Hahndorf, South Australia

Infobox Australian Place | type = town
name = Hahndorf
state = South Australia


caption = Hahndorf
lga = District Council of Mount Barker
postcode = 5245
pop = 1,700
est = 1839
stategov =
fedgov = Mayo
near-nw = Bridgewater
near-n = Balhannah
near-ne = Balhannah
near-w = Mylor
near-e = Littlehampton
near-sw = Jupiter Creek
near-s = Echunga
near-se = Paechtown

Hahndorf is a small town about 30 minutes drive out of Adelaide, South Australia along the Princes Highway. The town was settled by Lutheran migrants largely from in and around a small village then named "Kay" in Prussia. The town is named after Danish Captain Dirk Meinhertz Hahn.

this whole article has been copied from http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/Hahndorf,-South-Australia History

The Journey

On 12 August 1838, the ship "Zebra", captained by Dirk Hahn, departed from Altona, Hamburg for its voyage to Port Misery, South Australia, arriving on 28 December 1838.

The "Zebra" was a three-masted ship, built in 1818 and weighing 350 tonnes. On board was a crew of 16 and 188 passengers, including their belongings. In addition was 100 barrels of pork, 100 barrels of flour, 65 barrels of fresh water, 17 hogsheads of beer and vinegar, 14 barrels of herrings, two boxes of boots and 40,924 bricks.

Two passengers died before the journey began while some of the passengers were on board several weeks prior to departure, with a further two perishing before reaching open sea. For the time, a relatively low number of 12 passengers died during the journey at sea. This brought the number of passengers down from 199 leaving Germany to 188 arriving in Adelaide, with the last corpse being buried at sea while approaching Kangaroo Island. Due to a low tide, the passengers were stuck onboard until 2 January 1839.

Finding and Naming the Land

The "Zebra" was the third ship after the "Bengalee" and "Prince George" that brought Prussian Lutheran migrants to South Australia. The founders of Hahndorf came from these three ships, many from the "Zebra". On arrival and inspection, the migrants were very pleased and impressed with their newly-acquired land and, despite many offers of employment whilst shipboard, stayed together and sought farming land.

Hahndorf was named after Captain Hahn in honour of his efforts in securing good land, his superb interpersonal skills which settled many arguments on ship and his care of his passengers. Today, some German tourists are somewhat bemused by the name, to the confusion of local residents. This is apparently due to the most literal translation of the town's name being "rooster-village".

Working the Land

The settlers thrived on their land, with in time, most leaving to work on neighbouring lands, establishing a good reputation for themselves.

German Influence

German influence is very apparent in Hahndorf and is seen physically 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", and this remained until 1935, when it reverted to "Hahndorf". There are still references to the name "Ambleside" in and around the town today.

Government

Hahndorf is in the District Council of Mount Barker, the state electoral district of Kavel (right by the boundary with Heysen), and the federal Division of Mayo.

Churches

* St Michael's Lutheran Church

St Michael's is the oldest Lutheran church in Australia to still have a worshipping congregation on its original church site. Founded in 1839. St Michael's is a member of the Lutheran Church of Australia.

* St Paul's Lutheran Church

St Paul's was founded in 1946, 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.

* St Paul's Anglican Church

ports

Hahndorf has a number of sporting clubs including Bowls, Netball, Cricket, Australian rules football and Soccer. The Football, Netball and Soccer clubs are nicknamed The Magpies.The Soccer Club were formed in 1996 and play home games at Pine Avenue. The Senior Men compete in the South Australian Amateur League and have won the 1996 Newsfront Cup as well as the 2004 Saturday Amateur League Division Two title.

External links

* [http://www.exploringaustralia.com.au/showplace.php?s=adel&p=92 Tourist Information on Hahndorf]
* [http://www.southaustralianhistory.com.au/hahndorf.htm Flinders Ranges Research - Hahndorf]
* [http://www.adhills.com.au/tourism/towns/hahndorf/ Adhills - Hahndorf, South Australia]
* [http://www.teachers.ash.org.au/dnutting/germanaustralia/e/zebra-pass.htm Captain Hahn's narrative of the voyage]