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Point Pass, South Australia

Coordinates: 34°4′32″S 139°3′2″E / 34.07556°S 139.05056°E / -34.07556; 139.05056
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Point Pass
South Australia
Main Street of Point Pass, South Australia
Point Pass is located in South Australia
Point Pass
Point Pass
Coordinates34°4′32″S 139°3′2″E / 34.07556°S 139.05056°E / -34.07556; 139.05056
Population123 (2021 census)[1]
Postcode(s)5380
Location
LGA(s)Regional Council of Goyder
State electorate(s)Stuart
Federal division(s)Grey
Localities around Point Pass:
Robertstown
Ngapala Point Pass Australia Plains
Julia Eudunda

Point Pass is a small town in the Mid North of South Australia, 115 kilometres north of Adelaide. It is located 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) north of Eudunda, in the Regional Council of Goyder. Point Pass is on the Worlds End Highway, and was previously a stop on the Robertstown-Eudunda railway line[2].

As of the 2021 Australian Census, Point Pass’ population was 123.[3] The town’s main amenities include a hotel with social club,[4] district hall with an Australia Post Community Postal Agent,[5] and a Lutheran church.[6] The local oval in Point Pass has been transformed into a campground, while the Point Pass Standpipe Reserve offers public BBQ facilities.[7][8]

Point Pass Immanuel Lutheran Church
Point Pass Hotel

Name

Point Pass is thought to have been named after the Northern Irish town of Poyntzpass by Irish immigrant Mrs Anne Richards.[9]

History

Pre-Colonial History

The area is the traditional lands of the Ngadjuri people.[10] The Ngadjuri have been largely overlooked in the histories of colonization and the subsequent dispossession from their traditional lands.[11]

Lutheran History

Point Pass was first colonised by German Lutheran immigrants in 1868.

Point Pass Immanuel Lutheran Church, 1880

The Point Pass Immanuel Lutheran Church opened in 1876 under the first pastor J.M. Stolz. A Lemke pipe organ, made in the Barossa Valley, was installed the same year.[12] Two years later, a manse was also built. A Lutheran seminary and training college, called Immanuel College, followed in 1895[13]. In 1913, a bell from Germany was added to the steeple spire. The site also includes Emmaus Lutheran Cemetery.[14] This building complex is a major feature both in the town and in the Lutheran heritage of South Australia.[15]

A Lutheran primary school, Emmaus School, was opened in 1882, was converted to a state school in 1891, and was closed in 1945 upon the opening of Eudunda Area School.There was a second Lutheran church and cemetery, St Peter's, opened in 1885, but it has since closed and is now a private residence. In 1927, Immanuel College moved to North Adelaide, where it remains open as a private Lutheran secondary school.[16] 1939 marked the final ocurence of German language church services held in the district at Immanuel Lutheran Church, due the outbreak of World War Two and associated anti-German sentiment.[17]

Other History

St Mary's Anglican Church opened in 1906 and closed in 2016, and has since been converted into a private residence.[18]

Point Pass Main Street, 1910

Throughout its history, the town has been home to various businesses and organisations, encompassing a range of trades and services. These include a blacksmith, butter factory, carpenter, council chambers, and hospital. In 1876, a general store was established, but it ceased operations in 1973.[19] The Point Pass Hotel, which first opened its doors in 1876, continues to operate to this day, as of 2023. Additionally, the Point Pass District Hall was established in 1927.

The Point Pass Speedway opened in 1961 and closed in 1968.[20]

Demographics

As of 2021, Point Pass had a population consisting of 46.7% female residents and 53.3% male residents, with a median age of 52 years old. The town comprises 68 dwellings, each of which is a detached house, with an average of 2.5 residents per dwelling. Home ownership in Point Pass surpasses the state average, while rental and mortgage payments tend to be lower compared to the state average. On average, households in Point Pass possess 2.6 cars.

The predominant ancestries reported by Point Pass residents include Australian, English, German, South Sudanese, and Irish. Notably, there were no reported Aboriginal Australian residents in the town. Point Pass has a higher proportion of Lutheran residents compared to the state average, primarily due to the town's historical background, with approximately 23% identifying as Lutherans compared to the state average of 2.4%.

