Hagen Arms - 'By Appointment to His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh - 1867'

Echunga
Quiet village near historic goldmine ruins.
Located 34 km south-east of Adelaide, Echunga is a quiet, sleepy little place servicing the surrounding area. It is only 8 km from Hahndorf and perhaps the only building of significance in the town is the pub, the Hagen Arms, named after the first European settler in the district, John Hagen. The town takes its name, reputedly, from an Aboriginal word 'eechungga' which may mean either 'a short distance' or 'close by'.

In 1839 John Hagen, a wealthy English Quaker, decided that Echunga would be an ideal location for a Quaker settlement. He purchased land off another Quaker J. Barton Hack (his name is still recalled in the Hack Ranges), built the hotel and tried to create a model village with wheat fields, dairy herds and a vineyard. By 1843 he was bankrupt.

Although Hagen was bankrupt the vineyard he had planted continued to yield good quality grapes and it is possible that the first South Australian wine to be exported was an Echunga hock which was served to Queen Victoria in 1845.

The gold rushes of the 1850s led to miners pouring into the valley, particularly to Jupiter Creek. The discovery of gold at Jupiter Creek in 1852 was the first in South Australia and caused considerable excitement. For a brief time the town prospered and it has been estimated that at its peak it had grown to a population in excess of 1200.

Today Echunga has been overwhelmed by Hahndorf. It is a sleepy town with a lot of disused buildings in the main street.

Things to see:  

Hagen Arms
The Hagen Arms are very proud to declare that it was 'By Appointment to His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh - 1867'. Today they are very much the centre of the town.

Jupiter Gold Diggings
Located 5 km out of Echunga on the less-than-lovely Rubbish Dump Road are the old Jupiter gold diggings. Gold was discovered here in 1852. The diggings themselves are a healthy walk from the car park but they are still an interesting insight into goldmining in the area. It is possible to fossick on the diggings. There is also a guided walking tour.

	Hotels
	Hazlemere Coach House Battunga Rd Echunga SA 5153 Telephone: (08) 8388 8385 Facsimile: (08) 8388 8385 Rating: ****
	Cottages & Cabins
	Wattlebark Cottage Pocock Rd P.O. Box 177 Echunga SA 5153 Telephone: (08) 8339 8560 Facsimile: (08) 8388 8763 Email: wattlebark@adelaide.on.net Rating: ****1/2