Hoffnungsthal, South Australia
Encyclopedia
Hoffnungsthal is the location of a former German
pioneer settlement, located in South Australia's
Barossa Valley
. Founded in 1847, it was located in an ephemeral
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 a field.
Built on higher ground, the Lutheran
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
.
All that remains of the village today are the foundations of the church with a commemorative plaque honoring those buried in the now unmarked cemetery.
"On a summer's day, very late in December 1847, a small group of immigrants, most of whom came from the Gellert, gathered in the little town of Lyndoch. They were there to receive the grants of land which they had agreed to lease from the South Australian Company for twenty one years. The land was situated at the base of the Barossa Range, about 1.5 kilometers east of Lyndoch. The grants ranged from 20 to 8 acres. In the centre was a vale, which seemed an ideal place to situate their village. They called it Hoffnungsthal, or Valley of Hope."
German Australian
German religious refugees represented the first major wave of German settlement in Australia, arriving in South Australia in 1838. Some were active as missionaries and explorers in Australia from early in the 19th century, and German prospectors were well-represented in the 1850s gold rushes...
pioneer settlement, located in South Australia's
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
Barossa Valley
Barossa Valley
The Barossa Valley is a major wine-producing region and tourist destination of South Australia, located 60 km northeast of Adelaide. It is the valley formed by the North Para River, and the Barossa Valley Way is the main road through the valley, connecting the main towns on the valley floor of...
. Founded in 1847, it was located in an ephemeral
Ephemeral
Ephemeral things are transitory, existing only briefly. Typically the term is used to describe objects found in nature, although it can describe a wide range of things....
lagoon which was dry for the first years of settlement. Local Peramangk
Peramangk
The Peramangk are an Indigenous Australian people whose traditional lands are primarily located in the Adelaide Hills, but also in the southern stretches of the Fleurieu Peninsula, South Australia...
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
Bethany, South Australia
Bethany is a small village located about 2 km south east of Tanunda in the Barossa Valley. It was originally named Bethanien, but was changed during World War I in an attempt to remove all German place names from Australia....
as well as further a field.
Built on higher ground, the Lutheran
Lutheran Church of Australia
The Lutheran Church of Australia is the major Lutheran denomination in Australia, it also has a presence in New Zealand. It has 320 parishes, 540 congregations, 70,000 baptized members in Australia, 1,130 baptized members in New Zealand, 52,463 communicant members and 450 active pastors. Its...
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
Australian place names changed from German names
During World War I, many German-sounding place names in Australia were changed because of Anti-German sentiment. The new names were often Anglicized , given Aboriginal names , names of famous people , or battlefields . This was done through an Act of Parliament, as well as by petition...
during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
All that remains of the village today are the foundations of the church with a commemorative plaque honoring those buried in the now unmarked cemetery.
Taken from the Beinke Family History Book
"Today, Hoffnungsthal, or what remains of it, is quiet, peaceful, soothing, a place where one can meditate, a place which seems eternal. It is hard to imagine that it once hummed with activity, and supported a thriving community for six years. Nor does it seem the place which was a broiling maelstrom, a nightmare of wind and rain and surging drama and neither does it seem a place of lost and destroyed dreams, a place of grief and tears. But it has been all of these."On a summer's day, very late in December 1847, a small group of immigrants, most of whom came from the Gellert, gathered in the little town of Lyndoch. They were there to receive the grants of land which they had agreed to lease from the South Australian Company for twenty one years. The land was situated at the base of the Barossa Range, about 1.5 kilometers east of Lyndoch. The grants ranged from 20 to 8 acres. In the centre was a vale, which seemed an ideal place to situate their village. They called it Hoffnungsthal, or Valley of Hope."
See also
- German settlement in AustraliaGerman settlement in AustraliaGerman settlement in Australia began in large numbers in 1838, with the arrival of immigrants from Prussia to Adelaide, South Australia. German immigrants became prominent in settling South Australia and Queensland...
- Barossa GermanBarossa GermanBarossa German refers to a dialect of German, which was once common in South Australia. The prominent South Australian writer, Colin Thiele , whose grandparents were German immigrants, referred to "Barossa Deutsch" as: "that quaintly inbred and hybrid language evolved from a century of linguistic...
- European settlement of South Australia