The circuit was roughly triangular in shape and comprised temporarily closed public roads passing through the towns of Charleston and Lobethal. Two of the four approach roads into Lobethal were incorporated, along with the main road through Charleston, all of which had sealed surfaces — making Lobethal the first completely sealed road circuit in Australia.
The course presented a mixture of distinct challenges. The long leg roughly parallel to the Onkaparinga River ran mostly flat, nearly flat-out, with only six or seven gentle sweeps for almost three and a half miles before reaching Kayannie Corner, a sharp intersection at an angle of approximately 60 degrees. From there a gentle descent across the river and a climb to the brow of the hill overlooking the town led into downhill esses tight enough to claim many cars. The circuit then descended into the township, with heavy braking required for the T-intersection at the main street, before climbing again and entering what observers described as three miles of blind brows, fast curves between dairy farms and constant elevation changes — the stretch considered the defining test of driver commitment.
The circuit held four meetings between 1937 and 1948.
The first meeting ran from 27 December 1937 to 3 January 1938 as a combined motorcycle and car event. The 1938 South Australian Grand Prix for motor cars, held on 3 January 1938, was won by Noel Campbell in a Singer Bantam over 12 laps of the 8.65-mile course.
The second meeting in December 1938 and January 1939 featured the 1939 Australian Grand Prix for cars, run on 2 January 1939 over 17 laps, a total distance of 150 miles. The race was won on handicap by its youngest competitor, Alan Tomlinson, driving an MG TA at an average of 84.00 mph — the fastest average speed of any Australian Grand Prix held prior to 1956. The race attracted 60,000 spectators. Vern Leach was killed during the race. The outright lap record set at that meeting stood to Alf Barrett in an Alfa Romeo 8C Monza at 5 minutes 40 seconds, an average of 91.588 mph. Allan Tomlinson's racing career ended the following year when he crashed into a tree on the Woodside Road section of the course.
A third combined meeting was held across 26 December 1939 and 1 January 1940, featuring the 1940 South Australian Hundred, won by Jack Phillips in a Ford V8.
The fourth and final meeting was held on 1 January 1948. That event was marred by three accidents, including a policeman who broke his leg when struck by a loose wheel.
Attempts by the organising group to revive racing at Lobethal were refused in 1951 when the South Australian Government introduced legislation prohibiting the use of public roads for motor racing. The circuit never ran again.
The roads that once made up the Lobethal Circuit remain part of the public road network and today form a section of the route used by the Tour Down Under international professional bicycle race. Among those who came to know the circuit well after the racing years, Australian motor racing journalist Ray Bell, who drove round the course by road in 1972, counted it among the greatest circuits Australia had ever produced — in his assessment above Bathurst and Phillip Island in character, comparable only to the Spa-Francorchamps of the same era in scale and speed for equivalent machinery.
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