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{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2022}}
{{Use Australian English|date=March 2013}}
{{Infobox Australian place
| type     = town
| name     = Lobethal
| state    = sa
| image    = LobethalSA.JPG
| caption  = Main Street, Lobethal
| coordinates = {{coord|34|54|0|S|138|52|0|E|display=inline,title}}
| lga      = Adelaide Hills Council
| postcode = 5241
| pop      = <!--leave blank to draw the latest automatically from Wikidata-->
| est      = 1842
| stategov = [[Electoral district of Morialta|Morialta]]
| fedgov   = [[Division of Mayo|Mayo]]
| dist1    = 42
| location1= [[Adelaide]]
| near-nw  = [[Cudlee Creek, South Australia|Cudlee Creek]]
| near-n   = [[Kenton Valley, South Australia|Kenton Valley]]
| near-ne  = [[Mount Torrens, South Australia|Mount Torrens]]
| near-e   = [[Charleston, South Australia|Charleston]]
| near-se  = [[Woodside, South Australia|Woodside]]
| near-s   = [[Woodside, South Australia|Woodside]]
| near-sw  = [[Lenswood, South Australia|Lenswood]]
| near-w   = [[Lenswood, South Australia|Lenswood]]
}}
'''Lobethal''' {{IPAc-en|ˈ|l|oʊ|b|ə|θ|əl}} is a town in the [[Adelaide Hills]] area of [[South Australia]]. It is located in the [[Adelaide Hills Council]] local government area, and is nestled on the banks of a creek between the hills and up the sides of the valley. It was once the centre of the Adelaide Hills wool processing industry, which continued until around 1950. The mill buildings are now used by a number of cottage industry and handcraft businesses. At the [[2016 Australian census|2016 census]], Lobethal had a population of 2,135.<ref name=Census2016Y>{{Census 2016 AUS|id=UCL415020|name=Lobethal (Urban Centre/Locality) |accessdate=26 April 2021|quick=on}}</ref>
The town is famed during the [[Christmas season]] for its display of Christmas lights and decorations, which have attracted visitors from around the state since the 1950s.
==History==
Lobethal <ref>[http://www.ahc.sa.gov.au/site/page.cfm?u=208#L Adelaide Hills Council – Historical Town Information] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060625165304/http://www.ahc.sa.gov.au/site/page.cfm?u=208 |date=25 June 2006 }} Accessed 16 June 2006.</ref> was settled in 1842 by [[German people|Prussian]] immigrants, who migrated to South Australia with Pastor [[Gotthard Fritzsche]] aboard the sailing vessel [[Skjold (ship)|Skjold]], who initially went to [[Hahndorf, South Australia|Hahndorf]] but were alerted to good land in the upper [[Onkaparinga River|Onkaparinga]]. German [[Lutheran]] settlers provided compatriot, [[Johann Friedrich Krummnow]], who had arrived in South Australia three years earlier and was a naturalised English citizen, with funds for land purchases to establish the community.<ref name="Nutting"/> Krummnow wanted it based on his own principles of shared property and fervent prayer.<ref name="Nutting">{{cite web|url=http://www.teachers.ash.org.au/dnutting/germanaustralia/e/krummnow1.htm |title=J. F. Krummnow |last=Nutting |first=D |publisher=Teachers on the Web |accessdate=31 October 2012 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110519022423/http://www.teachers.ash.org.au/dnutting/germanaustralia/e/krummnow1.htm |archivedate=19 May 2011 }}</ref> The Lobethal settlers rejected Krummnow's vision and legally disputed his right to the land titles.<ref name="Nutting"/>
