Waukaringa, South Australia

Waukaringa
South Australia
Waukaringa
Coordinates 32°18′S 139°26′E / 32.3°S 139.44°E / -32.3; 139.44Coordinates: 32°18′S 139°26′E / 32.3°S 139.44°E / -32.3; 139.44
Established 1873
Time zone ACST (UTC+9:30)
 • Summer (DST) ACDT (UTC+10:30)
Location 35 km (22 mi) N of Yunta
LGA(s) Out of Council areas
State electorate(s) Stuart
Federal Division(s) Grey

Waukaringa was a town in the Far North of South Australia, located 35 km north of Yunta. The town was surveyed in 1888 and formally declared to have ceased to exist in 1982.[1]

The area was initially settled in 1873 with the discovery of gold. In 1890, Waukaringa was estimated to have had a population of 750.[2] Waukaringa is now a ghost town after being abandoned in the 1950s.[3] Ruins of only a few buildings remain, principally the former Waukaringa Hotel.

The goldfields near Waukaringa produced approximately 1427 kg of gold between 1873 and 1969.[4] The main mines in the goldfield were Alma and Victoria, Alma Extended, West Waukaringa and Balaclava.[4] A stone chimney from the Alma and Victoria mine is still visible.[3] The Alma and Victoria Mine Site and Structures are listed on the South Australian Heritage Register.[5] The locality of Waukaringa contains these old mines, and is completely surrounded by Melton Station.[1]

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.[6]

Australian Rules footballer Harold Oliver was born in Waukaringa in 1891.

References

  1. 1 2 "Placename Details: Waukaringa". Property Location Browser. Government of South Australia. 31 March 2010. SA0019905. Retrieved 14 March 2016.
  2. ↑ "Waukaringa Gold Mines". South Australian Chronicle. 19 July 1890. Retrieved 13 March 2016.
  3. 1 2 "Discover South Australia's Mining Heritage Trails" (PDF). Australasian Mining History Association. Retrieved 13 March 2016.
  4. 1 2 "Gold". Department of State Development. State Government of South Australia. Retrieved 13 March 2016.
  5. ↑ "Former Alma and Victoria Mine Site and Structures, Waukaringa". South Australian Heritage Register. Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources. Retrieved 17 March 2016.
  6. ↑ "Australian Digital Collections: The Silent Sea" (PDF). The University of Sydney. Retrieved 13 March 2016.
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