Mount Lofty

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title: "Mount Lofty" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["mountains-of-south-australia"] description: "Mountain in South Australia" topic_path: "geography/australia" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Lofty" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Mountain in South Australia ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox mountain"]

Field	Value
name	Mount Lofty
photo	Mount lofty from south.jpg
photo_caption	North view of the Summit and Flinders Column from the Fire Tower
elevation_m	710
range	Mount Lofty Ranges
location	Cleland, South Australia, Australia
map	South Australia
coordinates
first_ascent	April 1831
Collet Barker (but likely ascended by Indigenous peoples before European contact)
::

| name = Mount Lofty | other_name = | photo = Mount lofty from south.jpg | photo_size = | photo_alt = | photo_caption = North view of the Summit and Flinders Column from the Fire Tower | elevation = | elevation_m = 710 | elevation_ft = | elevation_ref = | prominence = | prominence_m = | prominence_ft = | prominence_ref = | listing = | range = Mount Lofty Ranges | parent_peak = | location = Cleland, South Australia, Australia | map = South Australia | map_alt = | map_caption = | map_relief = | map_size = | label = | label_position = | coordinates = | grid_ref_UK = | grid_ref_Ireland = | topo = | type = | volcanic_arc/belt = | age = | last_eruption = | first_ascent = April 1831 Collet Barker (but likely ascended by Indigenous peoples before European contact) | easiest_route = | child = | embedded = Mount Lofty (, elevation 710 m AHD) is the highest point in the southern Mount Lofty Ranges. It is located about 15 km 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 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, and for walkers from Waterfall Gully. During winter, hail and sleet regularly occur on the mountain, and occasionally small dustings of light snow.

History

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2f/Flinders_Column_at_Mount_Lofty.JPG" caption="Flinders Column and viewing platform"] ::

Aboriginal significance

The adjacent peaks of Mount Lofty and Mount Bonython form a prominent landmark visible across the Adelaide Plains, 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 on 23 March 1802 during his circumnavigation of the Australian continent. | page= 251}} 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 Waterfall Gully, 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 houses 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, 1972; Kym Bonython, 1998
• Carminow (1885) - Thomas Elder, 1905 Langdon Bonython

Other buildings, such as St Michael's House (an Anglican theological college and priory) and "Arthur's Seat", for a time known as Stawell School, 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

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e9/Mt._Lofty_Snow.jpg" caption="Snow on Mount Lofty in August 2008."] ::

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.

General and rainfall

Mount Lofty has a cool Mediterranean climate (Csb) in the Köppen climate classification, due to its elevation and very dry summers with a pronounced winter rainfall peak. The annual rainfall is nearly twice the amount, and the monthly rainfall during winter more than twice the amount, of the city of Adelaide. Cloud cover is particularly heavy during the winter months. | width = auto | metric first = yes | single line = y | location = Mount Lofty (1991−2020); 685 m AMSL; 34.98° S, 138.71° E