"Lobethal" is German for "valley of praise".<ref>[http://www.placenames.sa.gov.au/pno/pnores.phtml?recno=SA0018684 Place Names – Lobethal] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930184933/http://www.placenames.sa.gov.au/pno/pnores.phtml?recno=SA0018684 |date=30 September 2007 }} Accessed 16 June 2006.</ref> On the day of the division of the land, according to Reverend I. Ey's account, 'it received the name Lobethal, taken from the II [[Book of Chronicles]], chapter 20, verse 26 [[s:Bible, King James, 2 Chronicles#20:26|(EN)]] [http://www.hti.umich.edu/cgi/l/luther/luther-idx?type=DIV2&byte=1851041 (DE)], which, according to [[Martin Luther|Luther]]'s [[Luther Bible|translation]], means Lobethal or 'Valley of praise'.<ref>[http://www.smh.com.au/news/South-Australia/Lobethal/2005/02/17/1108500204363.html Travel – Lobethal], ''[[Sydney Morning Herald]]'', 8 February 2004. Accessed 16 June 2006.</ref>
The town, as with many German towns in South Australia, was built in typical [[Silesia]]n '''Hufendorf''' style, with the cottages arranged in a line along the main street, and each family having a long, narrow strip of land (used for growing crops) stretching from the main street back to the village common, where all families could allow their animals to graze. The advantages of this layout were that everyone had access to both fresh water and the main road, and a relatively even distribution of fertile and infertile land.<ref>[http://www.teachers.ash.org.au/dnuttIng/GermanAustralia/e/bethany.htm German Australian Teaching Resources] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060515014714/http://www.teachers.ash.org.au/dnutting/Germanaustralia/e/bethany.htm |date=15 May 2006 }}, David Nutting (2001). Accessed 16 June 2006</ref> While the town has developed out of recognition (the main street was Mill Road, now the western boundary of the town), elements of the hufendorf layout remain.
In 1845, St John's Lutheran Church was built; it is now the oldest [[Lutheran Church of Australia|Lutheran church]] building in Australia. A new church has been built alongside. Many of the settlers' traditions remain to this day, although the town is not as overtly Germanic as Hahndorf or [[Tanunda, South Australia|Tanunda]].
In 1850, F.W. Kleinschmidt set up a brewery. It closed after about two decades when Kleinschmidt turned his attention to hop-growing – which subsequently became a focus for Lobethal's agriculture. The brewery itself was turned into the Lobethal Tweed Factory, which became the Onkaparinga Woollen Company and operated until 1992. A [[cricket bat]] factory utilising locally grown willow also operated from 1894 until 1950.
Due to the [[Great War]] in Europe, in 1917 the South Australian state government [[Australian place names changed from German names|changed many German place names]]. The name Lobethal was changed to ''Tweedvale'' (honouring the town's major industry). Lobethal was re-instated as the town's name with the enactment of the [[South Australia Nomenclature Act of 1935]] on 12 December 1935.<ref>Nomenclature Act, 1935</ref>
==Geography==
Lobethal is located between [[Gumeracha, South Australia|Gumeracha]] and [[Woodside, South Australia|Woodside]] along the north–south road, and east of Adelaide via [[Magill, South Australia|Magill]] and [[Norton Summit, South Australia|Norton Summit]].
[[File:Lobethal Panorama.jpg|thumb|800px|center|Vineyard on the Adelaide-Lobethal Road, just outside the township of Lobethal]]
===Climate===
Lobethal has a Warm-Summer [[Mediterranean climate]] abbreviated Csb on the Köppen-Scale.
