SA Newspapers: Barossa Valley

The Adelaide Hills Producer was the earliest newspaper produced for residents of the Adelaide Hills. Its coverage including Blackwood, Echunga and Tweedvale (Lobethal). It included articles specifically covering market gardening and dairying topics as relevant to its readers' main occupations. The newspaper was published by Gordon Porteus, and printed by the Sunday Mail. The State Library set is unfortunately incomplete.

This newspaper was established by wealthy businessman, Rudolf Eimer when the Sudaustralische Zeitung refused to publish any views contrary to its own radical opinions. Nevertheless, Eimer's newspaper also claimed to be radical. The newspaper included in its pages reports of colonial politics, which was not always the case in the German-Australian press at the time. Wilhelm Eggers, formerly of the South Australian Register purchased the newspaper in 1855. He gave more space to overseas than local news. Like many of its 'English' contemporaries, this newspaper folded during the gold rush of the early 1850s, but was resurrected in 1853. Unfortunately the State Library holds a very incomplete set. This was the first German language newspaper to publish an entertainment supplement, Blatter fur Ernst und scherz.

Friedrich Basedow and his brother-in-law Charles Barton established the Tanunda Deutsche Zeitung in 1863 when its competitor Sud Australische Zeitung moved to Adelaide. In 1870 the title was changed to Australische Deutsche Zeitung, in an attempt to widen its readership. The change of title also reflected the establishment of a Melbourne edition of the newspaper, printed between 1870 and 1872. Only one copy of the Melbourne edition is known to have survived, and no issues are held by the State Library. In 1875 the two competing German language newspapers combined to become the Australische Zeitung under the editorship of Carl Muecke

This newspaper was formed by a merger of two rival newspapers, the Sud Australische Zeitung, and the Tanunda Deutsche Zeitung. Friedrich Basedow of th latter title was the proprietor, working with his father-in-law, Dr Carl Muecke. The newspaper was forced to close in 1916 due to anti-German feelings inspired by the First World War.

For a short time the Messers BD Auricht and JRW Schulz of Tanunda attempted to revive South Australia's last German language newspaper. The older title had been forced to close due to anti-German pressure during the First World War. The revived title was a small production, and did not last long.

This newspaper continued two older newspapers, the Barossa News and the Kapunda Herald. Early issues contain interesting local advertisements. There are also many references to post-war issues including security loans and national service. Obituaries of local identities, church news and weddings receive detailed coverage in this period. By the 1960s agricultural matters were given more space, particularly the district's distinctive wine industry. Sport was also given prominence.The newspaper was taken over by the Rural Press in the 1990s and is now part of the Fairfax Media group. Since 2005 the title has been shortened to Herald.

The Barossa news was established by John Birdseye Cant, a Western Australian printer and newspaperman. Initially just 500 copies were printed, but by 1911 the circulation had risen to 2,500. From 1909 the printing of the newspaper was done through G. Auricht at Tanunda. Charlie Goers was employed by the newspaper from the beginning, becoming managing editor in 1914. This was the first newspaper to provide any significant local news coverage to the Barossa towns.

In 1861 a group of local men formed the 'Gawler Humbug Society' and in 1863 one of these, Dr George Nott, with William Barnet, published a newsletter for the group. This was named the 'Bunyip'. The publication aimed to lampoon and deflate perceived forms of humbug, such as the 'humbug' produced in South Australian Parliament. Initially published monthly, by January 1866 the title had evolved into Gawler's weekly newspaper. For several generations the Barnet family ran the newspaper, until in 2003 it was sold to the Taylor family of the Murray Pioneer.

Only two issues have survived of this early German-language newspaper.

The Gawler Standard was the first penny newspaper published in country South Australia. It was established in opposition to the Bunyip newspaper. The newspaper contained local news, and included items from correspondents as far away as Port Pirie, and closer to home from Kapunda, Williamstown, Lyndoch, and the other towns of the Barossa. There was much editorial comment on political and social topics of the time. From 1879 well-known local writer Agnes Neale (Caroline Agnes Leane) contributed serial stories to the newspaper. In 1885 when an arsonist set fire to the Bunyip printery, the Gawler Standard was closed and its equipment sold to William Barnet of the Bunyip.

The Gawler Times was founded by John Baptist Austin during the Barossa Valley gold rush. It covered activities at the diggings and associated settlements. It also published other news and a serialised story. The Times closed when the gold deposits were exhausted and mining ceased.

The Barossa and Light Herald was formed by the merger of the Barossa News and the Kapunda Herald. In 2012 the Herald boasted the largest circulation for a country newspaper in South Australia at 21,400 copies distributed free, weekly. In the 1990s the newspaper became part of the Rural Press group, now Fairfax Media.

The Kapunda Herald was founded by Charles Barton of the Tanunda Deutsche Zeitung. Two months later he sold to the printers James Elliott and James Scandrett. For almost 90 years the Kapunda Herald was a quality country newspaper, printing news reports from the myriad of tiny settlements stretching across the lower and mid-north of South Australia. It also published interesting political commentary. Until 1918 when the Angaston Leader began, it was the only English language newspaper for the Barossa Valley and Murray flats. Between 1903 and 1911, the Herald was also unique as a country newspaper with a pictorial supplement. In 1951 the newspaper was merged with the Barossa News to become the Barossa and Light Herald.

This was the first English-language newspaper covering any part of the Barossa Valley, apart from the Kapunda Herald. Its geographical coverage included Nuriootpa, Tanunda, Mount Pleasant, Birdwood and Gumeracha.

This community newspaper was published in a magazine format.

This was a continuation of the earlier Deutsche Post. It was founded by Charles Hastings Barton to compete with the Adelaider Deutsche Zeitung. The editor was Dr Carl Muecke, the radical theologian and agricultural expert. The newspaper main content was summaries of German news. The German population was too small to support two newspapers and the two were amalgamated from 1863. However in the same year Barton and Basedow established the Tanunda Deutsche Zeitung which created even more intense competition. The Sud Australische Zeitung was generally of better quality and expressed more liberal views. Two magazine-style supplements - Adelaider Blatter fur Ernst und Scherz, and Australisches Unterhaltungsblatt were published. Eventually the rival newspapers merged to become the Australische Zeitung.

This newspaper was founded by Friedrich Basedow and his brother-in-law Charles Hasting Barton following the move of the Sud Australische Zeitung from Tanunda to Adelaide. Competition between the two titles was intense. The Tanunda Deutsche Zeitung contained long editorials about South Australian issues, but otherwise both contained similar material, with more space given to overseas news than local news and plenty of advertising. From March 1868 the Tanunda Deutsche Zeitung included a Melbourne news report, following a trend begun by the Sud Australische Zeitung. The two newspapers eventually merged to become the Australische Zeitung.

This began as a newsletter in 1978, changing to newspaper format in 2010. The State Library does not hold early copies of the newspaper.