Waukaringa, South Australia

Waukaringa
South Australia
Waukaringa is located in South Australia
Waukaringa
Waukaringa
Coordinates32°18′02″S 139°26′10″E / 32.300684°S 139.436194°E / -32.300684; 139.436194[1]
Established1 November 1888 (town)
29 May 1997 (locality)[2][3]
Abolished8 July 1982 (town)[4]
Postcode(s)5440[1]
Time zoneACST (UTC+9:30)
 • Summer (DST)ACDT (UTC+10:30)
Location
LGA(s)Pastoral Unincorporated Area[1]
RegionFar North[5]
CountyLytton[1]
State electorate(s)Stuart[6]
Federal division(s)Grey[7]
Mean max temp[8] Mean min temp[8] Annual rainfall[8]
24.7 °C
76 °F		 9.5 °C
49 °F		 202.5 mm
8 in
Suburbs around Waukaringa:
Melton Station
Melton Station Waukaringa Melton Station
Melton Station
FootnotesAdjoining localities[1]

Waukaringa is a locality in the Australian state of South Australia located about 303 kilometres (188 mi) north-east of the state capital of Adelaide and about 35 kilometres (22 mi) north of Yunta in the state's Far North region.[1]

The name was first used for a town proclaimed on 1 November 1888 and which was formally declared to have ceased to exist on 8 July 1982.[2][4] Boundaries which include the former town were created for the locality on 29 May 1997 and which are completely surrounded by the locality of Melton Station.[1][3]

The area was initially settled in 1873 with the discovery of gold. In 1890, Waukaringa was estimated to have had a population of 750.[9] The former town of Waukaringa is now a ghost town after being abandoned in the 1950s.[10] Ruins of only a few buildings remain, principally the former Waukaringa Hotel.

The goldfields near Waukaringa produced approximately 1,427 kilograms (3,146 lb) of gold between 1873 and 1969.[11] The main mines in the goldfield were Alma and Victoria, Alma Extended, West Waukaringa and Balaclava.[11] A stone chimney from the Alma and Victoria mine is still visible.[10] The Alma and Victoria Mine Site and Structures are listed on the South Australian Heritage Register.[12]

The setting for The Silent Sea, written by Catherine Edith Macauley Martin under the pseudonym Mrs. Alick Macleod, was based on mining and life at Waukaringa. The book was partly written while Martin lived in the town.[13]

Australian Rules footballer Harold Oliver was born in Waukaringa in 1891.[14]

Waukaringa is located within the federal division of Grey, the state electoral district of Stuart and the Pastoral Unincorporated Area of South Australia.[7][6][1]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Search results for 'Waukaringa, LOCB' with the following datasets selected – 'Suburbs and localities', 'Counties', 'Government Towns', 'Hundreds', 'Local Government Areas', 'SA Government Regions' and 'Gazetteer'". Location SA Map Viewer. South Australian Government. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
  2. ^ a b Ramsay, J.G. (1 November 1888). "Untitled proclamation re the "Town of Waukaringa"" (PDF). The South Australian Government Gazette. Government of South Australia. p. 1063. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
  3. ^ a b Kentish, P.M. (29 May 1997). "GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES ACT 1991 Notice to Assign Boundaries to Places (localities of Beltana, Cockburn, Marree, Farina and Waukaringa)" (PDF). The South Australian Government Gazette. South Australian government. p. 2691. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
  4. ^ a b Arnold, Peter (8 July 1982). "CROWN LANDS ACT, 1929-1980: OUT OF HUNDREDS (ORROROO) TOWN OF WAUKARINGA TO CEASE TO EXIST" (PDF). The South Australian Government Gazette. Government of South Australia. p. 82. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
  5. ^ "Far North SA government region" (PDF). The Government of South Australia. Retrieved 16 August 2015.
  6. ^ a b "District of Stuart – Electoral district profiles". Electoral Commission SA. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
  7. ^ a b "Profile of the electoral division of Grey (SA)". Australian Electoral Commission. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
  8. ^ a b c "Monthly climate statistics: Summary statistics YUNTA AIRSTRIP (nearest station)". Commonwealth of Australia, Bureau of Meteorology. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
  9. ^ "Waukaringa Gold Mines". South Australian Chronicle. 19 July 1890. Retrieved 13 March 2016.
  10. ^ a b "Discover South Australia's Mining Heritage Trails" (PDF). Australasian Mining History Association. Retrieved 13 March 2016.
  11. ^ a b "Gold". Department of State Development. State Government of South Australia. Retrieved 13 March 2016.
  12. ^ "Former Alma and Victoria Mine Site and Structures, Waukaringa". South Australian Heritage Register. Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources. Retrieved 17 March 2016.
  13. ^ "Australian Digital Collections: The Silent Sea" (PDF). The University of Sydney. Retrieved 13 March 2016.
  14. ^ "Harold Oliver". Australian Football. Retrieved 6 January 2017.