three television transmission towers (the northernmost being that of the ABC), and the Mount Lofty Fire Tower operated by the Country Fire Service. Historic houses Summit Road, Mt Lofty, was historically one of the best-known addresses in South Australia, with the summer houses of several prominent families being located there. These were all destroyed or severely damaged by the Ash Wednesday bushfires in 1983, but have subsequently been restored. They include: Mt Lofty House (1858) - Arthur Hardy Eurilla (1884) - William Milne, 1917; Lavington Bonython, 1972; Kym Bonython, 1998 Carminow (1885) - Thomas Elder, 1905 Langdon Bonython Other buildings, such as St Michael's House (an Anglican theological college and priory) and "Arthur's Seat", for a time known as Stawell School, a private school for girls, were never rebuilt. Part of this property was excised for the ABC-TV transmitter building and mast. Note that historically, "Mount Lofty" addresses frequently referred to the area now known as Crafers and to parts of Stirling. Climate Snow Mount Lofty is the coldest location in the Adelaide area; during winter months the temperature may not exceed 3-4 °C on some days. Adelaide's metropolitan area experiences mild winters, with temperatures virtually never cold enough to produce snow; the nearest snowfields to Adelaide are in central Victoria, over 700 km away. However, Mount Lofty's summit is the most common location for snow in South Australia; rare snowfalls sometimes occur in other parts of the Mount Lofty Ranges, and occasionally further north, in the Flinders and Gammon Ranges. Snowfall tends to be light (rarely lasting for more than a day) and does not take place every year. Sleet however is a regular occurrence. The snow is a novelty for the approximately 1.4 million residents of the Adelaide Plains (particularly for children), and photographs of it have made the front page of the local newspaper many times. General and rainfall Mount Lofty has an oceanic climate (Cfb) in the Köppen climate classification, due to its elevation, and receives a commensurable amount of precipitation during summer to avoid the Mediterranean climate (Cs) classification, since every summer month receives more than 40 millimetres of rainfall. The annual rainfall is nearly twice the amount, and the monthly rainfall during summer more than twice the amount, of the city of Adelaide. The influence of the Mediterranean climate is present with the drying trend during summer. Gallery See also List of mountains in