Tue 28 Feb - Strathalbyn
We woke to a fresh morning - the BOM said 14 Deg, but it felt more like 10 Deg, and it reached a tropical 18 Deg (in Strathalbyn) throughout the day. In Hahndorf, it was a fresh 14 Deg, leaving us feel cool all day (our fault that we underdressed - it is located in the hills).
When we woke, the sky was a magnificent pink and orange, but by the time I got dressed and left for my walk, the sky had turned grey, and remained overcast all day. I still went out for a long and enjoyable walk around Strathalbyn. Settled in 1839 by Scottish immigrants, Strathalbyn is very picturesque and has a lot of history. Tomorrow I will spend more time exploring the town and some of its 44 historical buildings. The Soldiers Memorial Garden in town is very pretty, but Corellas are creating mayhem there. They appear to be in plaque proportion, and I don't know why it appears as nothing is being done to move them on. They are so noisy and causing a lot of damage shredding all the trees.
After returning for breakfast, we went back into town to a very nice cafe' for an excellent coffee... and fresh pastries. Satisfied after our morning treat, we drove to Hahndorf along the scenic Angus River Scenic Drive through the southern Adelaide Hills passing through vast farmland and towering gums. We also drove through two small historic towns of Macclesfield and Echunga but we didn't stop at either. After a 32km winding and hilly drive we reached Hahndorf - an artisan village and a major destination for shoppers. If you can see past all the touristy stuff, its history is very interesting, and it did renew my enthusiasm to return to Germany for some 'echt' German food and culture. I imagine Hahndorf is very pretty in Autumn with some red and golden colours already appearing on trees in the main street. After a couple of hours wandering, we continued a few km up the road to the Beerenberg farm, where since 1839, six generations of the Beerenberg family have lived and worked on the farm. We both like Beerenberg products and left with a couple of jars of goodies. It looks like its a thriving business too by the number of mid week visitors. From here we continued the short drive to Mount Barker, where we wandered around before settling on a lunch venue, which turned out to be another good selection. After lunch and a short walk around, we drove back to Strathalbyn, stopping at Mitre 10 to collect replacement Puretec water filters which I pre-ordered for the van. The water at Robe was so bad it was almost undrinkabe, and the filters were no longer making a difference, even at Strathalbyn. It turned out to be a good decision, because the replacements made a big difference to the taste of the water and importantly our brews. We had another walk into and around town then it was back to the van, dropping by to farewell John and Ann from WA who are leaving tomorrow, then we had a nice hot shower and dinner before settling in for the night. We plan to return the northern parts of Adelaide Hills and wineries one day during our planned stay at the Adelaide Showgrounds next week. It was another full and very enjoyable day, leaving us both a bit weary.
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