Tantanoola, South Australia

Tantanoola
South Australia

Post office
Tantanoola
Coordinates 37°41′S 140°27′E / 37.683°S 140.450°E / -37.683; 140.450Coordinates: 37°41′S 140°27′E / 37.683°S 140.450°E / -37.683; 140.450
Population 524 (shared with other localities within the "State Suburb of Tantanoola") (2011 census)[1]
Postcode(s) 5280
Elevation 67 m (220 ft)
Time zone ACST (UTC+9:30)
 • Summer (DST) ACDT (UTC+10:30)
LGA(s) Wattle Range Council
State electorate(s) MacKillop, Mount Gambier
Federal Division(s) Barker
Localities around Tantanoola:
Millicent Rocky Camp, Mount Burr Mount McIntyre
Canunda Tantanoola Glencoe
German Flat German Creek Burrungule

Tantanoola (postcode 5280) is a town in South Australia. The name is derived from the aboriginal word tentunola, which means boxwood / brushwood hill or camp. Tantanoola was originally named 'Lucieton' by Governor Jervois after his daughter Lucy Caroline, on 10 July 1879. It was changed by Governor Robinson to 'Tantanoola' on 4 October 1888. At the 2006 census, Tantanoola had a population of 255.[2]

Tantanoola is in the Wattle Range Council local government area, the South Australian House of Assembly electoral districts of MacKillop and Mount Gambier, and the Australian House of Representatives Division of Barker.

History

The township of Tantanoola is situated in the Hundred of Hindmarsh, 425 km south east of Adelaide, and was once a portion of Mayurra Station. It was the second town of importance on the Mount Gambier to Beachport rail line.

Tantanoola Tiger

Caves near Tantanoola

Tantanoola is known for the Tantanoola Tiger, a phantom cat which supposedly stalked the area during the late nineteenth century. In August 1895 an animal was shot by one Thomas John Donovan, which was believed to have been the mysterious predator. The animal turned out to be more like a wolf than a cat. Later, it was determined to be an Arabian wolf, although how it arrived in South Australia has been the subject of a number of theories. It is currently preserved and on display at the Tantanoola Hotel (which is also known colloquially as the Tantanoola Tiger Hotel).[3] Tantanoola Caves Conservation Park, featuring a spectacular dolomite cave is located nearby.

Australian poet Max Harris wrote a poem titled "The Tantanoola Tiger", which is included in the collection The Angry Penguin: the Poetry of Max Harris, published by the National Library of Australia. [4][5]

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tantanoola, South Australia.
  1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Tantanoola". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 28 March 2016.
  2. Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Tantanoola (L) (Urban Centre/Locality)". 2006 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 29 October 2011.
  3. "Tantanoola". Wattle Range Council. Retrieved 2007-05-31.
  4. "Harris Poetry". www.ernmalley.com. 2007-12-28. Retrieved 2008-09-13.
  5. "Angry Penguin: Selected Poems of Max Harris". http://www.nla.gov.au. 2000-09-11. Retrieved 2008-09-13. External link in |publisher= (help)


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