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Yorke Peninsula Holiday Destinations Towns
South Australia
ARDROSSAN
Population
963
This is a thriving
deep sea port, shipping
bulk grain grown on
the peninsula to all
points of the globe.
Proclaimed in 1873,
its first settlers initially
Iived in dugouts. The
land around the settlement
was riddled with broom
bush and mallee and
at first was cleared
by hand, a terrible
job. Then, in the early
1870s, a local farmer
called Mullins developed
a contraption called
the 'mulleniser',
a heavy roller drawn
by a team of horses
which flattened the
scrub, which was later
burned. In 1876, two
brothers, Clarence
and Richard Smith
invented the stump
jump plough, an ingenious
device that saved
South Australian farmers
uncounted hours of
effort - and in particular
the farmers on Yorke
Peninsula. Another industry around
Ardrossan is dolomite,
mined from quarries
south of the town.
EDITHBURGH
Population:
400
Edithburgh's layout
is similar to Adelaide,
with parklands and gardens.
It was named after the
wife of the then governor
of South Australia.
Edith Fergusson. There
are nearly 200 lakes
in the Yorketon - Edithburgh
district, most of them
salt and from the 1880s
until the 1950s, salt
extraction/scraping
was an important industry.
Evaporation pans at
Port Price on the northern
end of the peninsula
ended its viability.
The town is now a
pleasant holiday destination,
servicing the local
farming community.
The ocean is an important
part of the towns
heritage - in 1909
the Clan Ranald sank
nearby off Troubridge
Hill, with the loss
of 33 crew, who are
buried in the town's
cemetery.
KADINA
Population:
3500
Kadina is the largest
town on Yorke Peninsula.
Its name stems from
the Aboriginal 'kadiyinya,
meaning lizard plain. Rich deposits of copper
were discovered here
in 1859 and a thriving
mining industry soon
developed around the
town. While its importance
waned after 1923 when
its mines closed,
it has since become
an important agricultural
centre. Fine examples of the
Cornish miners' architecture
can be seen throughout
the town. The oldest
cottage in the town
is thought to be at
63 Taylor Street and
is the only survivor
of its type, with
a Parapet built to
prevent snow from
building up on the
skillion roof.
Other good examples
include the Wombat
Hotel, the Royal Exchange
Hotel and the Catholic
Church.
MAITLAND
Population:
1103
Another town laid
out like Adelaide, with
streets at right angles
and the whole town surrounded
by parklands, Maitland
services an agricultural
community rich in history
and has some wonderful
examples of colonial
architecture.
A hanging on display
in the Town Hall was
embroidered by the
local community and
depicts the history
of the district from
Aboriginal times through
to agricultural settlement.
MINLATON
Population:
900
At first this area
was called Gum Flat,
because it was one of
the few areas on Yorke
Peninsula where gum
trees grew. The name
Minlaton was coined
from a combination of
the Aboriginal 'Minlacowie'
meaning sweet water
and the Anglo Saxon
for town. Today it is
the centre of a thriving
agricultural district.
MOONTA
Population:
2500
Wallaroo's copper
mines were already yielding
when a shepherd discovered
copper around a wombat
burrow twenty kilometres
away. The mines proved
rich beyond the dreams
of most, and the town
of Moonta quickly grew
around the site. During
its 63 years of operation,
it is estimated to have
yielded 6,250,000 tonnes
of ore.
Today Moonta is a
monument to the mining
age. Its streets look
just like they did
one hundred years
ago (with the odd
concession to modern
living). The splendid
gothic influenced
Uniting Church is
a fine example of
colonial architecture.
And the restored miners'
cottages at the Moonta
Mines Museum take
you right into the
world of the Comish
miner.
George Street, Moonta's
main street is named
after George Goyder,
surveyor -general
of South Australia
1861 to 1866. Copper
mining was re-commenced
at the Poona Mine
sixty years after
the close of the mines
in the area.
PORT
VICTORIA
Population:
250
This is the last
of the windjammer ports.
A jetty was built here
in 1878 and with it
came a thriving grain
trade that kept the
port busy until after
World War II. Ketches
and deep sea sailing
ships called here during
the harvest to take
on the hundreds of thousands
of bags of barley and
wheat destined for European
ports. The windjammers
generally rode at anchor
in the lee of Wardang
Island and small coastal
ketches ferried the
grain out to them. Often
it took four or five
weeks, sometimes as
long as eight weeks,
to load the big ships
for their long journey.
The larger ones carried
as many as 60,000 bags
of grain.
The last square rigger
to use the port was
the Passat in 1949.
Port Vincent
Population
430
Port Vincent is a picturesque
little town situated
on the east coast of
Yorke Peninsula adjacent
to a quiet, calm bay
with safe swimming ,clean
beaches and an all weather
concrete boat ramp.
Considered by many to
be the premier holiday
resort of the peninsula.
STANSBURY
Population:
520
Near the ankle of
the peninsula, Stansbury
was proclaimed as a
town in 1873. It was
first known as Oyster
Bay after the many oyster
beds that were tended
here.
WALLAROO
Population:
2300
In Aboriginal dialect,
its name stemmed from
Wadlu Waru, meaning
wallaby's urine. The
squatters shortened
that to Wall Waroo.
The practicalities of
stencilling names on
wool bales meant it
was shortened to Wallaroo.
Copper was discovered
here in 1859 by a
shepherd and the mines,
near the present site
of Kadina, proved
immensely rich. A
smelter was built
and during the peak
of the mine's production
life in the 1880s
the ore extracted
yielded an incredible
30% copper.
When the mines stopped
production in the
1920s, the main industry
of the town became
the Wallaroo - Mount
Lyell Fertilizer Company's
operations.
Today, Wallaroo is
the economic epicentre
of the copper triangle
towns, and has many
fine examples of colonial
architecture. Guided
tours through the
town's streets are
available, with guides
from the Wallaroo
Museum available on
weekends, alternatively
a copy of the guide
sheet is available
from the museum for
visitors who prefer
to see the town at
their own pace. The
Wallaroo Mines site
is also open for a
sign-posted walking
tour.
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South Australian Region
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Yorke Peninsula Information |
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