Darke Peak, South Australia
Encyclopedia
Darke Peak is a small agricultural town located in central Eyre Peninsula
, South Australia
. The town is the population centre for the surrounding agricultural district and has become a minor historical tourist town, with the grave
of John Darke, an early European
explorer located near the township. The town has a number of limited facilities, including accommodation, grocery and fuel
supplies. At the 2006 census
, Darke Peak had a population of 175.
, who was injured in a spear
attack by Aborigines
in the vicinity of the peak on 24 October 1844. He died the next day and was buried at the foot of the large peak. Governor Grey
expressed a wish that some landform in the region of the grave
should be named to honour him. In 1865 surveyor
Thomas Evans who was performing a trigonometrical
survey of the Gawler Ranges
and named the 1564 ft (476.7 m) high mount, 'Darke's Peak'.
In 1909, another surveyor, W.G. Evans, reported that he had found bone
s in a grave and was satisfied they were the remains of Darke
. Darke's grave and monument are located on the western side of the range, still standing as a memorial to the first European
who explored this area. The memorial was erected by the SA Government
in 1910.
The township of Darke Peak was originally proclaimed Carappee in 1914. The town was renamed in 1940 after the peak that bears John Charles Darke's name as further honour to the explorer. A school
opened in the town in 1917.
Darke Peak includes Darke Range, Caralue Bluff, Carappee Conservation Park and Carappee Hill in the surrounding area, with Carappee Hill known for being the highest exposed granite
rock mass on Eyre Peninsula
.
s have been farming the area for a number of generations, predating the establishment of the town. The farming areas are very similar to other towns across the central Eyre Peninsula
, growing much the same crops under similar climate
conditions.
Tourism
is a minor component of the towns economy, with Darke's Grave, The Darke Range and various tourist drives the main attractions. Tourist information is present at the The Peak Stop shelter.
which dates back to the early days of the settlement and offers accommodation and meals.
Sport
ing facilities in the town include tennis
and netball
courts, oval, playground
, swimming pool
and a golf
course, with some sports teams competing in local leagues.
, the State Electoral district of Flinders
and the Federal Division of Grey
. The town is under the mayor
ship of Allan Edwards.
Eyre Peninsula
Eyre Peninsula is a triangular peninsula in South Australia. It is bounded on the east by Spencer Gulf, the west by the Great Australian Bight, and the north by the Gawler Ranges. It is named after explorer Edward John Eyre who explored some of it in 1839-1841. The coastline was first explored by...
, 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 the population centre for the surrounding agricultural district and has become a minor historical tourist town, with the grave
Grave (burial)
A grave is a location where a dead body is buried. Graves are usually located in special areas set aside for the purpose of burial, such as graveyards or cemeteries....
of John Darke, an early European
European ethnic groups
The ethnic groups in Europe are the various ethnic groups that reside in the nations of Europe. European ethnology is the field of anthropology focusing on Europe....
explorer located near the township. The town has a number of limited facilities, including accommodation, grocery and fuel
Fuel
Fuel is any material that stores energy that can later be extracted to perform mechanical work in a controlled manner. Most fuels used by humans undergo combustion, a redox reaction in which a combustible substance releases energy after it ignites and reacts with the oxygen in the air...
supplies. 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,...
, Darke Peak had a population of 175.
History
The town takes its name from the explorer John Charles DarkeJohn Charles Darke
John Charles Darke, 1806–1844, was a surveyor and explorer in Van Diemen's Land and South Australia. He died after being speared by aborigines in 1844.-Early years:...
