The Adelaide Hills appear as the intended destination of a route march that Dorrigo Evans is preparing to lead. The plan is overtaken by an urgent family call and a sudden order to leave, so the march does not proceed as planned. The Hills mark a brief point of transition from routine military activity to deployment.

The Planned March

On Monday morning, Dorrigo is about to lead a route march into the Adelaide Hills when he is called to regimental administration to take an urgent call from his family. The march is still a plan at this point: the narrative places him on the threshold of setting out, not already on the route.

A Sudden Change of Orders

After the call, a staff officer informs Dorrigo that the 2/7th Casualty Clearing Station is to take the train to Sydney that night. The ship and final destination are not yet known; the destination will be advised somewhere in the middle of the Pacific. The unit is ordered to cancel all planned activities and be ready to leave at 1700, displacing the route march along with its other plans.

Narrative Significance

The Adelaide Hills are not developed as a visited setting in this episode. Their significance lies in the march that will not happen: the interruption turns a local military routine into an abrupt departure, with Dorrigo required to prepare for a journey whose destination remains uncertain.