Escape to Woodside, South Australia: The gateway to the Adelaide Hills

For many, just the name Woodside will stir up tastebud memories of wine, cheese and chocolate. The tiny town, once predominantly occupied by farms, is now a foodie and wine lover’s delight.

It’s also the gateway to the Adelaide Hills region and it’s collection of cute towns and scenic landscapes. 

Woodside locals are deservedly proud of their local produce, but they are even prouder of their community spirit. When bushfire razed the Adelaide Hills in December 2019, it burnt 23,000 hectares and took out houses and vineyards.

The community rallied to help those most affected and support South Australia’s Country Fire Service.  “Thank you CFS” bumper stickers are a common sight on the Onkaparinga Valley Road that runs straight through Woodside. 

Population: 2608, as of 2016 census

Who lives there?

Tremaine Kerber, owner of the Woodside Providore, has lived in Woodside all of his life. He grew up on a dairy farm and his parents owned two local newsagencies.

“It was a farming-based community when I was a kid, it was a very small town,” he said. 

“Now, it’s become a destination because of the amount of tourists that come up to visit the wineries. So, now we’ve got three cafes, two pubs, two bakeries. 

“We’ve basically got lunch and dinner covered for anyone who wants to come up and spend the day.”

Like his parents, Kerber loves Woodside and was itching to set up a business in his hometown when he bought the providore in 2002. 

“It got to the point where it needed a fair bit of work, so I invested a heap of money in it, renovated it and brought it up to a casual standard,” he said.

Kerber, who is also chair of the local commerce group, has plans to extend the Amy Gillett Bikeway to local wineries. The bikeway, named after cyclist Amy Gillett who was hit and killed by a car while training in Germany in 2005, is a 16-kilometre trail that runs along the former Mount Pleasant railway line. It starts at Oakbank, runs though Woodside and ends in Mount Torrens.

“We actually want to create a bike track so people can stop off in Woodside, get off their bikes, choose their own adventure ride for the day – if you want to go to a couple of wineries you can, the bike track goes to Melba’s Chocolates or you can ride to the next town and have a pub lunch,” he explained.

What happens there?

Woodside’s wineries are among the many celebrated across the Adelaide Hills during the Crush festival in January and the Winter Reds festival in July. 

Woodside is just a half-hour drive from Adelaide’s CBD, so tourists flock to the festivals to sample the local vino. 

Wine aside, the town is well-loved for its sheer beauty. 

Helen Germein Edwards, chairperson of Adelaide Hills Tourism, has lived on the outskirts of the town for nine years and says there’s no better place to watch the sun set and rise.

“The colours of the landscape are just magnificent,” she said.

“The gumtrees glow with the setting sun and in the morning there’s mist and birdcall and fresh air, and you just get a sense of the day beginning perfectly.

“It’s really worth coming and staying overnight to experience.”

In summer, locals converge on the Adelaide Hills Swimming Centre at Woodside. 

“It’s a beautiful swimming pool and as you drive towards it on the main street, there’s children everywhere and parents sitting on the lawn,” she said.

Locals recently banded together to expand and improve the Woody Trails Bike Track at Woodside. It’s now a favourite for local BMX-lovers.

At Easter and Christmas, the popular Melba’s Chocolates and Confectionery hosts community themed celebrations with fundraisers and free family activities. The Easter event includes a giant chocolate sculpture carved by a local artist.

What’s life like?

Tom Foristal is the second generation of family owners at Melba’s. His parents, Graeme and Joy, bought the former cheese factory, which had been empty and derelict for 14 years, in 1990 when he was just two.

Today, it produces 40 tonnes of sweets and between up to 40 tonnes of chocolate each year, reeling in up to 180,000 visitors. Its most popular products are the inch licorice blocks and traffic light lollies – both go down a treat with baby boomers, Foristal said.

“When the traffic lights are collected off the table they sound like rain pouring,” he said.

“Aside from those, peanut brittle, rocky road and chocolate raspberries are massive for us as well.”

Business owners like the Foristals credit roadside signage, along with the town’s location on the main road, for funnelling motorists their way.

“The tourism signs are worth their weight in gold,” he said.

“We have a visitor book on the way out of our shop and there are so many people who say, ‘I saw your sign on the roadside’. 

“It’s our biggest marketing asset by far.”

Proud locals count Woodside’s community spirit as its best feature. This shone when bushfires ravaged the Adelaide Hills, destroying or damaging about 1100 hectares of vineyards.

“It’s a very friendly community and the bushfires really showed that,” Foristal said. “Everyone really rallied and helped each other clean up, and get back on their feet. They mobilised to do things like change the timing of their pageants and pivot what they were doing to make sure the whole place continued.”

Seasonal changes shine at Woodside and are a highlight for locals, who adore the cooler than average climate there. 

“You get the full array of the seasons here so in winter it’s briskly cold and you get the frost in the morning and the fresh air, in summer it gets hot, and autumn is just spectacular,” Foristal said. 

“With the rolling hills and vineyards, it’s got a real seasonal glamour.”

What jobs are there?

Originally known as Woodside Camp, the Australian Army Base at Woodside was set up in 1927. In the years following World War II, between 1949 and 1963, part of the base became a migrant camp to house people from Europe. 

Today, defence is the town’s top industry of employment with 6.9 per cent of Woodside’s workers stationed at the base. 

Australian Bureau of Statistics figures place primary educators in second place, followed by aged-care workers. 

With tourism a major economic driver in the town, Woodside also has its fair share of casual jobs at restaurants, cafes and cellar doors. 

Entrepreneurs and start-ups can also find the support they need at the Adelaide Hills Business Centre.

Why should you move there?

Aside from its mouth-watering produce and postcard-like landscapes, Woodside is all too easy to get to and from. Close enough to get to Adelaide and back in an hour, the town is convenient to those wanting a bush escape and small enough to feel like you’re actually in the proper country.

And, though it attracts its fair share of tourists, it’s not overrun like some neighbouring towns.