SA Trip 2026 Days 4,5 & 6 - Kadina

As always, the stay in Hahndorf was not long enough, however it was time for the next leg of this trip, Kadina.

Kadina is located about 150km north of Adelaide on the west side of the Yorke Peninsula. Kadina forms part of the Copper Triangle with the other two points being Wallaroo and Moonta. The area had/has rich cooper deposits and had a mining boom from the 1860s to the 1920s. As with all mining booms in Australia, it encouraged an influx of workers to the region, both from within Australia as well as internationally. One of the largest contributors was from the Cornish region of England. Cornish miners had a reputation as being the best in the world. And so they flocked to South Australia. The area became known as Little Cornwall, and Kernewek Lowender, a festival held every 2 years in the area, is actually the biggest Cornish Festival in the world.

Kadina is the biggest town of the three, and consequently is/was my home base for the next three nights.

The funeral was on Monday, in Moonta. A wonderful celebration of her life.

Rest in Peace, Nola.

Client meeting, Tuesday morning followed by a wander around the main shopping district of Moonta. As with a lot of old, small towns in "the country", Moonta is a mixture of very old and very new shops. The fine balancing act of preserving the old whilst also allowing the town to grow.

Moonta is very proud of its history and has recently been fighting a "takeover" by the National Trust of South Australia (NTSA), which did hit the mainstream media back in February. The resultant legal action and subsequent settlement meant that the local group regained control of management of the historic mines and there is now a state inquiry into the operations of the NTSA.

I mention this because the local group was having a meeting at the same cafe that I was meeting my client.  Luckily they weren't too noisy.

In the late afternoon I drove out to Port Hughes and Moonta Bay to have a wander and a ponder.

Port Hughes 1

Port Hughes 2

Moonta Bay 1

Moonta Bay 2

I have visited this area around half a dozen times (maybe more?) over the years. I find the area both captivating and intriguing. The beaches are pristine and the waters crystal clear. And whilst it can be a busy tourism spot (think The Peninsula for Melbournians) it can sometimes be quiet and peaceful. Like it was this evening.

I begin my run home tomorrow. Next stop - Kingston SE.

Pie Review

Day 4 - Port Wakefield Bakery

 

This was my second beef and mushroom pie. This was better than the first one, but still not awe inspiring. 7.5/10

Day 5 - Elliott's Bakehouse

I was feeling particularly hungry so chose two pies.

The one above was a steak an mushroom pie. This was starting to get to the standard I am looking for in this type of pie. Big chunks of mushroom and large chunks of slow cooked steak pieces. Very flavourful. 8.75/10

The name got me. It was an eggs benedict pie. Conceptually this could have been a contest winner however I think the execution wasn't quite there. Probably needed more hollandaise sauce, to be honest. 6.75/10

Day 6 - Taste the Yorke 

Something a bit different on Day 6 Instead of a pie I had the Moonta Oggie. This is a "2 course pastry" that has 2/3 of it filled with mince and vegetables and 1/3 apple. As you can see in the photo it was served with both tomato sauce as well as whipped cream, to compliment the different parts of it.

This was mostly tasty with the one weird bit being where the two fillings intermingled. Neither the sauce, nor the cream, worked in that area. 

There is a bit of Cornish history to the Oggie, explained to me by the waitress when it was served to me. Back in the mining days these were provided by the wives to the miners as a way to have a full meal in one package. 

This was weird, but in a good way, and I am glad I went for it. 7.5/10 

SA Trip 2026 Day 3 - Hahndorf

 If you've never been to Hahndorf (South Australia - actually not sure why I provided a geographic explainer here. This is the only one in the world), it can be difficult to explain why its managed to be a "must visit" place every time I am in or near Adelaide.

For Victorians unfamiliar with this town in the Adelaide Hills, its roots are German, with settlers from there establishing the town back in 1839, only 4 years after John Batman established Batmania Melbourne.

 I've been trying to come up with any direct comparisons of the main street in Hahndorf with a Victorian equivalent. A bit of Akland Street, some Lygon Street, Sorrento Village mixed in with the Healesville shopping precinct. However this doesn't it do it justice.

Hahndorf has leaned heavily into its German origins to provide a food and cultural experience that is its own unique thing.

Can you buy cuckoo clocks? Yes. German beer? Absolutely. Do cafes sell strudels, does oompah music feature heavily in the "ambient" music, can pork knuckles, kassler chops and bratwursts be ordered at the restaurants and pubs on the main road? Yes, yes and yes. 

There are more than 100 shops in the main shopping strip of Hahndorf, stretching out more than a kilometre.

And whilst every second shop may be some form of eaterie, there are plenty of the more unusual retailers as well. Byzantium artwork (replicas). scented candle retailers (at least 5),  leatherworks (2), knife sellers (2) and more.

