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| Mount Lofty Ranges | |
|---|---|
 The summit ofMount Lofty | |
| Highest point | |
| Peak | Mount Bryan |
| Elevation | 936 m (3,071 ft)[1] AHD |
| Isolation | 102.07 km (63.42 mi)[2] |
| Coordinates | 33°25′34″S138°58′28″E / 33.42604°S 138.97452°E /-33.42604; 138.97452[1] |
| Dimensions | |
| Length | 300 km (190 mi) N–S |
| Area | 1,640 km2 (630 sq mi) |
| Naming | |
| Etymology | Mount Lofty |
| Geography | |
  Mount Bryan Location of the mountain range inSouth Australia | |
| Country | Australia |
| State | South Australia |
| Parent range | Adelaide Rift Complex |
| Geology | |
| Orogeny | Palaeozoic |
| Rock age | Cambrian |
| Rock type | Sedimentary |
| Volcanic zone | Adelaide Rift Complex |
| Last eruption | March 1954 |
| Climbing | |
| Normal route | Heysen Trail |
| Access | South Eastern Freeway |
TheMount Lofty Ranges are arange ofmountains in the Australian state ofSouth Australia which for a small part of its length borders the east ofAdelaide. The part of the range in the vicinity of Adelaide is called theAdelaide Hills and defines the eastern border of theAdelaide Plains.
The Mount Lofty Ranges stretch from the southernmost point of theFleurieu Peninsula atCape Jervis northwards for over 300 kilometres (190 mi) before petering out north ofPeterborough. In the vicinity of Adelaide, they separate theAdelaide Plains from the extensive plains that surround theMurray River and stretch eastwards to Victoria.
TheHeysen Trail traverses almost the entire length of the ranges, crossing westwards to theFlinders Ranges nearHallett.
The mountains have aMediterranean climate with moderate rainfall brought by south-westerly winds, hot summers and cool winters. The southern ranges are wetter (with 900 millimetres (35 in) of rain per year) than the northern ranges (400 millimetres (16 in)).
The part of the ranges south of and including theBarossa Valley are commonly known as the South Mount Lofty Ranges, and the highest part of this section is the summit ofMount Lofty (710 m or 2,330 ft). The part of the ranges nearest Adelaide is called theAdelaide Hills and, further north, theBarossa Range.
The ranges encompass a wide variety of land usage, including significant residential development, particularly concentrated in the foothills, suburbs ofStirling andBridgewater, and the townsMount Barker andVictor Harbor in particular. Several pine plantation forests exist, most significantly aroundMount Crawford andCudlee Creek in the north andKuitpo Forest andSecond Valley in the south. Severalprotected areas exist near Adelaide where the hills face the city in order to preserve highly sought-after residential land:Black Hill Conservation Park,Cleland National Park andBelair National Park are the largest. The other significant parks in the southern ranges areDeep Creek National Park, on the rugged southern shores of the Fleurieu Peninsula, andPara Wirra Conservation Park at the southern edge of the Barossa Valley.
There are many wineries in the ranges. Twowine regions in particular are world-renowned: theBarossa Valley andMcLaren Vale. Grapes are also grown in the Adelaide Hills and the Onkaparinga Valley.
Although no major mines operate in the southern ranges today, there are several large disused ones, and a myriad of small ones. Aniron sulfide mine atBrukunga, northeast of Mount Barker, operated from 1955 to 1972, proving a valuable source for the production ofsuperphosphate fertilisers vital for the postwar development of the State's outlying agricultural areas. Therunoff from the mine unfortunately proved quite toxic for the local environment, and efforts have been underway since to alleviate the damage.
A small short-lived silver and lead mine in the foothills of the ranges atGlen Osmond was first opened just two years after the founding of the State in 1836: it is significant for being not only the first metal mine in the history of the State, but the first in all Australia. South Australia never experienced a nineteenth-century gold rush like those interstate, but gold was mined near bothEchunga andWilliamstown (in the Barossa). Other mines in the southern ranges include a nineteenth-century silver-lead mine atTalisker near Cape Jervis, which features many remaining old buildings, and the limestone mine atRapid Bay, which ceased operations much more recently. Copper was mined atKapunda,Truro andKanmantoo and may be again[1] and a zinc (and lead, silver and gold) mine is proposed nearStrathalbyn[2]. Quarries dot the ranges, the most spectacular and massive of which are in the Adelaide foothills; they supplied much of the quartzite which is to be seen in the enduring "sandstone architecture" of early Adelaide.
