Booleroo Centre, South Australia
Encyclopedia
Booleroo Centre is a town in the southern Flinders Ranges
region of South Australia
. The town is located in the Mount Remarkable District Council
Local Government Area, 282 kilometres (175 mi) north of the state capital, Adelaide
. At the 2006 census
, Booleroo Centre had a population of 331.
The Hundred of Booleroo was officially proclaimed in 1875 however no town was surveyed at this time. A town site in the hundred was surveyed by the colonial government in 1878, but the early European settlers established the town elsewhere. The hundred's name was derived from a local Aboriginal word. Sources vary on its meaning with suggestions including "plenty" or "soft mud". The town's location in the centre of the Hundred of Booleroo lead to the name Booleroo Centre.
The major industry in Booleroo Centre today is grain
production with wool
growing and fat lamb production also important. The town is also the service centre to the surrounding agricultural district. Facilities in the town include a range of shops and Uniting
, Catholic
and Lutheran
churches. Booleroo Centre is also host to large grain receival facilities and fertiliser depots. The Booleroo Centre Hotel, the local pub
, was established in 1883.
Regional services offered in Booleroo Centre include the Booleroo Centre District Hospital, part of the Mid North Regional Health Service, providing health services to the town and a large catchment area with a population of 3,000. The Booleroo Centre District School enrolled 225 students from kindergarten
to Year 12 in 2007. The school draws students from surrounding towns such as Wirrabara
, Melrose
and Wilmington
. Homeschooling
also plays a role within the community, with several local students being educated in this way during recent years.
Booleroo Centre is home to the Booleroo Steam & Traction Preservation Society. The society, developed from an annual rally first held in 1969, now maintains one of Australia's largest collections of tractor
s and steam engine
s along with farm and other steam equipment requiring over 2900 square yards (2,425 m²) of undercover storage space. The rally is held at the town oval the last Sunday in March.
Flinders Ranges
Flinders Ranges is the largest mountain range in South Australia, which starts approximately north west of Adelaide. The discontinuous ranges stretch for over from Port Pirie to Lake Callabonna...
region of South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
. The town is located in the Mount Remarkable District Council
District Council of Mount Remarkable
The Mount Remarkable District Council is a local government area located between the top the Spencer Gulf and the base of the Southern Flinders Ranges in South Australia. The district encompasses a wide variety of towns, including coastal ports and agricultural centres...
Local Government Area, 282 kilometres (175 mi) north of the state capital, Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
. At the 2006 census
Census in Australia
The Australian census is administered once every five years by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The most recent census was conducted on 9 August 2011; the next will be conducted in 2016. Prior to the introduction of regular censuses in 1961, they had also been run in 1901, 1911, 1921, 1933,...
, Booleroo Centre had a population of 331.
The Hundred of Booleroo was officially proclaimed in 1875 however no town was surveyed at this time. A town site in the hundred was surveyed by the colonial government in 1878, but the early European settlers established the town elsewhere. The hundred's name was derived from a local Aboriginal word. Sources vary on its meaning with suggestions including "plenty" or "soft mud". The town's location in the centre of the Hundred of Booleroo lead to the name Booleroo Centre.
The major industry in Booleroo Centre today is grain
Cereal
Cereals are grasses cultivated for the edible components of their grain , composed of the endosperm, germ, and bran...
production with wool
Wool
Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and certain other animals, including cashmere from goats, mohair from goats, qiviut from muskoxen, vicuña, alpaca, camel from animals in the camel family, and angora from rabbits....
growing and fat lamb production also important. The town is also the service centre to the surrounding agricultural district. Facilities in the town include a range of shops and Uniting
Uniting Church in Australia
The Uniting Church in Australia was formed on 22 June 1977 when many congregations of the Methodist Church of Australasia, the Presbyterian Church of Australia and the Congregational Union of Australia came together under the Basis of Union....
, Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
and Lutheran
Lutheranism
Lutheranism is a major branch of Western Christianity that identifies with the theology of Martin Luther, a German reformer. Luther's efforts to reform the theology and practice of the church launched the Protestant Reformation...
churches. Booleroo Centre is also host to large grain receival facilities and fertiliser depots. The Booleroo Centre Hotel, the local pub
Australian pubs
A public house in Australia is an establishment performing many functions, often serving alcoholic beverages, meals, and providing basic accommodation.-Origin:...
, was established in 1883.
Regional services offered in Booleroo Centre include the Booleroo Centre District Hospital, part of the Mid North Regional Health Service, providing health services to the town and a large catchment area with a population of 3,000. The Booleroo Centre District School enrolled 225 students from kindergarten
Kindergarten
A kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...
to Year 12 in 2007. The school draws students from surrounding towns such as Wirrabara
Wirrabara, South Australia
Wirrabara is a settlement in South Australia. At the 2006 census, Wirrabara had a population of 251.Wirrabara is located in the Southern Flinders Ranges in the mid-north of South Australia, along the Rocky River....
, Melrose
Melrose, South Australia
Melrose is the oldest town in the Flinders Ranges. It is in the shadow of Mount Remarkable, 265 km north of Adelaide. At the 2006 census, Melrose had a population of 431....
and Wilmington
Wilmington, South Australia
Wilmington is a town in the southern Flinders Ranges region of South Australia. The town is located in the District Council of Mount Remarkable Local Government Area, north of the state capital, Adelaide...
. Homeschooling
Homeschooling
Homeschooling or homeschool is the education of children at home, typically by parents but sometimes by tutors, rather than in other formal settings of public or private school...
also plays a role within the community, with several local students being educated in this way during recent years.
Tractor
A tractor is a vehicle specifically designed to deliver a high tractive effort at slow speeds, for the purposes of hauling a trailer or machinery used in agriculture or construction...
s and steam engine
Steam engine
A steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid.Steam engines are external combustion engines, where the working fluid is separate from the combustion products. Non-combustion heat sources such as solar power, nuclear power or geothermal energy may be...
s along with farm and other steam equipment requiring over 2900 square yards (2,425 m²) of undercover storage space. The rally is held at the town oval the last Sunday in March.