Birdwood Bakery Run

This will be the first of what I hope will be a number of articles that follow two of my great pastimes, motorcycle riding and bakeries!

The idea is to incorporate a single day motorcycle ride that loops through the South Australian country side culminating at some point at a local bakery. There will be plenty of photos along the way, a downloadable link to a gpx file of the route and even a review of the chosen bakery!

So, let's get started with a short ride that culminates in a visit to one of my favourite local bakeries at Birdwood.

Where do we start?

This ride begins and finishes at the foot of Anstey Hill Recreation Park, in the North Eastern suburbs of Adelaide (watch out for roos!)

The gpx route begins at the intersection of Perseverance and Lower North East Road in the suburb of Vista

Route overview

This route follows some nice windy tar as well as a sweeping gravel roads and a few slightly rougher dirt sections. In total, the ride is 84.3 km

Let's go!

We initially head up the hill along Lower North East Road towards Houghton

Through the twisty bends

Where views of the city down on the plains can be seen at a number of points along the way

Our first turn is to the right on Paracombe Road, where the road skirts the edge of the Highercombe Golf and Country Club

Past the lush vineyards of Paracombe Winery

where the local kangaroos like to gather

Once through Paracombe, we pick up the first of our dirt sections up Tilmouth Rd

where the Mannum to Adelaide pipeline is crossed

This road winds it's way along the edge of the Millbrook Reservoir before popping out on North East Rd just up from Inglewood. There is a nice little track section that used to be accessible along the road near the boundary but large boulders have recently been placed along it's length to stop access

Once at the junction of Tilmouth and North East Roads a track runs directly opposite. It's not signposted (but is gazetted as Carpenter Rd) and heads up a short rocky section to begin with

Unfortunately, its'a hotspot for illegal dumping

It has some wet sections in winter (be wary this puddle can be deep with ruts after heavy rain - stick to the RH edge)

and the slopy section at the end can get a little slippery in the wet

This short track soon pops out on Fidlers Hill Rd

A few kms down this road a junction with Millbrook and Adelaide Gully Rd is reached and our route heads off to the left

Soon another intersection is reached and our route has us heading up Richardson Rd

This is a nice run that follows a stream and passes a number of small farms

Before heading steeply uphill. Looking back, the valley below can be seen with the plains of Adelaide in the distance.

Once at the top, Richardson Rd joins Mt Gawler Rd and this follows the edge a section of Mt Crawford Forest Reserve that is a haven for mountain bike riders (of course no motorbikes allowed..)

The road turns to bitumen in the last section before meeting Kersbrook Rd. We head right towards Kersbrook before branching off to the left on Kersbrook Forest Rd. This is a nice flowing section of tar

After a few kms we pick up the dirt again along Rake Rd and pass a few locals along the way

The last section of this road follows the edge of a native scrub area known as Roachdale Reserve before it joins with Wattle Rd and finally meets the main South Para Rd

This section through the gum lined corridor is 100km/hr

and passes along some green pastures to the west

before turning off 3km further down at Deloraine Rd

This gravel road passes through some nice farming countryside

until at its end it meets the Watts Gully Native Forest Reserve

at this junction (The) Nugget Rd heads off to the right

Some years ago this road was deeply rutted and quite gnarly in places due to 4x4's running rampant but over the years (like many of the roads through the hills) work has been done on improving the surface

There are a few rutted sections and puddles

and at one point, as the track deteriorates a little, a new signpost has appeared

however, on checking the relevant SA Gov website, it still shows as being a public road

it does still get visits from the '4x4 wannabee's' by the look of some sections

there are numerous tracks that lead off into the Watts Gully Native Forest Reserve. Most are gated

but there is evidence of vehicles roaming around ungated tracks that lead off the main road

soon the track pops out on Watts Gully Rd which we follow for a half a km before branching off into the Mount Crawford Forest Reserve via Rocky Creek Rd

this takes us through part of the main forest area

until we cross over the bitumen at Forreston Rd and continue down Dickers Rd

Joining the bitumen once more there is a short burst down Warren Rd before we head off again along Blackwood Rd. Here we pass some low lying wet areas

before taking the unusually named Running Postman Rd

I can only assume its name has some connection to the nearby Blacksnake Rd, which is next on our list of roads to follow

this then leads on to Lucky Hit Rd

which joins the tar again at Cromer Rd where we head south towards Birdwood

just before entering the main part of the town the River Torrens is crossed

and then we turn west onto Shannon St that runs through the middle of the town. Just down from our bakery target is 'Bills Bikes and Bits'. A classic old style motorcycle shop filled with an eclectic range of bikes and parts

Our target for the ride is the Blumberg Bakery and Takeaway. The name Blumberg derives from the town's original name which was anglicised during Word War 1. There is a another bakery in the town a little further down the road which I'll cover in another ride

The bakery itself is pretty nondescript but the quality of food and prices are both excellent. There are a range of different pastries but I chose the standard beef pie to try

My score for the pie was:

Pastry - soft and flakey 9/10

Filling - nice and rich 8/10

Temperature - perfect! 10/10

The burgers are also very good! (No - I didn't eat them both..)

Directly across the road from the bakery is one of South Australia's unique historical locations - The National Motor Museum. This is the site where the annual 'Bay to Birdwood Rally' culminates and if you've never had the chance to visit, it is well worth a look!

Once lunch (or a snack) is over a route back begins. Not far out of town we sweep off down Winton Rd, where the tar once again turns to gravel and another crossing of the River Torrens is made

This road is a favourite, as it passes through a nice wooded area

and along a gum lined stretch

before popping out on Forreston Rd. It's then a only a short distance to the turn off to Checker Hill Rd. This road is famous for it's steep incline that forms one of the highlights of the annual 'Tour Down Under' cycling event

The top section also has the dubious honour of being both a fatal bend for at least one motorcyclist and the scene of mass destruction during the 2015 Sampson Flat fire.

Once down the steep descent it's back onto the South Para Rd for a short run before hooking off down Adelaide Gully Rd (watch this corner as it's near the crest of the main road)

More gently rolling farmland is passed

Before North east Rd is reached. It's then a short ride down to Inglewood, passing at least one old dwelling that has had a modern touch added

The small town of Inglewood is passed, with the chance for a quick stop at the pub (watch the 50km/hr town speed limit here as it's a hot spot for police)

The last section of the ride down North East Rd has some nice sweeping bends and passes by another famous local pub.

Right opposite the pub is Perseverance Rd (50km/hr again - be warned) that we follow along the edge of Anstey Hill Recreation Park. With a number of associated animals to keep an eye out for.

It's then back to our starting point!

I hope you enjoyed the ride! (Comments are welcome)

A download for a gpx file of the route can be found below.

Birdwood Bakery Ride.gpx

Download GPX • 100KB

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Mannum Bakery Run