Place Names Register Extract

Koberstein Road

Extract date: 29/03/2024

Name Koberstein
Type Designation Road
Place Id 23558
Place Type Road
Status Registered
Date Registered 27 May 2009
Locality / Suburb  
  Girraween
  Howard Springs
Local Government Area  
  Litchfield Council
History/Origin Koberstein Road named after Hans Koberstein (c1928 ? 2001), a plumber by trade, was born around 1928 in Germany, arrived in Australia in the post-War period and by the mid-1950s had arrived in Darwin.

Hans married Karoline (Karol) Koechl (1925 ? 2006), around 1957/58 in Darwin. She was born in Austria on 20 December 1925 and had arrived in Darwin in the mid-1950s. They had two children Ralph and Ina and in the early days, the family lived in a Sidney Williams hut, now the site of the Masonic Lodge at Parap.

During the early 1960s the family moved to Howard Springs, where Hans ran a dairy. Although the dairy was later sold to the Fitzgerald family, Hans continued to stock cattle and live on a block on Whitewood road for many years. At that time the family were part of a small group of people who lived 'south of the Berrimah Line'.

Hans and Karoline worked in, had partnership arrangements, or personally owned a guest house, Seaview Lodge at Fannie Bay, A.B. Motors (now Darwin Mitsubishi) and several other business enterprises including mining interests. Hans was in the process, along with partners, of sub-dividing his large Howard Springs block when the 1987 stock market crash occurred.

The couple were involved in community organisations. They sponsored and supported the Speedway for many years and Hans had an interest in the CLP after it became established. Hans was also a land developer and bought and sold properties in the Howard Springs area.

Hans died on 5 October 2001 in the Darwin Hospital. Karol died in the Terrace Gardens Nursing Home at Palmerston on 25 July 2006 and both were buried in the Thorak Regional Cemetery.

Register & Gazettal information

Date Gazettal Comment
27/05/2009 Entered in Register
03/06/2009 NTG 22 Gazettal

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