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| The German
Arms Hotel |
Hahndorf
Major tourist attraction in the Adelaide
Hills. Well preserved township with strong
German origins.
Located 28 km south-east of Adelaide, Hahndorf
is a major tourist destination. It is a little
piece of Silesia, Prussia and Germany in the
Adelaide Hills. It is characterised by beautiful
shady, tree-lined streets, lots of
advertisements and shop signs in Teutonic
script, and lots of German tourists being
entertained in cafes, bars and restaurants run
by the descendants of the town's early German
settlers. The town is 330 m above sea level, has
a rainfall of 990 mm and promotes itself as
'Australia's Oldest German Town'.
The history of Hahndorf starts in 1838 when
George Fife Angas went to London as a director
of the South Australian Company to try and
promote colonisation. While he was there he met
Pastor August Ludwig Christian Kavel who was
trying to organise for Lutherans (who were being
persecuted by the King of Prussia, Friedrich
Wilhelm III) to emigrate. Angas was moved by the
plight of the Lutherans and not only persuaded
Kavel that South Australia was a suitable place
for emigration but also financially assisted
them with a generous £8,000. The first German
settlers arrived on 25 November, 1838 at the
unfortunately named Port Misery. These settlers
were to establish distinctly German villages at
Klemzig, Glen Osmond, Lobethal and most famously
Hahndorf.
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| The monument
to Captain Hahn after whom Hahndorf was
named |
Hahndorf's history is connected to the
arrival at Port Adelaide, on 28 December, 1838
of the 344 ton ship, Zebra, under the control of
Captain Dirk Hahn. He was impressed by his
passengers to such a point that upon their
arrival in South Australia he was determined to
help them. Although a Dane it is he who is
honoured with his name being the basis of the
town's name.
The ship was carrying 187 German immigrants.
For a time the immigrants lived in tents at Port
Adelaide then Hahn came to an agreement to rent
150 acres of land (this was the present site of
Hahndorf) which would be divided up so there was
38 acres for living quarters and the rest for
farming. Later the grant was expanded to 240
acres. A group of twelve men on horseback and
some ladies in a carriage travelled to inspect
the site and Hahn was so taken by it that he
declared 'It seems to me as if nature had
lavished her choicest gifts on South Australia,
I should like to end my days here and never
return to the busy world.'
The conditions for settlement were generous.
The Germans were given provisions for the first
year. They were also provided with a preacher
and a substantial amount of livestock. All that
was required was that they worked hard and
produced a reasonable return on the land and
livestock.
Not surprisingly the early settlers worked
hard planting crops and grazing the cattle they
had been given. They all contributed to the
construction of a church which was completed
within a year of the settlement. It stood where
St Michael's Church now stands.
Within the first decade the town prospered.
Vineyards were established, the women worked as
shepherds, the men hired themselves out to the
surrounding landowners as cheap labour and
slowly substantial houses, many of which still
stand, were built.
The town was struck by intense anti-German
feelings during World War I (rather stupid given
that most of the residents could trace their
origins back to 1839) and the name was changed
to Ambleside by a 1917 Act of Parliament. The
German Arms Hotel, for example, became the
Ambleside Hotel and did not change its name back
until 1976.
Today it is one of South Australia's premier
tourist attractions. There are few places in the
country where you can drive through typically
Australian countryside and, quite suddenly,
enter a world which seems to have been lifted
from Central Europe.
Things to see:
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Exploring Hahndorf
Guided Tour of the Town
This tour starts at the bottom of the main
street where Ambleside Road joins the main
street. It is useful to accompany the tour with
a good map. 'A Guide to Historic Hahndorf' is
perfectly adequate for the purpose. Only the
village's most significant buildings are
mentioned here. It is recognised that there are
well over 50 buildings of importance in
Hahndorf. The best brochure on the town is that
titled 'Hahndorf - State Heritage Area' and
published by the Department of Environment and
Planning in 1989.
Hillstowe Wines
Located on 104 Main Street, Hahndorf this cool
climate winery with an historic cellar door in
Hahndorf was established in 1980 and specialises
in both red and white table wines derived from
cabernet sauvignon, pinot noir, merlot,
sauvignon blanc, riesling and chardonnay grapes.
It is open seven days for tastings and sales.
