HAEBICH COTTAGE B&B: Hanhdorf

So much of our colonial history is to be found in the village of Hahndorf. As you take in the main street, it's easy to miss this little gem, which still tells us a lot about the early German settlers who made this part of the Adelaide Hills their home. This is Haebich's Cottage. It was built by Johanne George Haebich in 1846 after he'd arrived from Silesia.

And out the back, the old smithy is still there, as if old man Haebich had just left it to lunch on some locally made German sausage in the cottage nearby.

"And this is some of the equipment from the old blacksmith's days?"

"Yes. This is some of Haebich's equipment. The old bellows, and the forge and a lot of his tools. His box that he used to take alongside the horses and shoe the horses. And remarkably, the way it's lasted. And that bench that used to be in the main shop with the vice and that little gadget was used for putting threads on the bolts that he used to make. There were no hardware stores in Hahndorf in those days. The Blacksmith was IT. He did the lot".

One of Hahndorf's favourite sons Sir Hans Heysen was certainly captivated by Haebich's old smithy, so much so that he spent many hours capturing its rustic simplicity in watercolour and charcoal.

"It was one of the busiest blacksmith's shops that was in Hahndorf and consequently there was always a hive of activity. And of course, this was the main road to Melbourne in those days and apart from all the local work, any carts or wagons passing through were always of interest. And there was a lot of traffic in horse drawn vehicles in Heysen's early years because he was here in 1913. There weren't many motor cars on the road in those days".

Three generations of Haebich's lived here until the late sixties when the blacksmith's forge was still keeping Bill Haebich warm on cold winter days. The old stone cottage with its half-timbered style in classically German and so too, is the interior layout.

" This is room No. 2 and you can have a little more of a look".

"And so what was this little room?"

"This was their kitchen and being in the centre of the house, it used to keep the whole house warm, and it was just ideal for that".

"Low ceilings".

"Very low, and you can duck down. And also, it's easier to heat".

For John Storey, there's a certain irony in his ownership of this cottage. His great grandfather John Finniss took up the first land survey in this district, four thousand acres in the Adelaide Hills on which towns like Hahndorf and others now stand, and Haebich's cottage. Now he owns it and enjoys serving guests at this historic bed and breakfast. A night in the cottage costs $95.00 a double.
For bookings contact 61 (0)8 8388-7247 For more information email info@postcards.sa.com.au