Barossa Colonel Light Monument

The Barossa Colonel Light Monument is life-size bronze statue of Colonel Light on horseback and commemorates the birthplace of the world-famous Barossa Valley. Colonel William Light, founder of Adelaide and 1st Surveyor-General of South Australia, traversed the grounds of the monument on 13th December 1837, when exploring the north-east of Adelaide. On this historic occasion, he named our town Lyndoch and the surrounding hills Barossa. He bestowed on this area the name of his friend Lord Lynedoch, famous Lieutenant-General and glorious victor of the Battle of Barrosa in the Peninsula Wars of 1811 in Spain in which Light participated as a young officer. William Light recorded in his diary on December 13th 1837 “at length, about 5 p.m., we came to a beautiful valley which I named after my much esteemed friend, Lord Lynedoch”. On this same journey, Light consequently bestowed on the entire range the name of the victorious grounds of the battle of Barrosa in Spain. The weight of the monument bronze and its marble pedestal is more than eight tons. The weight of the marble pedestal is 7 tons. It is the largest monument in South Australia commemorating the outstanding achievements of Colonel William Light. The monument was commissioned and unveiled by the Lyndoch & District Historical Society. The monument is open to the public seven days a week.