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Point Pass, South Australia

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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. As of 2021, the population of Point Pass was 123.[2]

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 (SAL 2021)[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

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

Point Pass Immanuel Lutheran Church
Point Pass Hotel

Etymology

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Point Pass is thought to have been named after the Northern Irish town of Poyntzpass by Irish immigrant Mrs Anne Richards.[8]

History

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The area is the traditional lands of the Ngadjuri people.[9] The Ngadjuri have been largely overlooked in the histories of colonisation and the subsequent dispossession from their traditional lands.[10]

 
Immanuel Lutheran Church, 1880

Point Pass was first colonised by German Lutheran immigrants in 1868. The Point Pass Immanuel Lutheran Church opened in 1876, led by pastor J.M. Stolz. The church was made of local stone with a gold spire. A Lemke pipe organ, made in the Barossa Valley, was installed the same year.[11]

Two years later, a manse was also built. A Lutheran seminary and training college, called Immanuel College, followed in 1895.[12] In 1913, a half-tonne bell from Germany was added to the steeple spire. The site also includes Emmaus Lutheran Cemetery.[13] This building complex is a major feature both in the town and in the Lutheran heritage of South Australia.[14]

 
Immanuel Lutheran College, 1900

A Lutheran primary school, Emmaus School, was established by Point Pass in 1882. It underwent a transition to become a state school in 1891 but eventually closed its doors in 1945 when Eudunda Area School was opened. Additionally, a second Lutheran church named St. Peter's, along with its cemetery, was established in 1885. However, it is no longer in operation and has been converted into a private residence.

Immanuel College moved to North Adelaide in 1927, where it remains operational as a private Lutheran secondary school.[15] In 1939, the final German language church services held in the district were conducted at Immanuel Lutheran Church, due the outbreak of World War Two and associated anti-German sentiment.[16]

 
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.[17] The Point Pass Hotel, which first opened its doors in 1876, continues to operate to this day, as of 2023. St Mary's Anglican Church opened in 1906 and closed in 2016, and has since been converted into a private residence.[18] Additionally, the Point Pass District Hall was established in 1927.

Point Pass was previously a stop on the Robertstown railway line from 1914 until 1990.[19] The Point Pass Speedway opened in 1961 and closed in 1968.[20]

Demographics

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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. 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.[2]

Nature and landmarks

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The Lavender Federation Trail is a long-distance hiking trail that runs through Point Pass. Additionally, there is a 14 km loop trail at 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 10 km north of Point Pass.[25]

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

Notable residents

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  • Frieda Keysser and Carl Strehlow, missionaries known for reducing First Nations infant mortality rates in the Northern Territory, were married at Immanuel Lutheran Church in on 1895.
  • 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

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  1. ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Point Pass (suburb and locality)". Australian Census 2021 QuickStats. Retrieved 28 June 2022.  
  2. ^ a b "2021 Point Pass, Census All persons QuickStats | Australian Bureau of Statistics". abs.gov.au. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
  3. ^ "Point Pass Hotel". Retrieved 16 June 2023 – via Facebook.
  4. ^ "Find a Post Office, street posting box, Parcel Locker or Parcel Collect location". auspost.com.au. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
  5. ^ "Lutheran Church Point Pass Immanuel Congregation, SA". Point Pass Immanuel Congregation, SA. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
  6. ^ O'Dea, Marie (3 December 2021). "Point Pass Oval". Visit Burra. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
  7. ^ Goyder, Regional Council of (16 October 2019). "Point Pass Standpipe Reserve". Goyder Regional Council. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
  8. ^ "William & Anne Richards". State Library of South Australia. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
  9. ^ Emmaus to Worlds End: a history of the Robertstown Council Area. "The Area – Its Settlement and Development": District Council of Robertstown. 1986.
  10. ^ Claire Smith; H. Martin Wobst, eds. (10 November 2004). Indigenous Archaeologies: Decolonising Theory and Practice. London: Routledge. doi:10.4324/9780203009895. ISBN 978-0-203-00989-5.
  11. ^ "Immanuel Lutheran Church Eudunda Road, Point Pass". ohta.org.au. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
  12. ^ "Our History – Key Dates". Lutheran Church of Australia. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
  13. ^ Goyder, Regional Council of (17 September 2020). "Cemeteries". Goyder Regional Council. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
  14. ^ Department for Environment and Water (17 June 2023). "Heritage Survey – Immanuel Lutheran Church Complex" (PDF).
  15. ^ "StackPath". immanuel.sa.edu.au. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
  16. ^ "A FUTURE UNLIVED. A history of the internment of German Enemy Aliens on Torrens Island". torrensislandinternmentcamp.com.au. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
  17. ^ "Early Entrepreneurs Leditschkes of Point Pass | The Barossa Mag". Retrieved 17 June 2023.
  18. ^ Design, UBC Web. "St Mary's Anglican Church – Former | Churches Australia". churchesaustralia.org. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
  19. ^ "Railway Station, Point Pass". State Library of South Australia. c. 1930. B 46714. Retrieved 23 September 2015.
  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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