Norton Summit #NortonSummit #AdelaideHills #pubs #SirThomasPlayford

It's been a wild and wooly weekend in Adelaide, with snow falling in the Adelaide hills.  In winter, the Adelaide hills can be magical -  especially if you are sipping on a good South Australian red in front of an open fire in one of the hills many pubs.

Lifesize statue of South Australia's longest serving Premier, Sir Thomas Playford with a bucket of cherries.

  The area is noted for its orchards, particularly cherries.

The Playford family have lived in the area as orchardists since the 1840s. The first Playford was Reverend Thomas Playford, a Battle of Waterloo veteran. Both his son and great grandson were premiers of South Australia.  Sir Thomas Playford IV served as premier from 1938-1965.

The Scenic Hotel at Norton Summit was built in 1870 by William Sutton, who constructed several buildings in the area.

 Norton Summit is 12km east of the city of Adelaide and was named after Robert Norton, who in 1836, the founding year of the state, was the first to drive a team of bullocks up to the summit. There were no roads. Can you imagine?

And while the area is home to orchards and vineyards, there is still an abundance of native wildlife. Drivers have to be particularly careful of koalas crossing roads at night.