Adelaide : The German Settlement at Hahndorf

I am quite curious to see what the "oldest surviving German settlement" in Australia looks like, whether it has retained its old buildings and European charm despite being thousands of miles away from Europe.

Once you arrive in Hahndorf you will be greeted by huge trees covering the Main Street walkways which added character to its old world atmosphere. All the shops have quirky layouts and artsy designs to make it compatible with the German theme in the place. There are also a few galleries and souvenir shops around.

The first settlers in the area arrived on 28 December 1838 with the ship called Zebra carrying 38 German Lutheran families who are escaping away from persecution in Prussia.  An additional 14 families joined them later to settle in the area. If you go inside the historic Hahndorf Inn (established in 1863) you can see a wooden board tacked into the wall with all the names of the first families that settled in the town --- even their occupations are noted down! How very class-conscious those years must have been. 

Walking around town, you can see the traditional "fachwerk"architecture (using timbers in the framing of the buildings) in the remaining old buildings  which is very similar to that of old Germany. 

Most of the restaurants and dining outlets offer German cuisine and being close to a lot of wineries in the Adelaide Hills area, there were a few small wine cellars scattered around the town as well. We even went inside one of these and had a few sample sips! lol 

Hahndorf is a great day trip from the Adelaide city center, just under an hour's ride away. You can already soak yourself up in traditional Prussian atmosphere, enjoy a meal out with a host of culinary options available in either its traditional inns or the new fashionable cafes and eateries.

Although the town is now catering mainly to domestic and international tourists, you cannot just cross it out from your Adelaide itinerary as it gives you a glimpse of the past albeit in a very touristy, commercial way nowadays....but hey, they do try to make it very authentic and original as possible even having traditional costumes at their historic hotels like Hahndorf Inn.