Hahndorf is a small town in the Adelaide Hills region of South Australia. Currently an important tourism spot, it has previously been a centre for farming and services.

Geography

It is accessible from Adelaide, the South Australian capital, via the South Eastern Freeway.

Climate

Hahndorf has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate abbreviated ''Csb'' on the Köppen climate classification scale.

History

The town was settled by Lutheran migrants largely from in and around a small village then named

Kay The name Kay is found both as a surname (see Kay (surname)) and as a given name. In English-speaking countries, it is usually a feminine name, often a short form of Katherine or one of its variants; but it is also used as a first name in its own ...

in Prussia and now known as

Kije, Lubusz Voivodeship Kije (german: Kay) is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Sulechów, within Zielona Góra County, Lubusz Voivodeship, in western Poland. It lies approximately west of Sulechów and north of Zielona Góra. During the Seven Years' ...

in Poland. Many of the settlers arrived aboard the '' Zebra'' on 28 December 1838. The town is named after

Dirk Meinerts Hahn Captain Dirk Meinerts Hahn, sometimes spelt Dirk Meinertz Hahn (born 1804 in Westerland, Sylt, died 1860) was the captain of the ship ''Zebra'' that he captained to South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in ...

, the Danish captain of the ''Zebra''. It is Australia's oldest surviving German settlement.

Early German settlers

During the British colonisation of South Australia, the settlers were mostly British, but some German "Old Lutherans" also emigrated in the early years. The first large group of Germans arrived in 1838, with the financial assistance of the Emigration Fund. Most moved out of Adelaide and to the Barossa Valley and settlements in the Hills such as Hahndorf, living in socially closed communities, by 1842, and did not participate in government until 15 years later.

German influence

German influence is apparent in Hahndorf and is seen in the traditional '' fachwerk'' architecture of the original surviving buildings. There are also many restaurants in the town serving German cuisine. Due to the First World War in Europe, in 1917 the South Australian Government changed many German place names. The name Hahndorf was changed to ''Ambleside'' after the nearby

Ambleside railway station Ambleside railway station was located about 43.5 kilometres from Adelaide station, on the Adelaide-Wolseley line, in the Adelaide Hills suburb of Balhannah, at an elevation of 318 metres. History Ambleside was opened in November 1883, and ...

. Hahndorf was re-instated as the town's name with the enactment of the South Australia Nomenclature Act of 1935 on 12 December 1935. There are still references to the name ''Ambleside'' in and around the town today.

Demographics

At the census 2006 the population was 1,806. In 2016 the population was 2,670.

Government

Located in the federal division of Mayo, the state

electoral district of Heysen Heysen is a single-member electoral district for the South Australian House of Assembly. It is named after Sir Hans Heysen, a prominent South Australian landscape artist. It is a 1,074 km² electoral district that takes in some of the oute ...

, and the local government areas of the District Council of Mount Barker and the Adelaide Hills Council.

Churches

There are two prominent churches in Hahndorf. St Michael's is the oldest Lutheran church in Australia to still have a worshipping congregation on its original church site. It was founded in 1839. St Michael's is a member of the Lutheran Church of Australia. St Paul's was founded in 1846, as a result of a schism between the Pastor Kavel, and Pastor Fritzsche. This schism is closely linked to the formation of two original Lutheran synods in Australia which coexisted until their merger in 1966.

C3 Adelaide Hills

C3 Adelaide Hills is a church part of the

C3 Church Global C3 Church Global, formerly known as Christian City Church International (C3i), is a charismatic movement founded by Phil Pringle and Christine Pringle. The first church was started in Dee Why on the Northern Beaches of Sydney, Australia, and is ...

movement. Previously located in Nairne it moved to Hahndorf around 2007 .

Sports

Hahndorf's sporting clubs including basketball, bowls, netball, cricket, football (Australian rules and Association Football), tennis and softball. The football (both codes), netball and softball clubs are nicknamed The Magpies. The Hahndorf Bowling Club was established in 1976 and has a full size (nine rink) green, which is a woven carpet surface enabling all weather competition, and a large clubhouse. The (soccer) Football Club was formed in the early 1980s and plays home games at "Pine Avenue". The senior men compete in the South Australian Amateur Soccer League. They won the 1996 Newsfront Cup and the 2004 Amateur League Division Two title. However, a gradual decline in player numbers from 2013 have seen the side drop to one team, competing in Division Seven, by 2019.

Notable residents

*Watercolour artist Sir

Hans Heysen Sir Hans Heysen (8 October 18772 July 1968) was a German-born Australian artist. He became a household name for his watercolours of monumental Australian gum trees. He is one of Australia's best known landscape painters. Heysen also produced ...

established "The Cedars" close to the town in 1912. He lived and painted there until his death in 1968. "The Cedars" remains in his family, and is open for guided tours. *

Matthew Jaensch Matthew Jaensch (born 18 September 1989) is a former professional Australian rules football player for the Adelaide Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). Jaensch was Adelaide's third selection in the 2009 Rookie Draft, taken a ...

was an AFL footballer who played for the Adelaide Crows. He retired in 2016 after six years and 74 games with the Crows.

Gallery

File:150th anniversary.JPG, 150th anniversary memorial File:GERMAN ARMS HOTEL - HAHNDORF.jpg, German Arms Hotel File:HAHNDORF ACADEMY.jpg, Hahndorf Academy File:HAHNDORF INN.jpg, Hahndorf Inn File:ST. MICHAEL'S LUTHERAN CHURCH - HAHNDORF.jpg, St. Michael's Lutheran Church

References

External links

Tourist Information on Hahndorf

Adhills – Hahndorf, South Australia

SA Government State Heritage Areas

*

{{Authority control Towns in South Australia

Hahndorf Hahndorf is a small town in the Adelaide Hills region of South Australia. Currently an important tourism spot, it has previously been a centre for farming and services. Geography It is accessible from Adelaide, the South Australian capital, ...

Populated places established in 1839 1839 establishments in Australia German-Australian culture