Adelaide Hills
| Location | Adelaide Hills, Verdun to Beaumont |
| Start Point | Silver Road, Verdun |
| End Point | Brock Reserve, Beaumont |
| Distance | 22 km |
| Time | 10 hours |
| Difficulty | Easy |
| Activity | Walking |
| Region | Adelaide & Adelaide Hills |
| Accommodation | Camping, mid-range and premium options — See accommodation options |
| Key Feature | Historic route honouring women who carried produce from Hahndorf to Adelaide |
Walking the Route of the Hahndorf Market Women
The Pioneer Women’s Trail honours one of the most remarkable stories of early colonial South Australia — the women of Hahndorf who carried fresh produce on their backs over the Adelaide Hills to the markets of the city at a time when most foodstuffs had to be imported. These German settlers, arriving in the 1830s and 1840s, established farms in the Adelaide Hills and then walked the produce — butter, eggs, vegetables, and poultry — over 22 kilometres of hills and valleys to sell at the Adelaide markets, returning on the same day.
The 22-kilometre trail follows approximately the route these women would have taken, passing through a delightful section of the Adelaide Hills with historic homes, deciduous European trees planted by the original settlers, and native bushland. It follows country roads, laneways, and bush tracks, creating a walking experience that blends European and Australian landscapes in a way that is uniquely characteristic of the Adelaide Hills.
The Walk
The trail begins at Silver Road in Verdun, near Hahndorf, and follows a route through the Adelaide Hills to Brock Reserve in Beaumont on the eastern edge of Adelaide. The ten-hour walking time reflects the full distance and the fact that, despite its easy difficulty rating, the route includes significant hill sections as it crosses the Mount Lofty Ranges — the same hills that the pioneer women would have climbed carrying heavy baskets of produce.
Along the way, the trail passes through some of the most charming landscapes in the Adelaide Hills — stone cottages and historic properties built by the original German settlers, avenues of European deciduous trees that blaze with colour in autumn, and sections of native bushland where the original vegetation has survived alongside the introduced plants. The contrast between the European-influenced cultural landscape and the native bush creates a walking experience that tells two stories simultaneously.
Planning Your Walk
The full 22-kilometre trail is a substantial day walk requiring early start and good fitness. The trail can also be walked in sections, using the various road crossings to create shorter walks. Transport arrangements are needed for the one-way walk, or sections can be walked as out-and-back outings. The trail is well-suited to autumn walking, when the deciduous trees along the route provide their most spectacular display.
The Pioneer Women’s Trail is a walk through history — a 22-kilometre journey along the route that the women of Hahndorf walked regularly, carrying the produce that fed early Adelaide over hills that are still challenging today without a heavy load. It honours their extraordinary physical endurance and their role in building the food economy of a colony that depended on their labour, their strength, and their determination.
Where to Stay
Planning an overnight trip? See our Adelaide Hills Accommodation Guide for the best places to stay near this trail.