For more details contact (08) 8388 1400.
Thiele's Cottage and Thiele's Flower Shop
Located at 100 and 102 Main Street, these two
buildings comprise a simple cottage which was
built by Friedrich Thiele and his wife Anna
Schmidt. They were the first couple to marry in
Hahndorf and, because there was no church at the
time, they were married under a gum tree in the
main street. Next door is the old Thiele's
Flower Shop (now Cherry's Antiques) which
remained in the Thiele family from 1839-1991.
The Old Mill
Located at 98 Main Street this old flour mill
was built in 1853 and operated continuously
crushing everything from mill to quartz and bone
for fertiliser until 1912 when it closed down.
In recent times it has been used as the Old Mill
Restaurant which is part of the Old Mill motel.
Detmold House
Located at 85 Main Street this was the residence
of the Wittwer family (they ran the mill over
the road) and was built in 1861 and called
Detmold after the town in Germany where the
family originated from.
Haebich's Cottage
Located at 75 Main Street this is a typical
example of a half-timber family home, in classic
German style, from the early years of the
village. The land was purchased by the local
blacksmith, George Haebich, in 1850 and the
cottage dates from around that time.
Storison Arts and Crafts
Located at 73 Main Street this is the site of
the town's first blacksmith's shop. The original
building was constructed in the 1850s by George
Haebich. His son August took over in 1872 and
the present building dates from around 1880.
Pioneer Gardens
Located on Main Street just up from Storisons
this garden commemorates the 39 families which
settled the area. In recent times it has
included the notable addition of a monument to
Captain Dirk Hahn.
German Arms Hotel
Located at 69 Main Street this is the centre of
the town. An attractive hotel, distinguished by
its typically German flower boxes, it was first
established on this site in 1861 by the local
publican Robert Hunt. It is now a popular
destination for tourists wanting to watch other
tourists walk up and down the main street.
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| St Michael's
Lutheran Church |
St Michael's Lutheran Church
Located on the corner of Balhannah Road and
Church Street just one block away from the Main
Street, St Michael's is the oldest Lutheran
Church in Australia dating to 1858 and dedicated
on 3 July, 1859. In fact the first church in the
town, built of pug and consecrated in 1840,
operated on this site. It is one of two Lutheran
churches in town and indication that there were
doctrinal disagreements between the residents.
Hahndorf Academy
Back to the Main Street and located at 68 Main
Street is the Hahndorf Academy, a rather dour
building which was completed in 1883. It was
here that T.W. Boehm opened a private primary
school in 1857. He added a secondary school in
1871. It was restored in the 1960s and now
operates as an art gallery. For more information
contact (08) 8388 7250.
Hahndorf Inn
Located at 35 Main Street this was originally
the Union Hotel which was built in 1863 by
Benjamin Gray. It has been operating as the
Hahndorf Inn since 1972.
St Pauls Lutheran Church
Located at the southern end of the main street
this church was constructed at the end of the
1880s and opened in 1886 for a congregation
which had previously worshipped in the Hahndorf
College.
In the District
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| Hans Heysen's
studio |
Hans Heysen's House and Studio
'The Cedars', the delightful home of the famous
Australian landscape and still life painter,
Hans Heysen is definitely worth a visit. It is
easy to find being located in Heysen Road which
is off Ambleside Road. There was a time, now
fast disappearing, when no Australian middle
class home was without its reproduction of a
Heysen gum trees painting with a name like
'Droving into the Light' or 'The Roadside Gum'.
Regardless of your feelings about the man and
his art a visit to the home is full of wonders.
Heysen's studio, complete with very familiar gum
trees across the paddocks, is virtually
untouched. The house, still owned by the family,
is in pristine condition and the art on display
is much more diverse than the man's ubiquitous
gum trees would suggest. It is open every day
except Saturday and there are regular tours of
the house and the studio. Contact (08) 8388 7277
for times and details.
Beerenberg Strawberry Farm
Located on Auricht Road south of Hahndorf this
is on one level a tourist attraction where
visitors can buy strawberries and their
by-products. On another level, although it is
now a modern complex, it is part of the historic
Paech farming settlement which was established
in this area as early as 1839. In recent times
the jams from the farm have become so popular
they are common in many upmarket hotels around
the country.