Today, only a single railway crosses the ranges: the majorAdelaide to Melbourne railway line, which was first constructed in the 1870s and has had only minor realignments since (the most significant of which was the boring of a new tunnel at Sleeps Hill). Passenger services used to run from the city to Bridgewater in the heart of the hills and ranges, but now stop atBelair in the foothills.A railway approached the ranges atWillunga (although it was closed and removed in the 1960s and has since been replaced by a cycling trail). TheVictor Harbor railway line (now used only for recreational purposes) largely skirts the eastern edge of the ranges. North of Adelaide, there wasa railway toAngaston in the east of the Barossa Valley, and former railways toTruro and across the ranges nearEudunda to Morgan on theMurray River.
The ranges form part of the water supply for Adelaide, and there is an extensive infrastructure of reservoirs, weirs, and pipelines, on theTorrens,Onkaparinga,Little Para andGawler River catchments.Mount Bold,South Para,Kangaroo Creek, andMillbrook reservoirs are the largest.
The northern ranges, often confused with the southernFlinders Ranges, and sometimes referred to as the "Mid-North ranges" or "central hill country", stretch from hills nearKapunda in the south to arid ranges beyond Peterborough in the northeast. The highest peak in this section (and in all the Mount Lofty Ranges – despite the name) is Mount Bryan (936 m or 3,071 ft). Other significant peaks include New Campbell Hill (714 m or 2,343 ft) and Stein Hill (605 m or 1,985 ft), which overlooksBurra.
The northern ranges includeBelvidere Range,Tothill Range and theSkilly Hills.
Mining, although totally absent today, was once a major industry in the northern ranges. The copper mine at Kapunda, just north of the Barossa, operated from 1842 to 1877 and was a major boost to the infant State's economy, but was soon overshadowed by the large workings atBurra, further north. The mine here operated from 1845 to 1877 with a few minor interruptions, and was superseded by even larger workings on theYorke Peninsula. As testament to the volume of copper at Burra, however, the mine re-opened as an open-cut in 1971, before closing again ten years later.
TheClare Valley lies in a shallow fold of the northern Mount Lofty Ranges just southwest of Burra. It is yet another world-class wine-producing area, and is a very popular weekend tourist destination for people living inAdelaide. It is also home to the only conservation park in the northern ranges,Spring Gully.
The northern end of the ranges are home to two curiosities: a tiny township by the name ofYongala, familiar to South Australians for commonly being the coldest place in the state (being a hundred kilometres inland, and on a somewhat elevated plateau as with much of the Mid North). The other curiosity is a locality nearOrroroo called "Magnetic Hill". The name stems from an optical illusion that creates the impression that a car rolls uphill.
The ranges are part of theAdelaide Rift Complex. The southern ranges and slopes of Mount Lofty overlooking the Adelaide Plains have been block-faulted to form a half-graben structure. The ranges when viewed from the beach or city have a "stepped" appearance, reflected in an early name for the ranges, "The Tiers".
There are several majornormal faults in the Adelaide region, trending northeast to southwest defining these blocks:
All the fault zones are still active today, along with the rest of the ranges, and minor earthquakes are relatively common. Larger quakes in the southern ranges are fairly rare: the last to hit a major centre was the1954 Adelaide earthquake that occurred on 1 March. It measured 5.5 on theRichter scale.
A significant aspect of the geology of the Adelaide area is a number ofTertiary marinesands deposits, many of which have been extensively quarried. One of these deposits is around theouter-northern suburb ofGolden Grove; another area is aroundMcLaren Vale.
The natural habitat of the mountainsides is woodland ofeucalyptus trees mixed withgolden wattleacacia trees on the lower slopes, all with an undergrowth of shrubs and herbs. The flowers include a number of endemic orchids. Similar habitats can be found on the offshoreKangaroo Island which is included by theWorld Wildlife Fund in theMount Lofty woodlandsecoregion.[4]
The mountains are home to a number of marsupials such as thekoala,western gray kangaroo,southern brown bandicoot along with the egg layingechidna. Birds include thesouthern emu-wren which is endemic to the Fleurieu Peninsula. There are a number of reptiles including the endangeredAdelaide pygmy blue-tongue skink.
Biodiversity losses have been severe in the ranges due to the clearance of temperate woodlands.[5] The hillsides have largely been cleared of woodland for fruit growing and other agriculture and the urban growth of Adelaide particularly on the lower slopes, leading to loss of habitat and local extinction of wildlife species including all species ofbettong andquoll marsupials and birds includingregent honeyeater (Xanthomyza phrygia),swift parrot (Lathamus discolor),king quail (Coturnix chinensis),brown quail (C. ypsilophora), andazure kingfisher (Alcedo azurea). Clearance and agriculture are ongoing and livestock grazing continues to cause damage to habitats while introduced cats, foxes and rabbits are a threat to habitats and wildlife. Protected areas tend to be small and fragmented.
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