Hoffnungsthal (''Valley of Hope'') is the location of a former
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
pioneer settlement, located in
South Australia's Barossa Valley
The Barossa Valley (Barossa German: ''Barossa Tal'') is a valley in South Australia located northeast of Adelaide city centre. The valley is formed by the North Para River. It is notable as a major wine-producing region and tourist destina ...
.
Founded in 1847, it was located in an
ephemeral
Ephemerality (from the Greek word , meaning 'lasting only one day') is the concept of things being transitory, existing only briefly. Academically, the term ephemeral constitutionally describes a diverse assortment of things and experiences, fr ...
lagoon which was dry for the first years of settlement. Local
Peramangk people warned the settlers that the area was prone to flooding, but this advice was ignored. In October 1853, after a week of heavy spring rains, the village was flooded and many of the houses were evacuated. After the cost of a proposed drain was seen as prohibitive, the village was eventually left deserted. Most of the settlers moved to the Barossa village of
Bethanien as well as further afield.
Built on higher ground, the
Lutheran
Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Cathol ...
church was still used until 1867,
[ when the building was also abandoned.
In the local Peramangk language, Hoffnungsthal was named Yertalla-ngga (''flooding land'') and between the years 1917 to 1975, it was called Karawirra as part of the changes to German sounding place names during ]World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
.
All that remains of the village today are the foundations of the church with a commemorative plaque honouring those buried in the now unmarked cemetery.
Taken from the Beinke Family History Book
, or Valley of Hope.
See also
* German settlement in Australia
German settlement in Australia began in large numbers in 1838, with the arrival of immigrants from Prussia to Adelaide, in the then colony of South Australia. German immigrants became prominent in settling South Australia and Queensland. From 1 ...
* Barossa German
* European settlement of South Australia
British colonisation of South Australia describes the planning and establishment of the colony of South Australia by the British government, covering the period from 1829, when the idea was raised by the then-imprisoned Edward Gibbon Wakefield ...
References
Further reading
*
History of South Australia
Barossa Valley
Ghost towns in South Australia
Populated places established in 1847
1853 disestablishments in Australia
1847 establishments in Australia
{{Australia-ghost-town-stub