A fantastic day trip to Oakbank, South Australia

One day not so long ago, three of us visited the Karkoo nursery in Oakbank for a wet and wonderful day out. This is a beautiful nursery with great food, a touch of history, and loads of choices in plants!! The Karkoo nursery is well worth the trip to the Adelaide Hills, South Australia. Have you been there?

As far as food goes, they make sourdough toasties everyday as well as salads and bakery style deserts - and they all pass the taste test. Yummy! Someone said the 'toasties' were the best in the State, but I haven't eaten enough to comment on whether that's true of not!

As far as plants go, there is so much choice - fruit trees, herbs, flowering plants of all colours, indoor plants and outdoor! You can see from the photo all that colour and the choices you have in just that small piece of the whole area. There were lots of people visiting the nursery and it wasn’t particularly spectacular weather or the weekend, so the area has become very popular in the short time it’s been open (less than a year).

As I’m going to return to my overseas destination I only bought 2 packs of organic seeds so I can enjoy some plants back in Cyprus. My companions however couldn’t resist buying some plants for their gardens and houses, so a lot of thought went into the selection process.

As far as history goes, the site of the nursery is the old Johnston cordial factory and winery. There are plaques that tell how the Johnston family suffered tough times in Scotland and decided to resettle in South Australia after a long sea voyage in 1838. They initially thought they would buy land in Willunga area but then decided on this area in a wetter part of the Adelaide Hills. Once they got the hang of farming in Australia (which is definitely different to Scotland) they made a good living and their renown spread. My mother remembers how she used to get us kids Johnston cordials years ago, so that's an interesting connection hey.

The historic buildings give you loads of opportunities to explore different nooks and crannies and you can see the old furniture and many other household items that have been spruced up for resale. It all makes for a great outing and good chance to find happy and healthy plants for your garden too.

There's a Karkoo nursery in Blackwood also in case you're curious to compare. I've not been there but I imagine it is fairly similar in what they sell. The Oakbank site is unique though because of the history.

Yes, I took all the images myself with my iPhone 7+ and the words are mine too. Thanks for stopping to read and I really wish you a safe and fun trip to the Adelaide Hills!!