Discover Ashton

Ashton offers several distinct reasons to visit: wine tastings, fruit growing, cherry picking, and seasonal cuisine. If you’re looking for hotels for a stay in Ashton, these themes can help you decide what to focus on during your trip. The differences between the offerings are particularly informative: wine ranges have their own names, the cherry orchards represent different forms of cultivation, and dining features local produce and a seasonally changing menu.

Wine Tastings and Wineries

Ashton Hills Vineyard is located in Piccadilly Valley, 570 metres above sea level. It offers tastings of its Ashton Hills Estate and Piccadilly Valley wine ranges. You’ll encounter the name Piccadilly Valley in two contexts: it refers to the winery’s location and is also the name of one of its wine ranges. Keeping the location and range name distinct can help when exploring the tasting options.

Another connection to wine is the Altezza vineyard belonging to Casa Freschi. It is home to the Casa Freschi Cellar Door and Winery. Together with Ashton Hills Vineyard, this example shows how different wineries contribute their own names and designations to the local history.

Local History and Former Land Use

The founding dates offer two separate points in time: the original Ceravolo Vineyards estate was established in Ashton in 1974. Eight years later, in 1982, Stephen George founded Ashton Hills Vineyard. These dates refer to the respective businesses and give a clear sense of Ashton’s winemaking history through two specific milestones.

The fruit trees and the vineyard’s former use also tell different stories. The Ceravolo Vineyards estate is situated among cherry, fig and apple trees. Casa Freschi’s Altezza vineyard was formerly an apple orchard. So, in Ceravolo’s case, the estate is surrounded by trees; in Altezza’s, the detail is about the land’s previous use. Both details link winemaking with fruit growing, but in different ways.

Cherries: Growing and Picking Your Own

Ceravolo Orchards grows and harvests cherries under protected growing conditions. Marble Hill Cherries, by contrast, is a family-run pick-your-own cherry orchard at 25 Marble Hill Road in Ashton, in the Adelaide Hills. These two cherry-related experiences offer different perspectives: one is about growing and harvesting, the other about picking your own. Picking at Marble Hill Cherries is seasonal and weather-dependent. If this is the main reason for your visit, factor the season and weather into your plans and check the conditions in advance.

Seasonal Dining at Cherry Bomb Cafe

Cherry Bomb Cafe focuses on local produce from places in the Adelaide Hills, particularly cherries. The menu changes seasonally, and individual dishes may change. There is also a fireplace in every room of the cafe. These are two different aspects of a visit: fireplaces are noted in every room, while the food on offer changes with the seasons. If you have a particular dish in mind, take this seasonal change into account when planning.

For timing your visit, the main considerations are the weather- and season-dependent pick-your-own experience and the changing cafe menu. The founding dates and the site’s former use as an apple orchard, by contrast, provide historical context. Whether you’re most interested in wine tastings, fruit growing, cherry picking or seasonal cuisine, Ashton’s distinct experiences can be explored through specific places and their individual histories.

Discover more destinations: Woodside, Basket Range, Birdwood, Kersbrook, Uraidla, Gumeracha, Forreston, Stirling

For the broader travel overview: Adelaide Hills Council.