Hahndorf

 

Today we explored Hahndorf, Australia’s oldest surviving German settlement.  First of all, let me introduce  you to the Hahndorf Resort. 

Hahndorf Resort is situated on 13 hectares of hills and bushlands, overseeing the views of Adelaide Hills.  The resort offers a variety of accommodations and a spacious caravan and camping sites.  We were so tempted to visit one of the caravans; perhaps explore the possibilities of renting one on our next vacation??!

The self-contained home has 2 rooms, a fully equipped kitchen, lounge, and a dining room.  The amenities are very clean.  The whole house is fully air-conditioning and the master bedroom’s bed comes with electric blanket.  My maiden experience sleeping on an electric blanket and I actually made a fool of myself.  Read on to find out more!

Next to our house is a lake.  Ducks and geese make their rounds each morning and it is such a refreshing views!  We could actually see the cold mist early in the morning when the temperature is low.  Love the serenity of this place!

There’s a jumping pillow, swimming pool and a mini golf – all are my kid’s favourite!  They couldn’t wait to burn all their energy into all these fun but we convinced them to discover the town first. 

Our first activity for the day was visiting the Big Rocking Horse at Gumeracha.  Stands at 18 meters tall, my kids and I had a blast climbing up a series of steep ladders to the top.   

Second tier

Third level

We are on top of the world!!!  Too small to be seen though...

Thereafter, we visited the wildlife area right next to it.  There are kangaroos and wallabies (no idea which is which), goats, peacocks, ducks, and alpacas.  My kids love feeding the animals but the enthusiastic animals could be a little bit pushy.  

While Andrew was feeding one of the kangaroos, its sharp claws lean on his arms causing some discomfort to him.  Hence I suggested taking over.  What happened next was unusual and I hope my experience does not prevent you from having an up-close experience with these lovely marsupials.  As I hold the food up high, the kangaroo tried to stand up taller to eat it.  And in that instance its claws scratched my face and I felt a sharp pain.  I wasn’t aware how serious it was until Andrew took a closer look. 

So, Andrew caught the culprit on camera

There were two scratches on my right cheek and blood was flowing out.  I washed the wound and applied some antiseptic cream (given by the caretaker of the park) on it.  So now I was disfigured.  Sob.  Sob.  Andrew was surprised that I did not react to it.  Stay cool... Well, the wound took 2 long months to heal and finally disappeared. 

We strolled around the shop for awhile.  There are many amazing wooden toys but we bought none back home.

For lunch, we went to a local bakery so that Andrew can enjoy the most authentic pies at Otto's Bakery. 

This is what the children had instead... Everything comes in German size!!!

Our dessert was ice cream from the EverCream Ye Olde Ice Creamery.

Hahndorf Farm Barn was our next stop.  This place is a fun combination of a children’s farmyard and a nature wildlife park. 

We were allowed to get inside the pen and pet all the small furry animals.  Bags of pellets and carrots are AUD $3 and you can feed almost everything in the park.  There are chicks, hampsters, bunnies, lambs, cows, sheep, goats, donkeys, deer, emus, kangaroos… etc.  I like the lamb the most as they are so cuddly and they kept sucking/biting your shoelace or jackets.  They are not afraid of us at all!  

The most interesting part is feeding the cow.  We have fed so many animals before but never cow.  Feeding this creature was a real yucky experience as their saliva was all over your palm. 
 

The farm show was nothing great though.  Milking the cow which we have done it several times.  Nevertheless, the children never say no to such experience.

Erwyn was pretty upset when he was not chosen to bottle feed the lamb in the Cavershem Park.  But low and behold, the farm workers handed out a few bottles for the kids to feed the lambs and here’s my boy smiling from ear to ear At last!!! He was beaming and jumping for joy after that.

Back to Hahndorf town, we took a leisure walk along the street.  There is still a strong German flavor in the air.  The bustling main street is filled with shops selling vintage goods and knick knacks, as well as bakeries and eateries. 

Admiring the toys

How I wish to have one (cheapest is AUD $1k)

Funny finding a Nepalese shop in a German town

The rest of the free time we pampered ourselves with a few games of mini golf.  Andrew insisted that I record down in this blog that He managed to get a hole-in-one TWICE. Blah .....beginners luck

The kids would love to have some fun at the swimming pool and jumping pillow but it was locked.  Of course, I wouldn’t agree for them to dip in the water at this time of the year, although some pool is heated. 

A visit to Hahndorf is never complete without spoiling ourselves in some authentic German food.  In the evening, we went to Hahndorf Inn to have a taste of their famous pork knuckle.  This is simply amazing!  For someone like me who is not a food lover, I had such a good meal.  The portion is huge, so do remember to bring your appetite. 

Ever since I arrived at Adelaide, I have been feeling so cold.  So, when I discovered the electric blanket, I was astonished.  I would snuggle under the blanket and enjoy the heat.  Since this was our last night here, I have decided to turn on the electric blanket without a timer.  It was past midnight and I woke up sweating!!!  haha… I couldn’t sleep for awhile after that.  Finally when the bed was cold and I was shivering again, I tucked myself in comfortably and back to my dreamland.  Since then on, I did not switch on the electric blanket anymore in other motels/hotels that we stayed.  Laughing at my silliness but definitely learned my lesson.

Before we left this beautiful little town, Audrey brought us to Chocolate @ No5 for some sweet indulgence.  The crispy waffle with its mouth-watering chocolate sauce is heaven-like.  So satisfying.  I miss it till this day.  Oh, if you do visit this place, don’t forget to take a peek at their bathroom.  The design is spectacular! 

So, that’s the end of our Hahndorf trip. 

Next stop:Victory Habour