Hahndorf is a small town about 30 minutes drive out of
AdelaideAdelaide is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of South Australia, and is the fifth-largest city in Australia, with a population of more than 1.1 million. It is a coastal city situated on the eastern shores of Gulf St. Vincent, on the Adelaide Plains, north of the Fleurieu...
,
South AustraliaSouth Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories....
along the
South Eastern FreewayThe South Eastern Freeway is a 66 kilometre four-lane divided carriageway road in South Australia linking the Adelaide-Crafers Highway to the Princes Highway at the Swanport Bridge, a one kilometre long bridge over the River Murray, near Murray Bridge...
(Princes HighwayThe Princes Highway is a segment of Australia's Highway 1 that extends from Sydney to Port Augusta, South Australia via Melbourne and Adelaide, a distance of 2365 km. The highway approximately follows the coastline and thus takes quite an indirect and lengthy route...
). The town was settled by
LutheranLutheranism is a major branch of Western Christianity that identifies with the teachings of the 16th century German reformer Martin Luther. Luther's efforts to reform the theology and practice of the church launched the Protestant Reformation...
migrants largely from in and around a small village then named "Kay" in
PrussiaPrussia was a historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries this state had substantial influence on German and European history...
. The town is named after
DanishDenmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe and the senior member of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries; southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and it is bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark borders both the Baltic and the North Sea...
CaptainThe Captain or Master of a merchant vessel is a licensed mariner in ultimate command of the vessel. A Ship's Captain, also called Shipmaster or Skipper, is responsible for its safe and efficient operation, including cargo operations, navigation, crew management and ensuring that the vessel...
Dirk Meinhertz HahnCaptain Dirk Meinhertz Hahn was probably most known as the captain of the ship Zebra that he captained to South Australia where the town of Hahndorf was named after him.-External links:*...
.
The Journey
On 12 August 1838, the ship
ZebraThe Zebra was a three masted ship, built in 1818 and weighing 350 tons, owned by J. Dede of Altona.-Voyages:*Cuxhaven to New York – departed 15 September 1836 to 10 November 1836*Elbe to Hamburg – departed 22 June 1838...
, captained by Dirk Hahn, departed from
Altona, HamburgAltona is the westernmost urban borough of the German city state of Hamburg, on the right bank of the Elbe river. From 1640 to 1864 Altona was under the administration of the Danish monarchy. Altona was an independent city until 1937. In 2006 the population was 243,972.- History :It was founded...
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
hogsheadA hogshead is a large cask of liquid . More specifically, it refers to a specified volume, measured in either Imperial units or U.S. customary units, primarily applied to alcoholic beverages such as wine, ale, or cider....
s 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
GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
to 188 arriving in
AdelaideAdelaide is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of South Australia, and is the fifth-largest city in Australia, with a population of more than 1.1 million. It is a coastal city situated on the eastern shores of Gulf St. Vincent, on the Adelaide Plains, north of the Fleurieu...
, with the last corpse being buried at sea while approaching
Kangaroo IslandKangaroo Island is Australia's third largest island - after Tasmania and Melville Island. It is southwest of Adelaide at the entrance of Gulf Saint Vincent. At its closest point to the mainland, it is offshore from Cape Jervis, on the tip of the Fleurieu Peninsula in the state of South Australia....
. 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
BengaleeThe Bengalee was a three masted barque weighing 304 tons, owned by Hamlin and Company, Greenock. It was principally used as a supply ship, although it did carry human cargo also...
and
Prince GeorgeThe Prince George was a three masted barque weighing 317 tons, owned by H Wright. It measured It was manufactured in 1828 at Newcastle upon Tyne...
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
fachwerkTimber framing , or half-timbering, is the method of creating framed structures of heavy timber jointed together with pegged mortise and tenon joints.- Naming :...
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 namesDuring World War I, many German-sounding place names in Australia were changed because of Anti-German sentiment. The new names were often Anglicized , given Aboriginal names , names of famous people , or battlefields . This was done through an Act of Parliament, as well as by petition...
. 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 BarkerThe District Council of Mount Barker is a Local Government Area centred on the town of Mount Barker just outside of the Adelaide metropolitan area in South Australia.- Towns and localities :...
, the state
electoral district of KavelKavel, created in 1969, is an electorate for the South Australian Legislative Assembly in the Adelaide Hills region of South Australia.Kavel is named after Lutheran pastor August Kavel who migrated to South Australia from Germany in 1838 with approximately 250 people seeking freedom from religious...
(right by the boundary with
HeysenHeysen is an electoral district of the House of Assembly in the Australian state of South Australia. It is named after Sir Hans Heysen, a prominent South Australian landscape artist. It is a 616 km² electorate stretching from residential suburbs in the east and south-east of Adelaide through...
), and the federal
Division of MayoThe Division of Mayo is an Australian Electoral Division located in the hills, east of Adelaide, South Australia and currently includes the towns of Victor Harbor, Lobethal, Mount Barker, Strathalbyn, Woodside and Kingscote....
.
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 AustraliaThe Lutheran Church of Australia is the major Lutheran denomination in Australia, it also has a presence in New Zealand. It has 320 parishes, 540 congregations, 71,397 baptized members, 52,463 communicant members and 450 active pastors. Its background is similar to that of the Lutheran Church -...
.
- St Paul's Lutheran Church
St Paul's was founded in 1946, as a result of a schism between the Pastor
KavelAugust Ludwig Christian Kavel . Pastor Kavel was a founder of Lutheranism in Australia.-Training and Early Ministry:...
, and Pastor
FritzscheGotthard Daniel Fritzsche was one of the first founding pastors of Lutheranism to immigrate to Australia...
. 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
Sports
Hahndorf has a number of sporting clubs including Bowls, Netball, Cricket, Australian rules football, Softball and Soccer. The Football, Netball, Softball 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