Currency Creek, South Australia
Encyclopedia
Currency Creek is a small town located on South Australia
's Fleurieu Peninsula
about 6 km north of Goolwa
. The Currency Creek area was initially explored by Charles Sturt
in the late 1820s, with the area being officially named in 1837 after the whaling boat Currency Lass. The township was surveyed in the 'Currency Creek Special Survey' of 1840.
region and looking for other outlets to the sea, explorers Thomas Bewes Strangways
, Young Bingham Hutchinson
and party discovered the waterway in November 1837. Their bullock wagon was unable to proceed over the waterway and they decided to make the area their base for some time. They reported on the good grassland in the area and its potential for agriculture. The creek was named in honour of the whaling boat they used to explore the lake.
in the west, to Lake Alexandrina to the east, and includes Hindmarsh Island
. The main grape varieties grown are Chardonnay
, Sauvignon blanc
, Cabernet Sauvignon
and Shiraz
. Vineyard
s were first established in the area in 1969, with the region producing its first vintage in 1972.
is named after the nearby geographical feature and town. It is being developed as a specialist eucalypt
(Angophora
, Eucalyptus
and Corymbia
) arboretum
with its main purpose being research into Australia's most dominant natural group of plants, the eucalypts.http://www.dn.com.au
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...
's Fleurieu Peninsula
Fleurieu Peninsula
The Fleurieu Peninsula is a peninsula located south of Adelaide in South Australia, Australia. It was named after the French explorer and hydrographer Charles Pierre Claret de Fleurieu by the French explorer Nicolas Baudin as he mapped the south coast of Australia in 1802.Towns of interest in the...
about 6 km north of Goolwa
Goolwa, South Australia
Goolwa is a historic river port on the Murray River near the Murray Mouth in South Australia, and joined by a bridge to Hindmarsh Island. The name "Goolwa" means "elbow" in Ngarrindjeri, the local Aboriginal language....
. The Currency Creek area was initially explored by Charles Sturt
Charles Sturt
Captain Charles Napier Sturt was an English explorer of Australia, and part of the European Exploration of Australia. He led several expeditions into the interior of the continent, starting from both Sydney and later from Adelaide. His expeditions traced several of the westward-flowing rivers,...
in the late 1820s, with the area being officially named in 1837 after the whaling boat Currency Lass. The township was surveyed in the 'Currency Creek Special Survey' of 1840.
History
While exploring the Fleurieu Peninsula and Lake AlexandrinaLake Alexandrina (South Australia)
Lake Alexandrina is a lake in South Australia adjacent to the coast of the Southern Ocean, about 100 kilometres south-east of Adelaide.-Name:The lake was named after Princess Alexandrina, niece and successor of King William IV of Great Britain and Ireland...
region and looking for other outlets to the sea, explorers Thomas Bewes Strangways
Thomas Bewes Strangways
Thomas Bewes Strangways was an explorer and early settler of South Australia.He arrived in the new colony on the HMS Buffalo and at the time, was engaged to one of Governor John Hindmarsh's daughters. However, they never married and he later married Lavinia Albina née Fowler...
, Young Bingham Hutchinson
Young Bingham Hutchinson
Young Bingham Hutchinson was a Royal Navy officer, early explorer and settler of South Australia....
and party discovered the waterway in November 1837. Their bullock wagon was unable to proceed over the waterway and they decided to make the area their base for some time. They reported on the good grassland in the area and its potential for agriculture. The creek was named in honour of the whaling boat they used to explore the lake.
Wine industry
Currency Creek lends its name to a wine region that stretches from Port ElliotPort Elliot, South Australia
Port Elliot is a town in South Australia toward the eastern end of the south coast of the Fleurieu Peninsula. It is situated on the sheltered Horseshoe Bay, a small bay off the much larger Encounter Bay...
in the west, to Lake Alexandrina to the east, and includes Hindmarsh Island
Hindmarsh Island
Hindmarsh Island is an island in the lower Murray River near the town of Goolwa, South Australia. Located on the Fleurieu Peninsula, it is a popular tourist destination, which has increased in popularity since the Hindmarsh Island bridge was opened in 2001...
. The main grape varieties grown are Chardonnay
Chardonnay
Chardonnay is a green-skinned grape variety used to make white wine. It is originated from the Burgundy wine region of eastern France but is now grown wherever wine is produced, from England to New Zealand...
, Sauvignon blanc
Sauvignon blanc
Sauvignon Blanc is a green-skinned grape variety which originates from the Bordeaux region of France. The grape most likely gets its name from the French word sauvage and blanc due to its early origins as an indigenous grape in South West France., a possible descendant of savagnin...
, Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates from Canada's Okanagan Valley to Lebanon's Beqaa Valley...
and Shiraz
Shiraz grape
Syrah or Shiraz is a dark-skinned grape grown throughout the world and used primarily to produce powerful red wines. Whether sold as Syrah or Shiraz, these wines enjoy great popularity.Syrah is used as a varietal and is also blended...
. Vineyard
Vineyard
A vineyard is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice...
s were first established in the area in 1969, with the region producing its first vintage in 1972.
Currency Creek Arboretum
The Currency Creek ArboretumCurrency Creek Arboretum
thumb|right|270px|[[Dean Nicolle]] and [[Eucalyptus deanei]]thumb|right|270px|Eucalyptus conferruminataThe Currency Creek Arboretum is located in South Australia near the geographical feature and small town of Currency Creek, up from the mouth of the Murray River at Goolwa, and south of Adelaide...
is named after the nearby geographical feature and town. It is being developed as a specialist eucalypt
Eucalypt
Eucalypts are woody plants belonging to three closely related genera:Eucalyptus, Corymbia and Angophora.In 1995 new evidence, largely genetic, indicated that some prominent Eucalyptus species were actually more closely related to Angophora than to the other eucalypts; they were split off into the...
(Angophora
Angophora
Angophora is a genus of ten species of trees or large shrubs in the myrtle family , native to eastern Australia. It is closely related to Corymbia and Eucalyptus, and all three are often referred to as "eucalypts". The differences are that Angophora have opposite leaves rather than alternate, and...
, Eucalyptus
Eucalyptus
Eucalyptus is a diverse genus of flowering trees in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Members of the genus dominate the tree flora of Australia...
and Corymbia
Corymbia
Corymbia is a genus of about 113 species of tree that were classified as Eucalyptus species until the mid-1990s. It includes the bloodwoods, ghost gums and spotted gums. The bloodwoods had been recognised as a distinct group within the large and diverse Eucalyptus genus since 1867...
) arboretum
Arboretum
An arboretum in a narrow sense is a collection of trees only. Related collections include a fruticetum , and a viticetum, a collection of vines. More commonly, today, an arboretum is a botanical garden containing living collections of woody plants intended at least partly for scientific study...
with its main purpose being research into Australia's most dominant natural group of plants, the eucalypts.http://www.dn.com.au