Mount Lofty Botanic Gardens at Crafers

Crafers
First township in the Adelaide Hills.
Crafers is the first 'town' the visitor reaches when driving into the Adelaide Hills via the main road to Hahndorf, the South East Expressway. It is only 16 km from Adelaide's CBD and is so inconsequential that, if you are driving too quickly, you find that you are roaring off down the hill having completely missed it.

Crafers greatest claim to fame is that the Crafers Hotel is the oldest hotel in the Hills. Apart from that it is now little more than a church, a petrol station, a small shopping centre and a suburban area just off the South East Expressway. It was one of the earliest settlements in the Adelaide Hills.

The township was named after David Crafers who kept an inn in the area which, at the time, was known as 'The Tiers'. Crafers was a great entrepreneur who, in competition with a number of sly grog shops spread throughout the Adelaide Hills, managed the subtle art of publicity. For example, in the Southern Australian newspaper of 17 July 1839 he put an advertisement: 'Some impudent insinuations having been made respecting my having slaughtered a bullock at my house in the Tiers, I beg leave to inform the public that I have done so, and that the hide may be viewed by any inquisitive person who desires it. And I further give notice that I am about just now to slaughter another, and will be happy to furnish any person with such portions of it as they may require, for adequate remuneration.'

By 1840 his inn was known as the Norfolk Hotel, Stringy Bark Forest, Mt Barker Road and it was attracting a rather unsavoury clientele made up of ex-convicts, thieves, loggers and ex-sailors.

Today Crafers is a tiny settlement beside the South East Expressway. Little of the original settlement still stands and the elegance of the Adelaide Hills, with its attractive houses, has overwhelmed the rough and tumble which characterised the earliest settlers.

Things to see:  

Crafers Inn
The current Crafers Inn was built in 1880 on the original site of David Crafers Norfolk Inn. The original inn, which stood next to the current Crafers Inn, was burnt down in 1926.

Exploring Crafers
Much of Crafers is now nothing more than locations where historic buildings once stood. If you are interested there is a small brochure, An Historic Walk Through Crafers, which is available and lists a number of sites along Summit Road, Cox Creek Road and the Crafers Main Street.

Mount Lofty
Recently modernised to include lots of car parking and a very good restaurant, Mount Lofty offers superb views over Adelaide and across Gulf St Vincent. It was first sighted and named by Matthew Flinders in 1802. Take Summit Road and follow the signs.

Mount Lofty Botanic Gardens
A quite outstanding Botanic Gardens nestled in the hills behind Crafers (take the Summit Road and follow the signs), these gardens, with their rich displays of rhododendrons, magnolias and carmellias are best seen in spring although they are still impressive all year round. The mixture of European plants and Australian natives is effective and interesting. The highlights are Fern Gully and the Woodland Garden.

	Bed & Breakfast/Guesthouses
	Stordarlyn Bed & Breakfast 30 Upper Sturt Rd Crafers SA 5512 Telephone: (08) 8339 4456 Rating: ***
	Cottages & Cabins
	Acorn Lodge 24 Old Mount Barker Rd Crafers SA 5512 Telephone: (08) 8339 6107
	Corktree Cottage 34 Piccadilly Rd Crafers SA 5512 Telephone: (08) 8339 4151 Facsimile: (08) 8339 4040
	Restaurants
	Mecure Grand Mount Lofty House Country Estate Summit Rd Crafers SA 5512 Telephone: (08) 8339 6777 Facsimile: (08) 8339 5656 Rating: ****1/2