Description
The county covers the part of the east coast of the Eyre Peninsula overlooking the Spencer Gulf from Murninnie Beach in the north and Cape Hardy in the south, and which extends inland from the coastline for a distance of about 150 kilometres (93 mi) in the north, and about 50 kilometres (31 mi) in the south. It is bounded by the counties of Le Hunte, Buxton and York to the north (from west to east), by the County of Musgrave to the west and by the County of Flinders to the south. [2] [4] [1]
The county includes the towns of Cowell, Arno Bay, Port Neill, Darke Peak, and Rudall. [2]
The Lincoln Highway passes along the coastline of the county from the north-east to the south-west, and the Birdseye Highway passes through the county in an east-west direction from Cowell in the east to Lock in the adjoining county of Musgrave. [2]
The Cummins to Kimba line of the Eyre Peninsula Railway passes through the county, entering at its south-west corner, passing through the hundreds of Brooker and Moody in an east-west direction, before changing to a south-north alignment that passes through the hundreds of Butler, Verran, Rudall, Smeaton and Pascoe. [2]
The principal land use is primary industry, which is represented by broadacre farming of wheat and livestock, the mining of jade, and aquaculture at Arno Bay and in Franklin Harbor on the coast of Spencer Gulf. [2] [5] [6] [7] [8] Uncleared land in the county’s north-west corner and its south-west is protected respectively as the Hambidge and Hincks Wilderness Protection Areas, which occupy a total area of 1,045.49 square kilometres (403.67 sq mi). Other protected areas within the county include the following conservation parks - Carappee Hill, Darke Range, Franklin Harbor, Heggaton, Middlecamp Hills, Moody Tank, Munyaroo, Rudall, Sheoak Hill, The Plug Range, Verran Tanks, Wharminda, and Yeldulknie. [9] [10]
The county incorporates the eastern part of the District Council of Elliston in the west, the District Council of Cleve in its centre, the District Council of Franklin Harbour on the coastline with Spencer Gulf, and the northern part of the District Council of Tumby Bay in the south. [2]
The county was named after Governor Jervois, the Governor of South Australia at the time the country was proclaimed, in accordance with “a precedent which was established in 1842" when a county was named after Governor Gawler. [11] [2] [12]
Constituent hundreds
Location of hundreds
The county comprises 34 hundreds. The hundreds are laid out from east to west in five rows (from north to south) as follows: [4]
- McGregor, Charleston, Glynn, James, Heggaton, Jamieson, Pascoe, Darke and Hambidge in the north-west corner of the county separated by an area of land that has not been proclaimed as one or more hundreds, all along the northern boundary of the county,
- Warren, Minbrie, Miltalie, Mangalo, Campoona, Smeaton, Boonerdo and Palkagee,
- Wilton, Playford, Hawker, Mann, Yadnarie, Rudall, Murlong and the northern half of Tooligie at the western boundary of the county,
- Boothby, Roberts, Verran, a parcel of land consisting of Hincks and land not proclaimed as a hundred, and a parcel of land consisting of the southern half of Tooligie and Nicholls at the western boundary of the county, and
- Dixson, Butler, Moody and Brooker along the southern boundary of the county.
