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This article is about the mountain range. For other uses, see Barossa (disambiguation).

The Barossa Range (Kaurna: Yampoori) is a mountain range located in the Australian state of South Australia.

Location

The range is a part of the southern Mount Lofty Ranges and the western slopes primarily fall into the Barossa Valley. As such, the range is the main source for the North Para River and its tributary Jacob's Creek. The highest point of the range is Mount Kaiser Stuhl with an elevation of 588 metres (1,929 ft)[1] AHD  and forms part of the Kaiserstuhl Conservation Park. Mengler Hill, another notable peak within the range, lies on the road route from Tanunda to Angaston.

View of the Barossa Valley facing northwest from Mengler Hill

Naming

The range was named by Colonel William Light in 1837 after Barrosa Hill (Cerro de Puerco) in the modern municipality of Chiclana de la Frontera, Spain, to which it he thought it similar.[2] The Spanish location was the site of the Battle of Barrosa and was won by Light's friend Lord Lynedoch (Lt. Gen. Sir Thomas Graham) in 1811.[2] The word barrosa (mis-spelt in the naming of the valley, two 'r' and one 's' becoming one 'r' and two 's'; similarly the nearby town of 'Lyndoch' rather than 'Lynedoch'), in Spanish and Portuguese languages simply means "muddy". Confusion regarding the spelling and origin of the range also resulted in mistaken moves to change it as part of 'de-Germaning' during the First World War ('Kaiser Stuhl', for example, temporarily being renamed 'Mount Kitchener').

Thus named, the Barossa Range was the source of many other local place names, such as the Hundred of Barossa and better-known Barossa Valley.

Settled features

The Heysen Walking Trail and the Mawson Cycling Trail both traverse the range.

It is also home to some of the many wineries in the region, including those in Eden Valley.[3]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "Kaiserstuhl (Patpoori)". PeakClimbs. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
  2. ^ a b c "Placename Details: Barossa Range". Property Location Browser. Government of South Australia. 10 January 2011. SA0004778. Archived from the original on 7 December 2015. Retrieved 25 October 2017. Named By: Colonel William Light; Alternative Name: Yampoori; Derivation of Name: A location in Spain; Dual Name; Barossa Range / Yampoori; Other Details: Named by Colonel Light in 1837 after a location in Spain being the site of a battle won by Light's friend Lord Lynedoch in 1811.
  3. ^ "Map of Barossa Ranges, SA". Bonzle Digital Atlas of Australia. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barossa_Range