Lobethal, SA
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Lobethal is a town in the Adelaide Hills of South Australia, about 42 kilometres south-east of the city. It was founded in 1842 by Prussian Lutheran immigrants led by Pastor Gotthard Fritzsche, who laid out their cottages in a traditional Silesian village style. The name is German for valley of praise, drawn from a passage in the Book of Chronicles. During the First World War anti-German feeling saw the town renamed Tweedvale, until Lobethal was officially restored in 1935. Wool processing became the main industry, centred on the Onkaparinga woollen mills that ran until 1992. Each December the town is famous across the state for its elaborate Christmas lights, a community tradition dating back to the 1950s.
Around the national middle
Lobethal is more socio-economically advantaged than about 43% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 976, where about 1000 is the national average).
A socio-economic measure from ABS Census data — not a measure of how good a suburb is to live in or visit. How we calculate this.
Lobethal at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 2,534
- Median age
- 43
- Median weekly household income
- $1,529
- SEIFA score
- 976
- Coordinates
- -34.9049, 138.8760
Lobethal demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Lobethal using the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census; every percentage is a share of a clearly stated Census count, so each one traces back to the source. At a glance, the largest age group is mid-life (45–64) at 27%, 15% of homes are rented, and 15% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 473 | 19% |
| Youth (15–24) | 247 | 10% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 590 | 23% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 696 | 27% |
| Seniors (65+) | 531 | 21% |
Share of the 2,537 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 314 | 33% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 456 | 47% |
| Rented | 140 | 15% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 872 | 91% |
| Townhouses & semis | 83 | 9% |
| Flats & apartments | 5 | 1% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 963 occupied private dwellings in Lobethal.
- Median weekly rent
- $310
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,473
- Average household size
- 2.5 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,867
- Median weekly personal income
- $759
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 368 (15%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 129 (5%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 16 (1%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 964 (49%)
- Labour-force participation
- 62.1%
- Unemployment rate
- 3.9%
- Employed full-time
- 686
- Employed part-time
- 472
Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing, 2021 (General Community Profile, by Suburb and Locality). © Australian Bureau of Statistics, released under CC BY 4.0. How we group bands and derive each share is set out on our methodology page.
Weather and climate in Lobethal
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Lobethal is January (average daytime high around 29.8°C) and the coolest is July (around 14.8°C). The area receives roughly 452 mm of rain across the year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 29.8°C | 16.4°C | 33 mm |
| Feb | 28.3°C | 15.6°C | 26 mm |
| Mar | 26.1°C | 14.7°C | 17 mm |
| Apr | 22.5°C | 12.8°C | 35 mm |
| May | 18.1°C | 10.8°C | 42 mm |
| Jun | 15.4°C | 8.9°C | 39 mm |
| Jul | 14.8°C | 8.4°C | 48 mm |
| Aug | 15.6°C | 8.1°C | 49 mm |
| Sep | 18.4°C | 9.2°C | 41 mm |
| Oct | 22.4°C | 10.9°C | 41 mm |
| Nov | 24.4°C | 12.6°C | 49 mm |
| Dec | 27.7°C | 14.4°C | 32 mm |
Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
Common questions about Lobethal
Where is Lobethal?
Lobethal is a suburb of South Australia, Australia.
What is the population of Lobethal?
At the 2021 Census, Lobethal had a population of about 2,534.
Is Lobethal an advantaged area?
Lobethal has an ABS SEIFA score of 976, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 43 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 43% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Lobethal?
Lobethal has average daytime highs of about 22°C and overnight lows of about 11.9°C, with roughly 452 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).
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