Pastor August KavelPrint Page

The lookout commemorates Lutheran pastor, August Kavel (1798-1860) who was the founder of the German settlement of Klemzig.

Pastor August Kavel was the inspirational leader in taking his Lutheran southern Prussian group from their initial South Australian settlement at Klemzig to the Barossa Valley. Kavel negotiated with South Australian Company chairman George Fife Angas's agent Charles Flaxman for his group to settle Klemzig, north of Adelaide, in 1838.

Named after one of Kavel's German parishes and on land owned by Angas, Klemzig soon proved inadequate for Kavel’s group to fulfil their obligations to Angas, who had loaned the cost of their sea journeys to South Australia, and to provide for themselves. Inspired by the enthusiasm of German geologist Johannes Menge, Kavel negotiated with Flaxman, who has sailed out with them, for the group to buy a much larger area in the Barossa valley. .

With their valley land bought on a tough deal of £20 an acre with 5% interest, members of the Kavel’s group impressed with their solid sober industriousness, propelled by a strong religious faith. The traditional German waggon was used for everything, from family coach to wedding coach and hearse, to hay and grape carrier, heavy transport, caravan and water cart. Tents, dugouts and wattle-and-daub huts were soon replaced by trick-walled homes and spired churches from stone quarried locally.

Langmeil and Bethany were the first German towns, followed by others such as Tanunda, Gnadenfrei, Hoffnungthal, New Mecklenburg, Siegerdorf, Neukirch, Nuriootpa, and Seppeltsfield.

 

Location

Address:	Mount Barker Road, Pastor Kavell Lookout, Leawood Gardens, 5150
State:	SA
Area:	AUS
GPS Coordinates:	Lat: -34.975942 Long: 138.671225 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate.

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Details

Monument Type:	Natural Feature
Monument Theme:	People
Sub-Theme:	Religion
Link:	http://adb.anu.edu.au/

Dedication

Approx. Monument Dedication Date:	December-1968

Source: MA, ADB