Hahndorf: a bit of Germany in the Adelaide Hills

GERMAN by name, German-Australian by nature, Hahndorf is not any run-of-the-mill village in the Adelaide Hills, writes Mike Smith.

Quaint ... a stone cottage along the main street of Hahndorf in the Adelaide Hills / Mike Smith

GERMAN by name, German-Australian by nature, Hahndorf is not any run-of-the-mill village in the Adelaide Hills.

Stop for a cappuccino and a slice of apple strudel, and you'll find yourself swept along a street with a treasure trove of goodies – some old, some new – that will have you reaching into the wallet.

The pace is generally slow in Hahndorf but the village, buried beneath the mix of eucalypts and flowering European trees, is far from sleepy.

Ask any of the store, pub or cafe owners, and they will tell you Hahndorf, with a population of 1700, is a seven-day-a-week town.

If it's not the coach loads of tourists that keep them busy, it's the couples and smaller groups of independent self-drive visitors who make sure the cash registers are clinking.

"I'm here seven days a week," reveals Nicki Keenan, owner of Just Chocolate, a quaint store that lives up to its name by selling nothing else but chocolate.

Across at 81 Main St is an equally fascinating shop that's owned by Nicki's husband Gary Keenan.

"Yes, he is 'In The Pickle' all week," she says, referring to the quirky name of his store.

"Mustards, jams, relishes, sauces and chutneys are on his shelves," she said.

"You should go and try some; there are free daily tastings."

For a village that was settled in 1839 by about 50 immigrant Lutheran families, Hahndorf, about 30km from Adelaide CBD, scrubs up well for today's crowds.

It is Australia's oldest surviving German settlement with many of the original stone buildings and cottages – with their distinctly high gables – remaining intact, albeit fitted with a few mod cons.

The settlement was named after the immigrant ship's captain Hahn ("dorf" is a German word for village) and was a vital stopover for stage coaches in the 19th century.

Like other major villages in the Adelaide Hills, including Bridgewater, Hahndorf has a flour mill.

These days the complex is a hotel that serves "the largest buffet in the hills".

A few strides away is another watering hole, the German Arms Hotel, where the clinking of steins is as common as dining on German sausage and strudel.

Gift store Smile For Miles is just as intriguing as the colourful confectionery sold inside Humbugs Of Hahndorf.

Close by is the 1857-built Hahndorf Academy and an art gallery that exhibits works of the region's most famous resident, landscape artist Sir Hans Heysen.

Inside the same complex is the German Immigration Museum which has interesting displays and explains Hahndorf's achievements and hardships.

Few visitors know that the people of Hahndorf were put under martial law during World War I; the town was renamed Ambleside until it reverted to the original name in 1935.

Such is the museum's popularity, an accordion-playing busker attracts a good crowd near the front door.

If you're in the market for something woollen, there's the Alpaca Shop, for antiques there's Clocks And Collectables or the old and new items inside Oscar's Of Hahndorf. And, ideally positioned for children near a toy and gift store, is a shop decorated in puppets.

Not surprisingly, Ye Old Ice Creamery is cashing in with its colourful variety of ice cream and $5 kranski dogs.

Hunger pangs are treated with a pasty or pie from Otto's Bakery (it also bakes a tantalising family-sized apple and blackberry pie for $11.50), fish and chips or a piece of chicken at Fish And Chooks, or a slice of strudel at the 1863-built Hahndorf Inn.

Dine for lunch on seafood or steak at Vuja de Clubhouse, accompanied by a crisp cool-climate wine for which the Adelaide Hills is famous, and you can play a round of mini golf free, if you have the energy. Behind the restaurant is an unusual putt-putt course.

For something hot to take home, the Taste In Hahndorf has a few goodies on offer, the chilli metwurst among the best ($2.50 a stick).

The store's shelves are also decorated with jars of nuts, jams, relishes, sauces and olives, along with a range of cheeses, to name a few local products.

With so many attractions within an easy walk along Main St, there's little wonder the village's postcode of 5245 is regularly outstripped by the number of weekend visitors.

As the sun sets over the hills and the cash in registers is counted and locked away for another day, the streets are almost bare. It's only now that much of Hahndorf finds time to take a break – and perhaps a nap.

The writer was a guest of South Australia Tourism.

The Sunday Telegraph