Café 1954 | Brownhill Creek, Adelaide | Review

Escape the city while still staying in it at this hidden gem, surrounded by gum trees and creekside trails.

Review by Carla Caruso

Looking for a spot that feels like a getaway without leaving town? Café 1954, tucked within Brownhill Creek Tourist Park just 7km from the Adelaide CBD, is a peaceful place to refuel and reconnect with nature.

Open to the public and dog-friendly, the café is a great stop after a walk through Brownhill Creek (or the nearby ‘One Tree Hill‘) or simply to enjoy coffee and a bite among the trees. Its retro silver caravan adds a touch of charm.

Named after the year the caravan park was established, Café 1954 opened in 2020 and has become a quirky local favourite. In cooler weather, grab a seat by the fire-pit. In warmer months, enjoy the shade and breeze outdoors.

We visited as a family of four after a morning hike. The menu, filled with all-day breakfast options, was just what we needed. Think bacon and eggs, pancakes, avocado on toast, banana bread, toasties, muffins, smoothies, frappes, and great coffee. On Friday and Saturday nights, the café serves pizza.

Our picks included nuggets and chips, a breakfast burger with bacon, egg, cheese and relish, a cheeseburger with chips, and a Green Reviver smoothie with mango, lemongrass, kale and banana. For a sweet finish, our boys chose loaded Gold Coast Cookies in red velvet and cookies-and-cream flavours. I plan to return for the toasties, especially the pesto and sun-dried tomato version!

The café is open (as at June 2025) from 9am to 2pm Monday to Friday, 9am to noon on public holidays, 8am to 2pm on weekends, and 6pm to 7pm on Friday and Saturday evenings. (Hours may vary with the weather.) Café visitors can access the caravan park’s toilets and playground by asking staff for the code.

Brownhill Creek is also a hotspot for downhill mountain bikers coming from Belair, so bringing two-wheelers next time is definitely on the cards.

More than a café

The area, once known as Wirraparinga (meaning ‘scrub and camping place’), was a traditional site for the Kaurna people.

One of its most remarkable features is the Monarch of the Glen, a 400-year-old river red gum that once sheltered both Aboriginal people and early settlers. Some settlers even gave birth inside the tree’s hollowed-out trunk. Find the historic gum within the caravan park.

The Wirraparinga Trail Loop begins near the caravan park and follows the creek through a stunning valley filled with ancient gums. It’s suitable for prams, bikes and wheelchairs, and dogs are welcome on a lead.

If you’re after a nature-filled outing with good food and space for the kids to explore, Café 1954 ticks all the boxes.

Location:

Brownhill Creek Road, Brownhill Creek.

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For more information and all enquiries, please visit the Brownhill Creek Tourist Park website.

All photos by James Elsby for Play & Go Adelaide. 

At Play & Go Adelaide we make every effort to provide accurate information to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication. We recommend confirming times, dates and details directly before making any plans as details may be subject to change.

As per all our Play & Go reviews, this is not a sponsored post and our review is done completely independently. All photos are by Play & Go (unless specified).

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