{"id":3724,"date":"2025-07-15T18:29:52","date_gmt":"2025-07-15T08:59:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au\/?page_id=3724"},"modified":"2025-07-25T09:09:18","modified_gmt":"2025-07-24T23:39:18","slug":"tour-down-under","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au\/?page_id=3724","title":{"rendered":"Tour Down Under"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since 1999 the Adelaide Hills have gained worldwide attention as Adelaide and environs host the Tour Down Under for competitive cyclists. This has happened every January, except in 2021 and 2022, during the Covid pandemic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
The Tour Down Under passes through Gumeracha in January 2025<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

For a brief time, the Tour Down Under cuts it with the Tour de France and the Giro d\u2019Italia, and the Hills share the glow when they are included in the routes. An international audience gains quick views of the Hills towns and landscapes, from a variety of angles – including from above, thanks to helicopters and drones. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The commentary includes brief remarks on the passing features, with perhaps even their history. The Hills roads are described as \u2018having good surfaces but [unsurprisingly] up and down all the time\u2019. An especially steep section, sometimes chosen for a route, is the Corkscrew Road between Castambul and Montacute.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Riders tackle the twists and turns of Corkscrew Road in 2024<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Enthusiastic spectators line the way, especially in the towns. They show great commitment, especially given that the pelotons approach, whoosh past, and disappear in a very short time. No doubt the excitement is encouraged by the awareness that the event is viewed internationally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Odd pockets of spectators appear on the stretches between the towns. A farming family might bring a large item of machinery to a fence to give them a vantage point to sit on. In latter years many spectators film the flypast on their mobile phones, those items so ubiquitous these days.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The event was won for South Australia by the State\u2019s Olsen Liberal Government, to
compensate for the loss of the Grand Prix to Victoria in the mid-1990s. The win was also forwarded by Bill Spurr, who was chief executive of Australian Major Events, and happened to live at Longwood. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When it began in 1999, the Tour Down Under was sponsored by the
winemakers Jacobs Creek, and in 2009 Santos, the global energy company (with
headquarters in Adelaide), bought the naming rights and it became the Santos Tour Down Under. Such corporate sponsorships match those of other notable sporting events, such as the Melbourne Cup, now sponsored by Lexus.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Women cyclists began participating in 2011, with a full Women\u2019s Tour Down Under established in 2016.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Spectators line the main street of Stirling during the Women’s Tour Down Under in 2025<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n


For the various daily routes Stirling has often hosted starts and finishes, with Mount Lofty Summit, and Lobethal, Uraidla and other towns as Hills locations. The Adelaide Hills Council sets down pavers by the Stirling Oval to record winners. There have been many local entertainments associated with the Tour, and local businesses encouraged by competitions to put on displays.
This annual event, more than any other, puts the Adelaide Hills on the world map.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sources: Wikipedia; Courier passim<\/em>; Adelaide Hills Council<\/em>; News.com.au<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you have recollections, knowledge or further information that you would like to share about the people, places or events described here, then please contact us at mldhs@mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Since 1999 the Adelaide Hills have gained worldwide attention as Adelaide and environs host the Tour Down Under for competitive cyclists. This has happened every January, except in 2021 and 2022, during the Covid pandemic. For a brief time, the Tour Down Under cuts it with the Tour de France and the Giro d\u2019Italia, and … Continue reading “Tour Down Under”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"spay_email":""},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/PaNLq6-Y4","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2347,"url":"https:\/\/mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au\/?page_id=2347","url_meta":{"origin":3724,"position":0},"title":"Mount Lofty (Crafers Summit) Railway Station","date":"October 8, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Text : Chris Chardon Images: MLDHS and as described THE MOUNT LOFTY RAILWAY STATION The Mount Lofty Railway Station was originally named the Crafers Summit Railway Station. The Act of Parliament, to provide a line of railway from Adelaide to Nairne, was assented to on 30th November 1878. Below is\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/crafers-summit.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2178,"url":"https:\/\/mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au\/?page_id=2178","url_meta":{"origin":3724,"position":1},"title":"The Church of Our Lady of the Rosary, Stirling East","date":"July 21, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Text & Images: Elisabeth Anderson The Church of Our Lady of the Rosary, at 135 Old Mount Barker Road in Stirling East, was built in 1881-1882, one of several places of worship established by the Catholic Parish of Mount Barker in the 19th Century. It has Local Heritage status. The\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Church-Our-Lady-of-the-Rosary.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":3759,"url":"https:\/\/mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au\/?page_id=3759","url_meta":{"origin":3724,"position":2},"title":"Adelaide Hills Wine Region","date":"July 18, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"After notable failures during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, grapegrowing and winemaking almost disappeared from the Adelaide Hills. A revival began in the 1970s and continued through the 1980s, thanks to pioneers like the Verralls at \u2018Glenara\u2019 in Upper Hermitage, Brian Croser at \u2018Petaluma\u2019 in Piccadilly Valley, and Stephen\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/botanic-gardens-Glimpse-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2557,"url":"https:\/\/mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au\/?page_id=2557","url_meta":{"origin":3724,"position":3},"title":"“Waterlines” at Woorabinda","date":"March 19, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Text : Kathy InverarityImages: The Hut Community Centre, Alltrails, Ninti Media Woorabinda Bushland Reserve at Stirling has a very special place in the heart of Ivan Tiwu Copley, Peramangk and Kaurna Elder. This beautiful part of the Adelaide Hills with its body of water that waxes and wanes across the\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/large_11ca3755b7032812f292f4171e8795b8.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":3734,"url":"https:\/\/mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au\/?page_id=3734","url_meta":{"origin":3724,"position":4},"title":"Hills Sculpture Trail","date":"July 15, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"A major initiative, which has left permanent traces in the region, was the Adelaide Hills Inaugural International Sculpture Symposium, which took place in 2012. Eight sculptors from around the world were invited to \u2018The Cedars\u2019 at Hahndorf - the former home of the painter Sir Hans Heysen - to spend\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/botanic-gardens-Glimpse-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":3711,"url":"https:\/\/mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au\/?page_id=3711","url_meta":{"origin":3724,"position":5},"title":"Boundary Wars","date":"July 11, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Shortly after its formation in 1997 by the amalgamation of four smaller councils, the Adelaide Hills Council consented in 1998 to the excision of the Adelaide Foothills suburbs of Skye and Auldana and their transfer to the neighbouring Burnside Council District. This was in conformity with the local government legislation\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/botanic-gardens-Glimpse-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3724"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3724"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3724\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3874,"href":"https:\/\/mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3724\/revisions\/3874"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3724"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}