Hahndorf is a small town in the Adelaide Hills region of South Australia. Currently an important tourism spot, it has previously been a centre for farming and services. It is accessible from Adelaide, the South Australian capital, via the South Eastern Freeway. The town was settled by Lutheran migrants largely from in and around a small village then named Kay in Prussia and now known as Kije, Lubusz Voivodeship in Poland. Many of the settlers arrived aboard the Zebra on 28 December 1838. The town is named after Dirk Meinhertz Hahn, the Danish captain of the Zebra. It is Australia's oldest surviving German settlement.
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 after the nearby Ambleside railway station. Hahndorf was re-instated as the town's name with the enactment of the South Australia Nomenclature Act of 1935 on 12 December 1935. There are still references to the name Ambleside in and around the town today.
Government
Hahndorf is 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
There are two prominent churches in Hahndorf. 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 was founded in 1846, 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.
C3 Adelaide Hills
C3 Adelaide Hills is a church part of the C3 Church Global movement. Previously located in Nairne it moved to Hahndorf around 2007.
Sports
Hahndorf has a number of sporting clubs including Basketball, Bowls, Netball, Cricket, Australian Rules Football, Tennis, Softball and Soccer. The Football, Netball, Softball and Soccer clubs are nicknamed The Magpies.
The Hahndorf Bowling Club was established in 1976 and has an excellent full size (9 rink) green, which is a woven carpet surface enabling all weather competition, and an extensive fully equipped clubhouse with all necessary facilities available for members and social events, plus ample on-site parking is available.
The competitive bowling season is in summer and Social bowls are available throughout the year depending on weather conditions, on Wednesday and Saturdays starting at 1pm (please arrive at 12:45).
The Soccer Club was formed in 1979 and was a founding member of the Adelaide Hills Junior Soccer Association. The club plays home games at "Pine Avenue". The Senior Men compete in the South Australian Amateur Soccer League and have won the 1996 Newsfront Cup as well as the 2004 Amateur League Division Two title.