{{Weather box
|width=auto
| location = Lobethal
| metric first = yes
| single line = yes
| Jan high C = 25.0
| Feb high C = 26.0
| Mar high C = 23.0
| Apr high C = 19.0
| May high C = 15.0
| Jun high C = 12.0
| Jul high C = 11.0
| Aug high C = 13.0
| Sep high C = 15.0
| Oct high C = 18.0
| Nov high C = 21.0
| Dec high C = 23.0
| year high C =
| Jan mean C  = 19.0
| Feb mean C  = 20.0
| Mar mean C  = 17.5
| Apr mean C  = 14.5
| May mean C  = 12.0
| Jun mean C  = 9.5
| Jul mean C  = 8.5
| Aug mean C  = 9.5
| Sep mean C  = 11.0
| Oct mean C  = 13.0
| Nov mean C  = 15.5
| Dec mean C  = 17.5
| year mean C =
| Jan low C = 13.0
| Feb low C = 14.0
| Mar low C = 12.0
| Apr low C = 10.0
| May low C = 9.0
| Jun low C = 7.0
| Jul low C = 6.0
| Aug low C = 6.0
| Sep low C = 7.0
| Oct low C = 8.0
| Nov low C = 10.0
| Dec low C = 12.0
| year low C =
| rain colour = green
| Jan rain mm = 25.3
| Feb rain mm = 19.2
| Mar rain mm = 33.9
| Apr rain mm = 56.8
| May rain mm = 90.5
| Jun rain mm = 117.3
| Jul rain mm = 138.4
| Aug rain mm = 120.5
| Sep rain mm = 100.4
| Oct rain mm = 63.4
| Nov rain mm = 37.8
| Dec rain mm = 36.5
| year rain mm =
| Jan rain days  = 3
| Feb rain days  = 2
| Mar rain days  = 3
| Apr rain days  = 6
| May rain days  = 9
| Jun rain days  = 12
| Jul rain days  = 13
| Aug rain days  = 13
| Sep rain days  = 10
| Oct rain days  = 7
| Nov rain days  = 4
| Dec rain days  = 4
| year rain days =
| source = [[NOAA]].<ref name="NOAA">{{cite web |url=https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov }}</ref>
}}
==Facilities==
Lobethal contains two hotels, two primary schools and a [[Country Fire Service]] station.
The Lutheran Church complex, and the [[Lobethal Archives and Historical Museum|Archives and Historical Museum]], contain information about the lives of the towns German settlers, and are open to the public year-round.
[[Lobethal Bierhaus]] is a brewery located on the Main Street of the town. It makes both English and German style beers.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.bierhaus.com.au/ourbeer.html|title=Our Beers – Lobethal Bierhaus}}</ref>
The Lobethal Bakery provides a selection of German style breads and cakes.
There are many artisan producers based in the old woollen mill facility.
Lobethal, and the surrounding area, contains many Wineries and a growing number of cellar doors.
==Culture==
The town is famous around [[Adelaide]] for its display of [[Christmas lights (holiday decoration)|Christmas lights]] along its main streets in December each year; many residents also adorn their front gardens and [[verandah]]s with elaborate displays. The tradition began in the 1950s and is the largest Christmas display in South Australia. In 2019, however, the events were cancelled after big bush fires caused widespread damage.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://7news.com.au/news/sa/sa-bushfires-lobethal-lights-cancelled-as-fresh-blaze-rages-at-virginia-c-615902| title = SA bushfires: Lobethal lights cancelled as fresh blaze rages at Virginia {{!}} 7NEWS| date = 20 December 2019}}</ref>
The area is fast becoming known for its many producers of food and beverages. {{citation needed|date=December 2019}}
==Transport==
The area is serviced by [[Adelaide Metro]]. Buses run from Lobethal to the [[Adelaide]] CBD via the South Eastern Freeway and Onkaparinga Valley Road. There are also buses from Lobethal to Verdun Junction and [[Mount Barker, South Australia|Mount Barker]].
==Motorsport==
{{Main|: Lobethal Circuit}}
[[File:MG TA of Allan Tomlinson.jpg|thumb|Race winner Allan Tomlinson ([[MG TA]]) contesting the [[1939 Australian Grand Prix]] on the Lobethal Circuit]]
Lobethal was the host town for the [[1939 Australian Grand Prix]], Australia's premier motor race of that year. The race, which was won by Alan Tomlinson driving an [[MG TA]], was staged on the [[Lobethal Circuit]] which comprised public roads in and around the town. The circuit was used for four race meetings from 1937 through to 1948.
{{-}}
== References ==
{{reflist}}
==External links==
{{commons category|Lobethal}}
* [http://www.lightsoflobethal.com.au/ The Lights of Lobethal] – Web site of the (Christmas) Lights of Lobethal Committee
* [http://www.exploringaustralia.com.au/showplace.php?s=adel&p=2399 Tourist Information on Lobethal]
{{Adelaide Hills Council suburbs}}
{{Adelaide Hills}}
{{authority control}}
[[Category:Towns in South Australia]]