Mount Lofty (, elevation AHD) is the highest point in the southern Mount Lofty Ranges. It is located about east of the Adelaide city centre, within the Cleland National Park in the Adelaide Hills area of South Australia. The mountain's summit has panoramic views of the city and the

Adelaide plains The Adelaide Plains (Kaurna name Tarndanya) is a plain in South Australia lying between the coast (Gulf St Vincent) on the west and the Mount Lofty Ranges on the east. The southernmost tip of the plain is in the southern seaside suburbs of Ade ...

to the west, and of the Picadilly Valley to the east. It is also popular destination for international tourists, as well as for cyclists coming up the old Mount Barker Road through

Eagle on the Hill Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just ...

, and for walkers from

Waterfall Gully Waterfall Gully is an eastern suburb of the South Australian capital city of Adelaide. It is located in the foothills of the Mount Lofty Ranges around east-south-east of the Adelaide city centre. For the most part, the suburb encompasses one l ...

History

Aboriginal significance

The adjacent peaks of Mount Lofty and Mount Bonython form a prominent landmark visible across the

Adelaide Plains The Adelaide Plains (Kaurna name Tarndanya) is a plain in South Australia lying between the coast (Gulf St Vincent) on the west and the Mount Lofty Ranges on the east. The southernmost tip of the plain is in the southern seaside suburbs of Ade ...

, known to the local Kaurna people as Yuridla, 'two-ears', part of the body of an ancestral being called Nganu. This Kaurna name has been preserved in its anglicised form as the name of the nearby town of Uraidla.

European discovery and use

Mount Lofty was named by

Matthew Flinders Captain Matthew Flinders (16 March 1774 – 19 July 1814) was a British navigator and cartographer who led the first inshore circumnavigation of mainland Australia, then called New Holland. He is also credited as being the first person to u ...

on 23 March 1802 during his circumnavigation of the Australian continent. The explorer Collet Barker was the first European to climb it, in April 1831, almost six years before Adelaide was settled. A stone cairn at the summit was originally used to mark the trig point, and in 1885 this was replaced by an obelisk which served as the central reference point for surveying purposes across Adelaide. In 1902 the obelisk was rededicated and renamed as the "Flinders Column". The summit was closed to the public during the Second World War, when the obelisk was considered an indispensable navigation aid. A flashing strobe was fitted to the top to improve visibility at night. This strobe was removed after the war, but then re-installed in the 1990s, when the obelisk was repainted and restored during construction of a new kiosk.

Access and description

The summit can be accessed by road from the South Eastern Freeway at Crafers, and from the eastern suburbs via Greenhill Road and the Mount Lofty Scenic Route. There is a walking route up the gully from

, through the Cleland National Park and from Chambers Gully. This is a 4 km uphill trek and one of Adelaide's most popular exercise circuits. The summit provides panoramic views across Adelaide, a cafe-restaurant and a gift shop. Kangaroos are sometimes spotted on the trails leading up to the summit. On the ridge near the summit are three television transmission towers (the northernmost being that of the ABC), and the Mount Lofty Fire Tower operated by the Country Fire Service.

Historic houses

Summit Road, Mt Lofty, was historically one of the best-known addresses in South Australia, with the

summer house A summer house or summerhouse has traditionally referred to a building or shelter used for relaxation in warm weather. This would often take the form of a small, roofed building on the grounds of a larger one, but could also be built in a garden ...

s of several prominent families being located there. These were all destroyed or severely damaged by the Ash Wednesday bushfires in 1983, but have subsequently been restored. They include: * Mt Lofty House (1858) - Arthur Hardy * Eurilla (1884) - William Milne, 1917;

Lavington Bonython Sir John Lavington Bonython (10 September 1875 – 6 November 1960) was a prominent public figure in Adelaide, known for his work in journalism, business and politics. In association with his father, he became involved in the management of n ...

, 1972; Kym Bonython, 1998 * Carminow (1885) - Thomas Elder, 1905 Langdon Bonython Other buildings, such as

St Michael's House St Michael's House was an Australian educational institution in Crafers outside Adelaide, under the auspices of the Society of the Sacred Mission, established in 1947 and which was destroyed by fire in the Ash Wednesday bushfires in 1983 shortly ...

(an Anglican theological college and priory) and "Arthur's Seat", for a time known as

Stawell School Stawell School was a short-lived (1927–1940) private school for girls founded by Mabel Hardy and Patience Hawker near the summit of Mount Lofty. History Mabel Phyllis Hardy (1890–1977) was born in Malvern, South Australia, a member of the o ...

, a private school for girls, were never rebuilt. Part of this property was excised for the ABC-TV transmitter building and mast. Note that historically, "Mount Lofty" addresses frequently referred to the area now known as Crafers and to parts of Stirling.

Climate

Snow

Mount Lofty is the coldest location in the Adelaide area; during winter months the temperature may not exceed 3-4 °C on some days. Adelaide's metropolitan area experiences mild winters, with temperatures virtually never cold enough to produce snow; the nearest snowfields to Adelaide are in central Victoria, over 700 km away. However, Mount Lofty's summit is the most common location for snow in South Australia; rare snowfalls sometimes occur in other parts of the Mount Lofty Ranges, and occasionally further north, in the Flinders and Gammon Ranges. Snowfall tends to be light (rarely lasting for more than a day) and does not take place every year. Sleet however is a regular occurrence. The snow is a novelty for the approximately 1.4 million residents of the Adelaide Plains (particularly for children), and photographs of it have made the front page of the local newspaper many times.Advertiser coverage of "Snow at Mt Lofty"
1 August 201422 July 201311 October 2012

General and rainfall

Mount Lofty has an

oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ( ...

(''Cfb'') in the Köppen climate classification, due to its elevation, and receives a commensurable amount of precipitation during summer to avoid the Mediterranean climate (''Cs'') classification, since every summer month receives more than 40 millimetres of rainfall. The annual rainfall is nearly twice the amount, and the monthly rainfall during summer more than twice the amount, of the city of Adelaide. The influence of the Mediterranean climate is present with the drying trend during summer.

Gallery

File:Eurilla1905-B33591.jpg, Snow at Eurilla in 1905 File:Piccadilly Valley.JPG, View SE across the Piccadilly Valley from the Mount Lofty Scenic Route. The summit of Mount Barker, 22 km away, is visible on the horizon. File:Flinders Column dedication plaque.JPG, Flinders Column dedication plaque, from 1902 Image:Mount Lofty View Night.jpg, View of Adelaide Plains at night from the summit. File:Adelaide sunset.jpg, View of the eastern suburbs, the Adelaide city centre and the Gulf St Vincent at sunset from the summit.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mount Lofty Lofty, Mount