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Whilst visiting our new abode in the Adelaide Hills, we took a detour to a small German settlement along the A1 from Adelaide. The whole area is reminiscent of the Lake District and Yorkshire Dales in springtime. Hanndorf, however, is a law unto itself. Founded by German Lutherans in the 19^th Century, Hanndorf boasts a host of German culture, food and history. A little gem is the local museum located on the main street.

Aside from the unique history of the area, the museum exhibits local artistic talent of which there is plenty. We spent several hours discussing which pieces we would buy once rich and famous. My favourite piece by far was a silver bracelet designed by a local jeweller. Priced at $390, I resigned myself to window shopping, but the aboriginal influenced patterns had whet my appetite. The small stone building houses true innovation in art. Other jewelled pieces included a silver ant creeping out of polished wood. Highly impractical but very cool, this and other pieces fire the imagination of visitors to the small museum which is run on donations of money and time.

For more restricted budgets there are a number of locally made postcards, charcoal drawings and other paraphernalia. The local food is also noteworthy. Many of the local cafes serve bratwurst, pickle, spit roast pork and German style ice cream. Just to complete the atmosphere and to make the town more twee than I ever thought possible, a man and his wife were busking German songs on accordion and percussion. Well worth a visit.