https://hkidmanhk.wixsite.com/

Beerenberg Farm dates back to the earliest settlers in the Adelaide Hills and has been in operation since 1839. George and Anna Paech and their young family embarked on a long journey with a group of other Lutherans from Prussia to set up a colony from scratch in South Australia. The soil in the Hills proved to be nutrient rich with gentle slopes that created perfect fruit-growing conditions. Six generations later, and after much hard work, the farm is still 100 per cent owned by the Paech family. Beerenberg actually means ‘berry hill’ in German, a lovely nod to the family’s heritage. The farm sits at the eastern end of Hahndorf, 28km from Adelaide. There’s a farm shop stocked with the latest preserves, chutneys and jams, and you can pick your own strawberries during the season (November to April), a fun DIY experience the farm has been offering since 1975. It’s $4 per person and then $10.95 per each juicy kilo picked, and well worth the stop so stock up! www.beerenberg.com.au

Hahndorf is the oldest Germanic settlement in the Southern Hemisphere, and is so popular it attracts one million visitors each year – as many as Uluru! It’s a gorgeous, quaint and slightly gimmicky village that can’t help but charm. Speciality German shops range from knife experts; to humbug purveyors, fudge counters, wiener restaurants, German pubs and cheese mongers. The best way to find the shortcuts, backstreets, the history (and how it helped save Adelaide from famine), or even the best strudel-makers is via personable local guide Sharon Pippos who runs Hahndorf Walking tours. She’ll tailor her tour for you, sort out discounts from local retailers, and spending a few hours walking around with her is well worth it. There is even a spooky after-dark tour for the adventurous. The beautiful village is full of atmosphere, great food, a lot of fun, and well worth a day or more to explore. Just make sure you avoid the main drag during long-weekend rush hour because Hahndorf is, after all, the most visited village in Australia. www.hahndorfwalkingtours.com.au

Established by the Dunford family as a goat cheese factory in Lobethal in 1999, Udder Delights is like the little engine that could. Now supplying its quality handmade artisan cheese to good supermarkets around the country, the company sells a range of regional goat and cow milk cheese from its Hahndorf-based cheese cellar. Upstairs you’ll find a traditional delicatessen, but descend one floor underground for cheese moments such as the Raw Experience, where you’ll enjoy Australia’s first unpasteurised blue cheese made by head cheese maker and MD Saul Sullivan, or cheese high tea, or cheese making classes run once month by Sheree Sullivan, the daughter of Udder Delights’ founders. Ranging from easy to advanced, and priced from $124 per head, you can learn anything from homemade feta, to Camembert or how to turn whey into ricotta as well as take away cheese. Cheese and wine master classes are available too. www.udderdelights.com.au

Long flavoured beers, big malt flavours and the bakery-like aroma of hops as brews blend on site: the independent Prancing Pony brewery is a beer-lovers haven. Its name is a reference to Lord of the Rings, and its unremarkable roller-door exterior in an industrial complex in Totness (four minutes from Hahndorf) belies the warmth and energy inside. It was founded in 2015 by German husband and wife duo, Frank and Corinna, a physicist and medical scientist respectively who loved beer, but not Australian beer. They started with a few brews and served it with a German potato salad, and the rest, as they say, is history. After expanding into a new venue to accommodate the growing business, they furnished it with reclaimed and rustic tables and chairs, which contrast with gleaming state-of-the-art vats and brewery equipment. Dogs are welcome outside, children run around, the food is generous and the music is loud. It’s an ‘all grain and all hop” brewery, which uses traditional recipes and experimental brewing and fermenting technologies. From Pilsener to full strength Stout, there’s a beer for everybody (Corinna’s favourite is the black ale, a brew made especially for her by her husband). The India Red Ale (which Corinna describes as complex as a burlesque dancer) won best beer in the world at the International Beer Challenge London in 2016. Rapidly growing although fiercely independent, this slice of Germany in the Adelaide Hills begins brewing every day from 4am except for Sundays. Because even brewers need a day off. www.prancingponybrewery.com.au