In terms of education, a lower percentage of Point Pass residents have completed post-secondary education in comparison to the state average. Similarly, slightly fewer residents are currently active in the workforce when compared to the state average. The most common employment sectors among Point Pass residents are community and personal service workers, as well as machinery operators and drivers, with incomes generally lower than the state average.[3]

Nature and Landmarks

The Lavender Federation Trail is a long-distance hiking trail that runs through Point Pass. Starting from Murray Bridge and passing through the Barossa, Mid North, and Clare Valley regions, it concludes in Clare. Additionally, there is a 14km loop trail in Point Pass that is part of the Lavender Federation Trail.[21]

The nearby Gerkie Gap to Webb Gap section of the Heysen Trail traverses the scenic Tothill Ranges, renowned for preserving the largest remaining portion of untouched bushland in the region.[22] There are two walk-in campsites adjacent to Point Pass along this section, Smith Hill and Webb Gap.[23][24] Scenic lookout Inspiration Point lies approximately 10km north of Point Pass.[25]

Historic Anlaby Station lies approximately 20km south-west of Point Pass.

Notable Residents

  • Frieda Keysser and Carl Strehlow, missionaries known for decreasing First Nations infant mortality rates in the Northern Territory, were married on September 25, 1895, at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Point Pass.
  • Paul Gotthelf Pfeiffer, poet and tutor, was born in Point Pass in 1916. Known for his poem "Spain," which won the University of Adelaide’s Bundey Prize, Pfeiffer co-founded the Angry Penguins journal with Max Harris. He died during World War II in 1945.[26]

References

  1. ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Point Pass". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 3 January 2019. Edit this at Wikidata
  2. ^ "Railway Station, Point Pass". State Library of South Australia. c. 1930. B 46714. Retrieved 23 September 2015. {{cite web}}: |archive-date= requires |archive-url= (help)
  3. ^ a b "2021 Point Pass, Census All persons QuickStats | Australian Bureau of Statistics". www.abs.gov.au. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
  4. ^ "Point Pass Hotel". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
  5. ^ "Find a Post Office, street posting box, Parcel Locker or Parcel Collect location". auspost.com.au. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
  6. ^ "Lutheran Church Point Pass Immanuel Congregation, SA". Point Pass Immanuel Congregation, SA. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
  7. ^ O'Dea, Marie (3 December 2021). "Point Pass Oval". Visit Burra. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
  8. ^ Goyder, Regional Council of (16 October 2019). "Point Pass Standpipe Reserve". Goyder Regional Council. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
  9. ^ "William & Anne Richards". State Library of South Australia. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
  10. ^ Emmaus to Worlds End: a history of the Robertstown Council Area. "The Area – Its Settlement and Development": District Council of Robertstown. 1986.
  11. ^ Wobst, Claire Smith, H. Martin, ed. (10 November 2004). Indigenous Archaeologies: Decolonising Theory and Practice. London: Routledge. doi:10.4324/9780203009895. ISBN 978-0-203-00989-5.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: editors list (link)
  12. ^ "Immanuel Lutheran Church Eudunda Road, Point Pass". www.ohta.org.au. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
  13. ^ "Our History — Key Dates". Lutheran Church of Australia. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
  14. ^ Goyder, Regional Council of (17 September 2020). "Cemeteries". Goyder Regional Council. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
  15. ^ Department for Environment and Water (17 June 2023). "Heritage Survey - Immanuel Lutheran Church Complex" (PDF).
  16. ^ "StackPath". immanuel.sa.edu.au. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
  17. ^ "A FUTURE UNLIVED. A history of the internment of German Enemy Aliens on Torrens Island". torrensislandinternmentcamp.com.au. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
  18. ^ Design, UBC Web. "St Mary's Anglican Church - Former | Churches Australia". www.churchesaustralia.org. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
  19. ^ "Early Entrepreneurs Leditschkes of Point Pass | The Barossa Mag". Retrieved 17 June 2023.
  20. ^ "POINT PASS SPEEDWAY". speedwayandroadracehistory. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
  21. ^ "Lavender Federation Trail - Point Pass". 16 June 2023.
  22. ^ "Section 23: Gerkie Gap to Webb Gap | The Heysen Trail". The Friends of the Heysen Trail. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
  23. ^ "Smith Hill". The Friends of the Heysen Trail. 21 May 2022. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
  24. ^ "Webb Gap". The Friends of the Heysen Trail. 21 May 2022. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
  25. ^ "Inspiration Point SA". ExplorOz. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
  26. ^ "Who was Paul Gotthelf Pfeiffer? | Eudunda 150: 1870-2020". Eudunda 150th - 1870 to 2020. 17 January 2020. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
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