Horse Drawn of Hahndorf: Lisa takes a ride in this transport of yesteryear in the Adelaide Hills regionof South Australia
A foggy early morning in the Adelaide Hills and a scene reminiscent of much earlier days. On a property on the outskirts of Hahndorf, Sarah Harris and Melanie Carter prepare their horses for their day's work. The Clydesdales, four year old Sammy and his younger brother Jerry are the core of Sarah and Mel's business, Horse Drawn of Hahndorf - the newest way to explore this historic hills town in a beautifully restored 1914 Hawker's Wagon.
All harnessed up, a quick pedicure and final brush of the hair to make sure they look their best and they're ready to face their public. A century and a half ago, this was a familiar sight. The main mode of transport was horse and cart and farmers relied on their trusty work-horses to plough their paddocks, harvest their crops and take their produce to market. Sarah says for many, the sight of Sammy and Gerry evokes distant childhood memories.
Sarah Harris, 'Horse Drawn of Hahndorf': "It's been lovely especially for the elderly people. We've had so many just stand and go, 'Oh, my father used to plough the paddocks with Clydesdales, We went to school in a dray.'
"We had an 88 year old lady who had tears in her eyes - it was just beautiful. They love the 'clip clop' and the slow pace. "
Some people are happy to simply sit back and enjoy the ride… others lap up Sarah's commentary on Hahndorf's history which began in 1839 when a ship load of Lutheran families, who left Prussia to escape religious persecution, arrived on a ship called the Zebra - under the command of Captain Dirk Hahn.
Sarah Harris: "He was instrumental in helping the refugees find this plot of land, negotiating with the businessmen who'd recently bought it and in honour of his help they decided to call it Hahn-dorf - dorf means village in German and Hahndorf."
Hahndorf is now South Australia's most visited town and while the main street is lined with plenty of options for a beer, a meal, an ice cream or souvenir, the German feel of the town remains a major attraction.
Sarah Harris: "The buildings that you see with the white work with the timber - this was the very original German style of building. It's the half timbered structure with the pug filling and it's still standing which is fabulous that people have actually bothered to conserve it and just keep it in really good order."
Thiele's cottage is another gem in the main street. It was built in 1845 by the first couple married in Hahndorf. The story goes that they were tied the knot under a 200-year-old gumtree, which they promptly chopped down to build their house.
Sarah Harris: "It's quite funny because they say their wedding feast was quite sparse because there was only a couple of parrots that they managed to catch and a few new potatoes. But it must have worked because they went on to have quite a number of children."
Sarah Harris: "The Hahndorf Academy is such a stunning building that was built in 1857 as a tiny one roomed building and it was the first non-denominational educational institute in Hahndorf. Happily, it was saved by some people in the 60s."
It remains an important building in the town and is now regional Museum and Art Gallery and includes a tribute to the great German born artist, Sir Hans Heysen who lived just outside town.
Sarah Harris: "What is it about Hahndorf that keeps it such a tight community? I think it's people working together wanting preserve its history and its heritage and its integrity. And people were passionate about it's history because it really is the largest surviving German settlement in Australia for a start, with the ancestors of people still living here and I think that's pretty special, especially that Australia's history is quite young."
And now you can enjoy that history in a very Old World way. Horse Drawn of Hahndorf operates on Thursdays and Fridays and most weekends and they do extra runs during school holidays. They pick up from 50 Main Street, opposite the Adelaide Hills Visitor Information Centre starting from 11am. For more information calls Sarah on 0447 577 181. If you have any further questions please email info@postcards-sa.com.au
'Horse Drawn of Hahndorf'
Thurs-Sun Depart
50 Main St Hahndorf
Ph 0447 577 181Published 20th September 2009
