Mawson Ridge Wines / Adelaide Hills Settlement Museum, Hahndorf: In the Adelaide Hills region of South Australia

There's nothing quite like ambling through Ambleside. That's what Hahndorf was called when anti-German sentiment ran high during World War One. It later reverted back to Hahndorf, the name given to the village in memory of Captain Hahn, the skipper who brought out the first German settlers back in the 1840s.

Wander through the hills and you'll come across amazing pieces of early history like the old barns and farmhouses at nearby Peachtown. But as you explore the area it's easy to get lost in the past - confused by the various stories associated with the villages of the Adelaide Hills.

Well not anymore - step inside the Adelaide Hills Settlement Museum and you'll quickly come up to speed with the men and women who built much of what we take for granted.

The museum takes you through the story of the early settlers who made their own slab huts from red gum and whatever else they could find. One man who's studied them is historian Gordon Young. He has a deep respect for the Germans of Hahndorf, the Scots of Oakbank and all the rest.

“In the south of England in particular there were a lot of unemployed farm workers and they came out in droves to places like Australia, New Zealand and Canada and brought with them their early ways of building.”

And they're buildings you can pick on a drive through the Hills if you know what you're looking for. That's made easier thanks to a specially produced video that is on permanent display. It points you in the direction of hidden treasures like Pastor Fritchie's original church at Lobethal.

“It was the oldest Lutheran church in Australia and we have the Lutheran Seminary that is now preserved in the museum complex.”

Along the way you can also see how some popular watering holes have evolved from homesteads into country pubs.

“This he named the Mount Torrens Hotel and he had it licensed and opened for business in 1850.”

But the Adelaide Hills Settlement Museum offers more than a smorgasbord of history - there’s also plenty of local produce and wine. It’s the cellar door outlet of Mawson Ridge Wines - the brainchild of vignerons, Madeleine and Raymond Marin.

“Before we opened our cellar door my husband and I had a lot of fun researching a lot of the cellar doors around Australia. And whilst there were some that were just magnificent, many were fairly boring little rooms with just a few tables and a few tasting bottles. And we decided that as soon as we were able (we’d open) in Hahndorf. With the history surrounding the area and the love of history and architecture that my husband shares with his friend Gordon Young we thought we should be able to have a showcase of the history, the architecture and some of the local produce of the area as well, of course, tasting our fine Adelaide Hills wine.”

A fine blend which historian Gordon Young says is well overdue.

“It's so important for the state itself to have a true history of its origins like any other country.”

The Adelaide Hills Settlement Museum, with Cellar Door sales, wine tasting and local produce is at 24 Main Street, Hahndorf. For more details in Mawson Ridge Wines and the Settlement Museum visit www.mawsonridge.com