The Adelaide Hills offers some fantastic routes that give learners a chance to build key driving skills, with a good mix of suburban streets and rural roads. Below are some optimized routes that better suit various skill levels, from beginners to more advanced learners.
1. Nairne to Mount Barker – Gentle Start for New Drivers For beginner drivers, the trip from Nairne to Mount Barker offers manageable traffic and straight stretches of road, ideal for practicing speed control, gear changes, and smooth braking. It’s around 10 km and provides a low-pressure introduction to highway driving on Bald Hills Road.
Tip: Practice gear changes on the straighter sections and work on safe merging as you approach Mount Barker.
2. Mount Barker to Woodside – Gearing Up for the Test
The Mount Barker to Woodside route is a favorite for learners preparing for their test. This 18 km stretch takes about 17 minutes and includes a variety of road conditions: some higher-speed sections, easy curves, and occasional stop signs.
Tip: This route helps learners practice speed transitions—moving from suburban speed limits to 80 km/h on Junction Road, while keeping an eye out for farm vehicles or cyclists along the way.
3. Littlehampton to Kanmantoo – Building Confidence on Open Roads
The drive between Littlehampton and Kanmantoo includes scenic, low-traffic roads where learners can work on maintaining
The Littlehampton to Kanmantoo route covers a mix of suburban and open rural roads, which helps learners transition into higher-speed driving while also practicing gear shifts on hills. The journey covers around 25 km, giving enough time for learners to adjust to rural road conditions while navigating bends and occasional wildlife crossings.
Pro Tip: This route is great for practicing safe overtaking and managing speed on rural roads, particularly with fewer traffic lights to interrupt the flow.
4. Mount Barker to Brukunga – A Quick Rural Challenge
This short but scenic route from Mount Barker to Brukunga offers a good challenge for learners looking to get comfortable with curved roads and hazard awareness. The route is ideal for short practice sessions with opportunities to experience varying speeds.
Tip: Encourage your learner to focus on steering through bends and scanning for animals along the roadside. This route builds confidence on winding roads.
5. Woodside to Wistow – Mastering Country Roads
The Woodside to Wistow route provides learners with a longer stretch of road (about 15 km) that winds through the countryside. It’s an excellent route for practicing gear shifts on hills and learning how to stay in control on narrow, unmarked roads.
Pro Tip: This drive offers a mix of calm, open stretches and a few tighter corners, ideal for working on lane discipline. Encourage learners to adjust their speed when sharing the road with cyclists or agricultural vehicles.
Driving in the Adelaide Hills is a great way to prepare for the challenges of real-world driving. From suburban stretches to rural bends, these routes will help new drivers build the skills and confidence they need for the road—and their driving test. At Learners to Plates, we specialize in guiding learners through these routes with professional, personalized instruction. Book your next lesson today, and let’s explore the best the Adelaide Hills has to offer!