| Jan record high C = 41.1 | Feb record high C = 38.9 | Mar record high C = 36.0 | Apr record high C = 31.0 | May record high C = 24.5 | Jun record high C = 20.1 | Jul record high C = 16.9 | Aug record high C = 24.0 | Sep record high C = 27.0 | Oct record high C = 34.3 | Nov record high C = 37.1 | Dec record high C = 39.0 | year record high C = | Jan high C = 22.5 | Feb high C = 22.5 | Mar high C = 19.6 | Apr high C = 16.2 | May high C = 12.3 | Jun high C = 9.4 | Jul high C = 8.9 | Aug high C = 10.0 | Sep high C = 12.4 | Oct high C = 15.3 | Nov high C = 18.0 | Dec high C = 20.2 | year high C = | Jan mean C = 17.5 | Feb mean C = 17.7 | Mar mean C = 15.4 | Apr mean C = 13.1 | May mean C = 10.0 | Jun mean C = 7.5 | Jul mean C = 7.0 | Aug mean C = 7.6 | Sep mean C = 9.3 | Oct mean C = 11.4 | Nov mean C = 13.7 | Dec mean C = 15.5 | year mean C = | Jan low C = 12.4 | Feb low C = 12.9 | Mar low C = 11.2 | Apr low C = 9.9 | May low C = 7.7 | Jun low C = 5.6 | Jul low C = 5.0 | Aug low C = 5.2 | Sep low C = 6.1 | Oct low C = 7.5 | Nov low C = 9.3 | Dec low C = 10.8 | year low C = | Jan record low C = 4.5 | Feb record low C = 4.4 | Mar record low C = 3.8 | Apr record low C = 2.5 | May record low C = -0.4 | Jun record low C = 0.0 | Jul record low C = -0.1 | Aug record low C = -0.5 | Sep record low C = 0.3 | Oct record low C = 0.4 | Nov record low C = 1.4 | Dec record low C = 3.0 | year record low C = | precipitation colour = green | Jan precipitation mm = 38.5 | Feb precipitation mm = 36.5 | Mar precipitation mm = 38.2 | Apr precipitation mm = 58.0 | May precipitation mm = 109.9 | Jun precipitation mm = 143.5 | Jul precipitation mm = 147.9 | Aug precipitation mm = 139.0 | Sep precipitation mm = 114.1 | Oct precipitation mm = 65.6 | Nov precipitation mm = 43.0 | Dec precipitation mm = 44.8 | year precipitation mm = 986.4 | unit rain days =
| Jan rain days = 6.9 | Feb rain days = 8.1 | Mar rain days = 10.0 | Apr rain days = 12.9 | May rain days = 17.3 | Jun rain days = 20.2 | Jul rain days = 22.1 | Aug rain days = 21.5 | Sep rain days = 18.1 | Oct rain days = 13.8 | Nov rain days = 11.0 | Dec rain days = 10.0 | year rain days = 171.9 | humidity colour = green | time day = 3pm | daily =
| Jan humidity = 51 | Feb humidity = 50 | Mar humidity = 56 | Apr humidity = 60 | May humidity = 73 | Jun humidity = 82 | Jul humidity = 80 | Aug humidity = 72 | Sep humidity = 70 | Oct humidity = 64 | Nov humidity = 58 | Dec humidity = 53 | year humidity = 64 | Jan afthumidity = | Feb afthumidity = | Mar afthumidity = | Apr afthumidity = | May afthumidity = | Jun afthumidity = | Jul afthumidity = | Aug afthumidity = | Sep afthumidity = | Oct afthumidity = | Nov afthumidity = | Dec afthumidity = | year afthumidity = | Jan sun = | Feb sun =
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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

References

1. "Search result for 'Mount Lofty, MT' with the following datasets selected - 'Suburbs and Localities' and 'Gazetteer'". Government of South Australia.
2. ''[[The Advertiser (Adelaide). Advertiser]]'' coverage of "Snow at Mt Lofty": [http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/mother-nature-delivers-snow-to-the-adelaide-hills-and-wild-wind-and-rain-to-sa/story-fni6uo1m-1227009593714 1 August 2014]; [http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/steady-rain-lashes-south-australia-but-warmer-weather-in-sight/story-fni6uo1m-1226682340603 22 July 2013]; [http://www.news.com.au/national/south-australia/snow-at-mt-lofty-more-wild-weather-coming/story-fndo4dzn-1226493307107 11 October 2012].
3. (March 2009). "The Land is a Map: Placenames of Indigenous Origin in Australia". ANU Press.
4. [https://citymag.indaily.com.au/culture/opinion/james-tylor-power-of-language/ James Tylor on the power of language], ''InDaily'', 12 September 2018. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
5. (2006). "Valleys of Stone: The Archaeology and History of Adelaide's Hills Face". Kōpi Books.
6. Wall, Barbara. (2008). "Mount Lofty Summit Road: A survey 1841-2008 (research paper)".
7. (2016-07-06). "Explore Mt Lofty House". Mt Lofty House - Adelaide Hills - Grand Mercure.
8. Amanda Ward. (February 2008). "Eurilla rises again". SA Life Magazine, vol. 5, no. 2.
9. Fayette Gosse. "Elder, Sir Thomas (1818–1897)". Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University.
10. [http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article5019086 A Trip to Mount Lofty], 31 March 1906, ''The Advertiser'' pg.6
11. Barbara Wall ''A Short History of Stawell School: The forgotten school on Mount Lofty'' published for Mount Lofty Districts Historical Society by Peacock Publications 2012 {{ISBN. 978--1-921601-69-9
12. (19 July 1949). "Heaviest Snowfall in S.A. History". [[The Advertiser (Adelaide)]].
13. "Climate statistics for Australian locations".

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