Tanunda is a town situated in the
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 ...
region of
South Australia
South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...
, 70 kilometres north-east of the state capital,
Adelaide
Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...
. The town derives its name from an
Aboriginal word meaning ''water hole''. The town's population is approximately 4600. The postcode is 5352
Settlement
Prussian
Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an e ...
immigrants who arrived with Pastor
Gotthard Fritzsche
Gotthard Daniel Fritzsche (20 July 1797 – 26 October 1863)The gravestone has birthdate as 20 June 1797, not July ("''Geboren'' 20. Juni 1797"). was a Prussian-Australian pastor who became instrumental in furthering that religion in South Aust ...
founded the village of
Bethanien in 1842, the first settlement in the vicinity of today's Tanunda. One year later, Prussians relocating from
Klemzig on the
Torrens River
The River Torrens , (Karrawirra Parri / Karrawirraparri) is the most significant river of the Adelaide Plains. It was one of the main reasons for the siting of the city of Adelaide, capital of South Australia. It flows from its source in the ...
, where they had settled upon immigrating in 1838 with Pastor
August Kavel, came to the Barossa Valley and founded the village of Langmeil. Their new community bore the name of a Prussian town near
Zullichau, from where the settlers had originated; it is now a Polish village known as
Okunin. Sometime later, another village was founded and named Tanunda. Due to anti-German sentiments, both Langmeil and Bethanien were
renamed during the
Great War
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 ...
to Bilyara and Bethany respectively, although Bilyara reverted to Langmeil in 1975. As development of the Tanunda area continued, the villages of Langmeil and Tanunda were joined. Today the township is simply called Tanunda.
Industry
Tanunda and the
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 ...
comprise one of Australia's premier wine-growing areas, and the town is surrounded by
vineyards
A vineyard (; also ) is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice. The science, practice and study of vineyard production is known as viticulture. Vineyards ...
. One such vineyard,
Turkey Flat
Turkey Flat is an Australian winery located in Tanunda, in the middle of South Australia's Barossa Valley wine-growing region. It is described by wine expert Oz Clarke as one of the "cult wines" of Australia.Clarke, Oz. ''Oz Clarke's Austral ...
, is home to
Shiraz
Shiraz (; fa, شیراز, Širâz ) is the fifth-most-populous city of Iran and the capital of Fars Province, which has been historically known as Pars () and Persis. As of the 2016 national census, the population of the city was 1,565,572 p ...
vines that were planted in 1847 and are believed to be the world's oldest continually producing commercial vineyard that has been authenticated.
[G. Harding ''"A Wine Miscellany"'' p. 20, Clarkson Potter Publishing, New York 2005 ]
Culture
The German heritage of Tanunda is still present today. The town has a male choir the
Tanunda Liedertafel
The Tanunda Liedertafel is a 45-member male choir in Tanunda, South Australia. Drawing its four-part (TTBB) singing material from traditional popular German culture. The group's origins date back to 1850, based on an entry in ''The South Australia ...
, the history of which is thought to date back to 1850. There is also a
Kegel (bowling)
Nine-pin bowling (also known as ninepin bowling, nine-pin, kegel, or kegeln) is a bowling game played primarily in Europe. European championships are held each year. In Europe overall, there are some 130,000 players. Nine-pin bowling lanes are mo ...
club. The Tanunda Town Band celebrated 150 years as a band in 2007 and is the oldest brass band in the Southern Hemisphere. Tanunda served as the launching point for the Nazi party’s effort to expand in Australia.in the 1930s.
Media
Historically, Tanunda (and Adelaide) was the home to a number of the earliest
South Australia
South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...
n newspapers that were printed primarily in German. German newspapers were set up by early settlers, but many were forced to close or merge due to labour shortages caused by the
Victorian gold rush
The Victorian gold rush was a period in the history of Victoria, Australia approximately between 1851 and the late 1860s. It led to a period of extreme prosperity for the Australian colony, and an influx of population growth and financial capit ...
of the 1850s-1860s.
* ''Deutsche Zeitung für Süd-Australien'' (1851)
* ''
Süd Australische Zeitung'' (1860–1874) - Tanunda/Adelaide
* ''Australisches Unterhaltungsblatt'' (1862-1916) - a supplement to the ''Süd Australische Zeitung'' and ''Australische Zeitung''
* ''Tanunda Deutsche Zeitung'' (1863-1869) - later renamed ''Australische Deutsche Zeitung''
* ''Australische Deutsche Zeitung'' (1870-1874) - Tanunda/Adelaide: a Melbourne edition of the newspaper was also printed 1870–1872.
* ''
Australische Zeitung'' (1875–1916) - Tanunda/Adelaide: formed by the merger of ''Süd Australische Zeitung'', and ''Australische Deutsche Zeitung''; closed due to WWI
* ''Australische Zeitung'' (1927-1929) - attempted revival
Two weekly English-language newspapers served the area:
*''
The Leader'', has been operating in the area since 1918.
* The ''
Barossa and Light Herald'' from 1951, though its antecedents date from 1860.
See also
*
Adelaide Liedertafel
*
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 ...
*
Barossa Deutsch
References
{{authority control
Towns in South Australia
Barossa Valley