by Lyall Kupke

The courage and energy of many young German women and girls saved the early settlers in South Australia from a boring diet.

When the first British settlers arrived at Adelaide late in 1836, many had to wait for months or even years until the farmland they had selected was surveyed. Consequently, little food was being produced locally.

Fortunately, the first German Lutherans under Pastor Kavel, who arrived two years later, were able to settle immediately on land belonging to George Fife Angas. They quickly built the village they called Klemzig along the bank of the River Torrens and got to work establishing vegetable gardens. There was a ready market for fresh produce in the nearby town of Adelaide.

When the ship Zebra arrived a month later with more German Lutherans there was not enough land at Klemzig for them all. They were fortunate to negotiate an agreement with Messrs Dutton, Finnis and MacFarlane to settle on 100 acres of their land in the Adelaide Hills. So over the next eight weeks they hauled their belongings up into the hills to establish the German village of Hahndorf.

Dutton and his partners had provided fowls, cattle and pigs on credit. Cows were allocated to each family. Once the land had been divided up between the 52 families, they quickly established their vegetable gardens. They planted potatoes, cabbages, carrots, onions and peas. The fowls laid eggs, cows were milked and butter and cheese made. Within a few months they had enough produce to sell at the market in Adelaide town.

But how were they going to get it there? Hahndorf was 30 kilometres from Adelaide and there was only a rough walking track through the bush and over the steep hills. So walk they did!

The young married women and teenage girls were selected to carry the goods. The packed baskets were heavy and they carried them either on their heads or suspended from a yoke over their shoulders. Setting off at midnight to ensure the dairy products were not spoiled, they walked in single file through the darkness. Because the first and last places were considered the most dangerous, they drew lots for these positions.

They crossed creeks, walked through the tall stringybark forest and passed grog shanties on their way to the edge of the range. As day dawned they descended the steep side of Gleeson’s Hill to the Adelaide plain below, where they washed themselves at a stream before covering the last leg to Adelaide.

At the market their produce was eagerly welcomed and they received good money for the fresh vegetables, eggs, butter and cheese they supplied. With this money they bought the much-needed supplies of tea, sugar, flour, candles, soap, cloth, sewing thread and needles. After a short rest in the afternoon they returned home with their baskets full again. Sometimes they stayed overnight with friends or relatives at Klemzig before returning home.

When produce was in good supply they made this walk twice a week. However, in winter when there was little to sell, they made fewer trips on the wet, slippery track.

Despite the possibility of attacks by bushrangers, ruffians or Aborigines, there is no record of any trouble occurring. We are told the women sang hymns as they walked.

This routine was followed for many years until a road was eventually built, along which horse-drawn vehicles could travel.

As years passed and more roads were built, much of the route taken by the women became the Old Mt Barker Road.

In April 1980 the Hahndorf National Trust held a re-enactment of the walk. Over 300 people took part and walked at least part of the track.

In recent years the government Office for Recreation and Sport has designed and constructed a walking trail (called the Pioneer Women’s Trail) along much of the original track. It gives people today some idea of this historical episode and acknowledges the effort and determination of those women in ages past.

Why not do the walk one day! Make sure you bring a snack to eat and plenty of water to drink, but you needn’t take any potatoes.

Lyall Kupke is LCA Archivist.