Lonsdale, South Australia

Infobox Australian Place | type = suburb
name = Lonsdale
city = Adelaide
state = sa


caption = O' Sullivan Beach Rd, Lonsdale.
lga = City of Onkaparinga
postcode = 5160
pop =
est =
area =
propval =
stategov =
fedgov =
near-nw =
near-n = Hallett Cove
near-ne = Reynella
near-w = "Gulf Saint Vincent"
near-e = Morphett Vale
near-sw = O'Sullivan Beach
near-s = Christies Beach
near-se = Christie Downs
dist1 =
location1=

Lonsdale is an industrial suburb of Adelaide, South Australia. It has the postcode of 5160.

Lonsdale was farmed from shortly after European settlement until the 1950s, when the South Australian Housing Trust acquired much of the land for industrial use. Mobil's Port Stanvac Refinery and Chrysler's engine foundry were followed by many other manufacturing and service industries. Subsequent suburban development of surrounding areas has driven demand for a wide range of service-oriented businesses in the area.

Port Stanvac Refinery and the Mitsubishi (formerly Chrysler) engine plant closed in 2004, with both sites remaining unused as of 2007. The South Australian Government has announced plans to build a seawater desalination plant at the site, to provide fresh water for Adelaide.

=History=Lonsdale was settled in the early 1840s in the movement of colonists into the Morphett Vale Region. One of its settlers had come from the English place Kirkby Lonsdale.ref|onk A local farmer gave the name Lonsdale to his property and in time this name was given to to a local rail siding and eventually the suburb.

Farming continued in the area until the 1970s.ref|onk The housing trust had purchased a large amount of land in the vicinity and portions of this were set aside for industrial use, with large firms like Chrysler and Sola Optical as well as the Port Stanvac Oil refinery moving in. Farming in the area had become unprofitable by the 1980s.ref|onk

=Notes=
# Lonsdale - European History and Heritage [http://www.onkaparingacity.com/history/viewsuburb.asp?content=lonsdale]