Mount Torrens, South Australia

Last updated

Mount Torrens
South Australia
Mt Torrens main street.JPG
Main street of Mount Torrens
Australia South Australia location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Mount Torrens
Coordinates 34°52′30″S138°57′26″E / 34.87509°S 138.95722°E / -34.87509; 138.95722 [1]
Population324 (UCL 2021) [2]
Established1840s
Postcode(s) 5244
Location46 km (29 mi) from Adelaide
LGA(s)
State electorate(s) Morialta
Federal division(s) Mayo
Localities around Mount Torrens:
Gumeracha Birdwood Tungkillo
Kenton Valley Mount Torrens Tungkillo
Lobethal Charleston Harrogate

Mount Torrens is a town in the eastern Adelaide Hills region of South Australia, 46 kilometres (29 miles) east-north-east of the state capital, Adelaide and 8 kilometres (5 miles) east of Lobethal. It is on Onkaparinga Valley Road (B34) between the towns of Charleston and Birdwood. Currently it is the eastern end of the Amy Gillett Bikeway, which follows the former railway alignment from Oakbank. It is served by the LinkSA coach route, which runs from Mount Pleasant to Tea Tree Plaza. It is located in the jurisdiction of the Adelaide Hills Council and the Mid Murray Council.

Contents

Etymology

The Indigenous name for the mount is unknown. The first Europeans to ascend it, on 25 January 1838, were the exploration party of Dr George Imlay and John Hill, but they did not name it. [3] The mount and nearby town were named later after Robert Torrens, one of South Australia's founding fathers as chairman of the South Australian Colonisation Commission.

History

The town was developed by the Dunn family in the early 1840s. Then known as Barton Springs, it incorporated a farmhouse, smithy, stables and the Cornish Arms inn. The town proper was laid out in 1853 to serve the River Murray trade at Mannum and a nearby copper mine. A small gold deposit was discovered in 1870, [4] but by World War I the town's importance had diminished, and the town that stands today is virtually unchanged since that time. [5]

Facilities

Mount Torrens has a sporting ground, hotel, farm supply store and general store. There are two schools – the state government Mount Torrens Primary School and the co-educational, interdenominational Mount Torrens Christian school – and Anglican, Lutheran and Uniting churches. In 2019, Mount Torrens became part of the Adelaide Hills Sculpture Trail. [6] The former site of the fire station was made into a small park which houses the sculpture. Several historic buildings are in the town. [7]

Mount Torrens was served by the Mount Pleasant railway line, which was totally removed following closure in 1963.

Mount Torrens and the surrounding areas were damaged during the 2019 Cudlee Creek bushfire.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tailem Bend, South Australia</span> Town in South Australia

Tailem Bend is a rural town in South Australia, 85 kilometres south-east of the state capital of Adelaide. It is located on the lower reaches of the River Murray, near where the river flows into Lake Alexandrina. It is linear in layout since it is constrained by river cliffs on its western side and the Adelaide–Melbourne railway line is dominant on its eastern side. The town grew and consolidated through being a large railway centre between the 1890s and 1990s; now it continues to service regional rural communities. In the 2021 census, Tailem Bend and the surrounding area had a population of 1,705.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Barker, South Australia</span> Town in South Australia

Mount Barker is a city in South Australia. Located approximately 33 kilometres from the Adelaide city centre, it is home to 21,554 residents (2021). It is the seat of the District Council of Mount Barker, the largest town in the Adelaide Hills, Part of Greater Adelaide, as well as one of the fastest-growing areas in the state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Murray Bridge, South Australia</span> City in South Australia

Murray Bridge is a city in the Australian state of South Australia, located 78 kilometres (48 mi) east-southeast of the state's capital city, Adelaide, and 77 kilometres (48 mi) north of the town of Meningie.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mid Murray Council</span> Local government area in South Australia

The Mid Murray Council is a local government area in South Australia in the Murray and Mallee region of South Australia. The council spans the area from the Riverland through the Murraylands to the eastern slopes of the Mount Lofty Ranges. It includes 220 km of the Murray River. The council seat is at Mannum; it also maintains secondary offices at Cambrai and Morgan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Birdwood, South Australia</span> Town in South Australia

Birdwood, originally named Blumberg, is a town in the Adelaide Hills area of South Australia, around 44 km (27 mi) from Adelaide city centre. It is located in the local government areas of the Adelaide Hills Council and the Mid Murray Council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Osborne, South Australia</span> Suburb of Adelaide, South Australia

Osborne is a suburb in the Australian state of South Australia located on the Lefevre Peninsula in the west of Adelaide about 21 kilometres north-west of the Adelaide city centre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Morgan, South Australia</span> Town in South Australia

