Hahndorf, established in 1839 (Australia’s oldest German settlement), was such a lovely little surprise. The state heritage area charms with a unique Bavarian ambience. Aside from the obvious traditional German beer sampling (there are a number of boutique breweries, wineries and distillers to choose from), there are plenty of quaint tea rooms, historic inns, craft shops & art galleries to explore - to name a few. Hahndorf’s main street is lined with beautiful elm trees; you will want to slow down & enjoy the wander.
We enjoyed our coffee, chai & babyccino at Caffiend so much that we went back for lunch; #noregrets.
A highlight for our toddler, Chloe, was the Hahndorf Farm Barn. We just wish that we had arrived earlier in the day so that we could all enjoy it for longer!
We chatted with some locals and, we must say, we sensed some frustration that Hahndorf appears to be losing its charm over time to tourism. The general consensus seemed to be that they would not like to see change if the driving force is tourism. There are surrounding villages of Crafters, Stirling, Aldgate & Bridgewater that might be worth checking out.
We left a piece of our heart in South Australia. It was a memorable trip and one that we will treasure. There is still so much to do that we want to roll over to another trip (hopefully in the not-too-distant future):
Barossa by bike (make sure to pack a cheese knife, cheese board of some description & wine glasses - we all know cycling is thirsty work!)
Kangaroo Island (famous for Australian sea lions, koalas, echidna & platypus)
600 kms of Murray River
Flinders Ranges National Park, to name a few