THE HALLOWED HALLS of the 159-year-old Hahndorf Inn are filled with the melodic sounds of German polka music. The jovial tunes are played by Herman and Heidi – a husband-and-wife duo who perform on matching vintage accordions while dressed in traditional lederhosen and dirndl. Merrymakers feast on pork knuckle, bratwurst and apfelstrudel, regularly clinking together steins of German bier or shots of schnapps. Prost!
But we’re not in Bavaria. And it’s not Oktoberfest. It’s just a regular weekend at the Hahndorf Inn, nestled in Australia’s oldest surviving German, helmed by Captain Dirk Meinertz Hahn, who negotiated the land on behalf of the 52 families onboard. As thanks, they named the village Hahndorf – ‘Hahn’s Village’.