Morgan is a town in South Australia on the right bank of the Murray River, just downstream of where it turns from flowing roughly westwards to roughly southwards. It is about 161 kilometres (100 mi) north east of Adelaide, and about 315 kilometres (196 mi) upstream of the Murray Mouth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cudlee Creek</span> Suburb of Adelaide Hills Council, South Australia

Cudlee Creek is a small town near Adelaide, South Australia. It is located in the Adelaide Hills Council local government area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Onkaparinga River</span> River in South Australia

The Onkaparinga River, known as Ngangkiparri or Ngangkiparingga in the Kaurna language, is a river located in the Southern Adelaide region in the Australian state of South Australia. Rising in the Mount Lofty Ranges, the river's estuary extends from Old Noarlunga to the river's mouth between the suburbs of Port Noarlunga and Port Noarlunga South.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Houghton, South Australia</span> Suburb of Adelaide, South Australia

Houghton is a small town near Adelaide, South Australia. It is located in the Adelaide Hills, in the City of Tea Tree Gully and the Adelaide Hills Council local government areas between Tea Tree Gully and Inglewood on the North East Road.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inglewood, South Australia</span> Suburb of Adelaide Hills Council, South Australia

Inglewood is a small town near Adelaide, South Australia. It is located in the Adelaide Hills Council local government area, and is adjacent to Houghton, Paracombe and the rural districts of Upper Hermitage and Chain of Ponds. At the 2006 census, Inglewood had a population of 264.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chain of Ponds, South Australia</span> Suburb of Adelaide Hills Council, South Australia

Chain of Ponds is a locality and former town near Adelaide, South Australia. It is located in the Adelaide Hills Council local government area.

Paracombe is a small town near Adelaide, South Australia. At the 2011 census, Paracombe had a population of 343.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gumeracha, South Australia</span> Town in South Australia

Gumeracha is a town in the Adelaide Hills, South Australia, located on the Adelaide-Mannum Road. It is located in the Adelaide Hills Council local government area on the south bank of the upper River Torrens. The region relies heavily on grazing, dairying, grape growing, orchards, and market gardening. Its most prominent attraction is the Big Rocking Horse.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Forreston, South Australia</span> Town in South Australia

Forreston is a locality near Adelaide, South Australia. It is located in the Adelaide Hills Council local government area 3 km northeast of Gumeracha.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Pleasant, South Australia</span> Town in South Australia

Mount Pleasant is a town situated in the Barossa Council, just north of the Adelaide Hills region of South Australia, 55 kilometres east-north-east of the state capital, Adelaide. It is located in the Barossa Council and Mid Murray Council local government areas, and is at an altitude of 440 metres above sea level. Rainfall in the area averages 687 mm per annum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Palmer, South Australia</span> Town in South Australia

Palmer is a town just east of the Adelaide Hills region of South Australia along the Adelaide-Mannum Road, 70 kilometres east-north-east of the state capital, Adelaide and 15 km west-north-west of Mannum. It is located in the Mid Murray Council local government area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Woodside, South Australia</span> Town in South Australia

Woodside is a town in the Adelaide Hills region of South Australia. The town is between Balhannah and Lobethal, 37 kilometres (23 mi) from the state capital, Adelaide. Mount Barker is also nearby.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mannum</span> Town in South Australia

Mannum is a historic town on the west bank of the Murray River in South Australia, 84 kilometres (52 mi) east of Adelaide. Mannum is the seat of the Mid Murray Council, and is situated in the state electoral district of Hammond and the federal Division of Barker.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hundred of Talunga</span> Cadastral in South Australia

The Hundred of Talunga is a cadastral hundred of the County of Adelaide, South Australia, spanning the Torrens Valley in the Adelaide Hills. It was proclaimed by Governor Frederick Robe in 1846 and named for an indigenous term thought to mean 'waterhole'.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Search results for 'Mount Torrens, LOCB' with the following datasets selected – 'Suburbs and localities', 'Counties', 'Local Government Areas', 'SA Government Regions' and 'Gazetteer'". Location SA Map Viewer. South Australian Government. Retrieved 27 December 2018.
  2. ↑ Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Mount Torrens (urban centre and locality)". Australian Census 2021.  OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  3. ↑ Register, 30 June 1838, p. 3.
  4. ↑ Place Names of South Australia, State Library of South Australia. Retrieved 9 July 2006.
  5. ↑ Adelaide Hills Council – Historical Town Information Archived 25 June 2006 at the Wayback Machine . Retrieved 9 July 2006.
  6. ↑ "The key to the heart of Mt Torrens and Birdhouse". hillssculpturetrail.com.au. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
  7. ↑ White Pages Online. Retrieved 9 July 2006.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.