The Adelaide Hills is the land of plentiful platters and the grazing plates heave with local produce, cheese and charcuterie. Some standouts include Bird in Hand (birdinhand.com.au), the hip but stylish cellar door, winery and restaurant that has enormous charcuterie, cheese and vegetable platters to be washed down with its special sparkling, Joy (not to mention Instagram-worthy bathrooms). Golding Wines (goldingwines.com.au) is an elegant family-run vineyard with a cellar door and smart casual dining, with a really strong platter game and a verdant garden to sit in – the perfect spot to take mum for lunch. There’s also the more laidback Barristers Block (barristersblock.com.au) which is suited to kids who want to roam free range or wave at the lamas while you recline in bean bags on the ample lawn.

While casual platters and share dining is a standout in the region, The Lane Vineyard is a special spot for those in favour of a formal meal or degustation. Encased in a glass box on top of a hill overlooking the vineyard just 3km from Hahndorf, the modern Dining Room serves up fine dining via executive chef James Brinklow. Brinklow’s menu features the best South Australian produce and is a great example of where regional dining is at in this country. Think sourdough crumpets with anchovy and cured yolk for starters, through to flathead wrapped in jamon, or a soft-as-silk sous vide chicken breast with charred broccoli, tahini and Korean chilli – all matched with the wines from vineyards that unroll before you. Children are welcome but you’ll need to order in advance and they will likely get restless so save this spot for a special date or a long lunch with friends. www.thelane.co.au

For quick foodie pit stops, Melba’s Chocolate Factory (melbaschocolates.com.au) is a working chocolate and confectionary factory with a huge selection for budding Willy Wonkas. You can see into the production line through glass windows, where there is a focus on old arts and techniques. It sits next door to Delicious Produce Awards alumni and artisan cheese maker, Woodside Cheese (woodsidecheese.com.au). Woodside produces goat, cow and buffalo milk cheeses, and all of the milk is local and herd specific. Another must stop is the Applewood Distillery in Gumeracha in the Hills. It’s the home of Applewood gin, along with the Okar Amaro brand (a Australian take on Amaro, aka Campari), Limoncello (which uses ‘ugly’ or discarded lemons), Carter’s Original Coffee Liqueur, as well as Unico Zelo Wines. Built by Brendan and Laura Carter, its sustainable processes don’t compromise on flavour, but reflect terroir and use ingredients like Desert Lime or Myrtle or River Mint to shape and name its gin. This is a business Australians are likely to hear more about. Buy up a few bottles for gifts, or for yourself – their unique story is something you will long remember from the trip. www.applewooddistillery.com.au

Just over the border from the Adelaide Hills sits renowned wine region McLaren Vale. Beyond the vines, it’s still worth making time to visit the d’Arenberg Cube at least once (darenberg.com.au). The brainchild of fourth generation winemaker Chester Osborn, the Rubix cube-like design is inspired by the complexities and puzzles of winemaking. Throughout the five levels, the quirk factor is high – from crazy, doll-adorned toilet doors, to an Alternate Realities Museum with a Salvador Dali exhibition to the groovy group of garden gnomes wearing aviators to greet you at the entrance, its surrealist leanings won’t disappoint. Take the blend-your-own course in the private tasting room on the top floor (you’ll need to book as it gets crowded) and walk away with your very own red to commemorate a day to remember. Stop for lunch down the road at Mitolo Wines (mitolowines.com.au). The cellar door’s Italian restaurant was the meal of our trip. Bocca di Lupo is quite simply, special. An elegant, generous showcase of South Australian produce, executed with delicious restraint. Every dish was a winner, and the room was packed. The setup of recycled black shipping containers is discreet but welcoming – feeling modern without pretentious. Much like the restaurant itself.