Hahndorf, SA
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Hahndorf is a town in the Adelaide Hills, about 28 km south-east of Adelaide. Founded in 1839, it is widely described as Australia's oldest surviving German settlement, established by Lutheran families who had migrated from Prussia. Its heritage main street — lined with timber-framed buildings, bakeries, pubs and German restaurants — has made it one of South Australia's most visited towns. The name combines the surname of Dirk Meinerts Hahn, captain of the ship Zebra that carried the settlers, with the German word 'Dorf', meaning village. Hahndorf was settled on the traditional land of the Peramangk people, who knew the place as Bukartilla.
Among Australia's more advantaged suburbs
Hahndorf is more socio-economically advantaged than about 80% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 1042, where about 1000 is the national average).
A socio-economic measure from ABS Census data — not a measure of how good a suburb is to live in or visit. How we calculate this.
Hahndorf at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 2,814
- Median age
- 51
- Median weekly household income
- $1,735
- SEIFA score
- 1042
- Coordinates
- -35.0329, 138.8099
Hahndorf demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Hahndorf using the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census; every percentage is a share of a clearly stated Census count, so each one traces back to the source. At a glance, the largest age group is seniors (65+) at 32%, 16% of homes are rented, and 20% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 427 | 15% |
| Youth (15–24) | 286 | 10% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 452 | 16% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 765 | 27% |
| Seniors (65+) | 890 | 32% |
Share of the 2,820 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 449 | 44% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 348 | 34% |
| Rented | 160 | 16% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 872 | 86% |
| Townhouses & semis | 71 | 7% |
| Flats & apartments | 22 | 2% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 1,013 occupied private dwellings in Hahndorf.
- Median weekly rent
- $350
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,950
- Average household size
- 2.5 people
- Median weekly family income
- $2,301
- Median weekly personal income
- $767
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 540 (20%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 157 (6%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 25 (1%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 1,307 (57%)
- Labour-force participation
- 55.2%
- Unemployment rate
- 3.6%
- Employed full-time
- 677
- Employed part-time
- 527
Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing, 2021 (General Community Profile, by Suburb and Locality). © Australian Bureau of Statistics, released under CC BY 4.0. How we group bands and derive each share is set out on our methodology page.
Weather and climate in Hahndorf
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Hahndorf is January (average daytime high around 29.7°C) and the coolest is July (around 14.4°C). The area receives roughly 732 mm of rain across the year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 29.7°C | 17°C | 34 mm |
| Feb | 28.2°C | 16.4°C | 32 mm |
| Mar | 26°C | 15.4°C | 23 mm |
| Apr | 22.1°C | 13.5°C | 54 mm |
| May | 17.7°C | 11.2°C | 83 mm |
| Jun | 15.1°C | 9.3°C | 91 mm |
| Jul | 14.4°C | 8.5°C | 102 mm |
| Aug | 15.3°C | 8.4°C | 91 mm |
| Sep | 18°C | 9.7°C | 69 mm |
| Oct | 21.9°C | 11.5°C | 59 mm |
| Nov | 24.1°C | 13°C | 57 mm |
| Dec | 27.3°C | 15°C | 37 mm |
Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
Common questions about Hahndorf
Where is Hahndorf?
Hahndorf is a suburb of South Australia, Australia.
What is the population of Hahndorf?
At the 2021 Census, Hahndorf had a population of about 2,814.
Is Hahndorf an advantaged area?
Hahndorf has an ABS SEIFA score of 1042, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 80 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 80% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Hahndorf?
Hahndorf has average daytime highs of about 21.7°C and overnight lows of about 12.4°C, with roughly 732 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).
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