I have a couple of favourite shops over the years. The German Pantry sells a range of sauces, pickles, chocolates and other goodies sourced from Germany and surrounding European countries, as well as selling a large range of smoked and cured meats. The German Shop (original branding there) sells a range of cuckoo clocks, Christmas ornaments, wooden toys as well as souvenirs. 

I have a couple of favourite places to eat as well. Hahndorf Inn has never failed me, and their German platters will easily feed a family of four. Then Gepetto's, an Italian restaurant, provides a nice change to German heavy fair. There are other cuisines available here as well. Apart from standard Aussie pub grub (parmas, steaks and pasta), you can also treat yourself to Indian, Chinese, Thai, Mexican, Spanish or Greek. German is the dominant cuisine, however.

Anyway, enough spruiking the town. What did I do?

Eating, walking and a bit of shopping. 

Breakfast was at The Haus, with the German breakfast (what else?), including sauerkraut, bratwurst, and sourdough.

Lunch was at Otto's Bakery (pie review to follow) and tea at the aforementioned Gepetto's (wagyu carpaccio, veal saltimbocca and tiramisu).

After

 Presents were bought for the family (and myself) and there was lots of walking. Lots and lots of walking.

The temperature got to the mid twenties, making it a t-shirt and shorts type of day. Lots of people about, all enjoying themselves.

Today was a good day.

Pie Review

Otto's Bakery, provided me with a steak and mushroom pie. A bigger pie than the first day, a thicker pastry, making it a more substantial pie as well.

 The taste though, wasn't.  I probably expected a more mushroomy flavour than what I experienced. Slightly blander flavour. All up, 7/10

 

SA Trip 2026 - Days 1 and 2

This is a different trip.

A close friend of mine's wife tragically passed away a week or so ago.  Her funeral will be on Monday, in Kadina, South Australia.

Not being a massive fan of planes, and also wanting to be there to support my friend, a road trip was the only logical option.  

The basic bones of this trip is to head to Kadina via inland and return home via the coast. Also taking the opportunity to visit a couple of clients along the way.

 Why the blog for this trip?

1. As I get older, I appreciate the effort I have gone into documenting my trips, as my memory does not improve with age. Rereading my blogs about bygone trips is fun, for me.

2. My philosophy is to appreciate the journey as much as the destination. Even with the sad circumstances of this particular destination I want to be as present as I can be in all stages of this journey. Documenting it provides me with the reason/excuse/means to do so. 

I wont be completing this on a daily basis, though will try to cover all aspects of this trip.  

 Day 1

Noradjuha was the end point of this first day's travels.

"Where is Noradjuha?" I hear you ask. 

Get to Horsham, continue on to Natimuk, and once you are getting near Mt Arapiles turn left. 

Noradjuha is the home to a long standing client family of ours, who swapped the sunny climate of the Kinglake Ranges with the sunnier climate of the Wimmera over 17 year ago.

After deciding to take this trip I made contact with them to see if they were available for a quick visit. Which then turned into a feed and overnight stay. 

 Gotta love country hospitality.

The way up included the obligatory stop for morning tea (pie review below). The sign in the male toilets had me a little confused.

Surely this is wrong. The "only" thing to be flushed is toilet paper? ...

Lunch was in Ararat. Up the road from there was Dadswell's Bridge and the obligatory stop for all aficionados of Big Things. 

 

After arriving in Noradjuha, whilst enjoying a cup of tea, I noticed this in my client's kitchen: 

"Excellent Source of Sparkles"

"Made on Equipment that Also Processes Products Containing Nuts and Squirrels"

 Dinner was not from this can.

 Day 2

The second day saw me cross the border with a pretty relaxing trip through to Hahndorf, in the Adelaide Hills.

One very noticeable thing whilst driving for most of this morning (as well as a good chunk of yesterday) was the large amounts of canola crops in flower. The fields of yellow were everywhere. (Sorry - no photos - I was driving.)

 Lunch was in Kaniva, home of the Kaniva Sheep. Readers of this blog should know that I am a sucker for art in the townships.  Sheep Art started in Kaniva back in 2010 and now includes 57 sheep, 4 lambs and 2 sheep dogs. Here is some of them:

I am also a fan of Silo Art:

Kaniva

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Coonalpyn

Hahndorf is one of my favourite places to visit, and whilst I arrived a bit too late in the day for a full exploration, I was able to have a magnificent meal at an old favourite:

 Pie Review(s)

A copped a bit of flack for my pie reviews in my last trip. They're continuing this trip.

Day 1 - Bourkie's Bakery

This was from a bakery located in Woodend. My favourite pie is a steak and mushroom, which was a good way to start these reviews:

Solid, but not spectacular 7/10

 Day 2 - Kaniva Morning Loaf Bakery

Not a lot of options available. Chose the Pepper Steak.

Unfortunately it felt as tasted as though this had been sitting there quite a while. Not the best pie I've ever had. 5.5/10