, who was injured in a spear
Spear
A spear is a pole weapon consisting of a shaft, usually of wood, with a pointed head.The head may be simply the sharpened end of the shaft itself, as is the case with bamboo spears, or it may be made of a more durable material fastened to the shaft, such as flint, obsidian, iron, steel or...
attack by Aborigines
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
in the vicinity of the peak on 24 October 1844. He died the next day and was buried at the foot of the large peak. Governor Grey
George Edward Grey
Sir George Grey, KCB was a soldier, explorer, Governor of South Australia, twice Governor of New Zealand, Governor of Cape Colony , the 11th Premier of New Zealand and a writer.-Early life and exploration:...
expressed a wish that some landform in the region of the grave
Grave (burial)
A grave is a location where a dead body is buried. Graves are usually located in special areas set aside for the purpose of burial, such as graveyards or cemeteries....
should be named to honour him. In 1865 surveyor
Surveying
See Also: Public Land Survey SystemSurveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, and science of accurately determining the terrestrial or three-dimensional position of points and the distances and angles between them...
Thomas Evans who was performing a trigonometrical
Trigonometry
Trigonometry is a branch of mathematics that studies triangles and the relationships between their sides and the angles between these sides. Trigonometry defines the trigonometric functions, which describe those relationships and have applicability to cyclical phenomena, such as waves...
survey of the Gawler Ranges
Gawler Ranges
The Gawler Ranges are a range of stoney hills in South Australia to the north of Eyre Peninsula. The Eyre Highway skirts the south of the ranges. The Gawler Ranges National Park and Gawler Ranges Conservation Reserve are in the ranges north of Wudinna...
and named the 1564 ft (476.7 m) high mount, 'Darke's Peak'.
In 1909, another surveyor, W.G. Evans, reported that he had found bone
Bone
Bones are rigid organs that constitute part of the endoskeleton of vertebrates. They support, and protect the various organs of the body, produce red and white blood cells and store minerals. Bone tissue is a type of dense connective tissue...
s in a grave and was satisfied they were the remains of Darke
John Charles Darke
John Charles Darke, 1806–1844, was a surveyor and explorer in Van Diemen's Land and South Australia. He died after being speared by aborigines in 1844.-Early years:...
. Darke's grave and monument are located on the western side of the range, still standing as a memorial to the first European
European ethnic groups
The ethnic groups in Europe are the various ethnic groups that reside in the nations of Europe. European ethnology is the field of anthropology focusing on Europe....
who explored this area. The memorial was erected by the SA Government
Government of South Australia
The form of the Government of South Australia is prescribed in its constitution, which dates from 1856, although it has been amended many times since then...
in 1910.
The township of Darke Peak was originally proclaimed Carappee in 1914. The town was renamed in 1940 after the peak that bears John Charles Darke's name as further honour to the explorer. A school
School
A school is an institution designed for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is commonly compulsory. In these systems, students progress through a series of schools...
opened in the town in 1917.
Darke Peak includes Darke Range, Caralue Bluff, Carappee Conservation Park and Carappee Hill in the surrounding area, with Carappee Hill known for being the highest exposed granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
rock mass on Eyre Peninsula
Eyre Peninsula
Eyre Peninsula is a triangular peninsula in South Australia. It is bounded on the east by Spencer Gulf, the west by the Great Australian Bight, and the north by the Gawler Ranges. It is named after explorer Edward John Eyre who explored some of it in 1839-1841. The coastline was first explored by...
.
Economy
Darke Peak is predominantly a farming community, with surrounding areas producing cereal crops, with sheep also produced as a backup for when the region experiences poor rainfall. Local farmerFarmer
A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, who raises living organisms for food or raw materials, generally including livestock husbandry and growing crops, such as produce and grain...
s have been farming the area for a number of generations, predating the establishment of the town. The farming areas are very similar to other towns across the central Eyre Peninsula
Eyre Peninsula
Eyre Peninsula is a triangular peninsula in South Australia. It is bounded on the east by Spencer Gulf, the west by the Great Australian Bight, and the north by the Gawler Ranges. It is named after explorer Edward John Eyre who explored some of it in 1839-1841. The coastline was first explored by...
, growing much the same crops under similar climate
Climate
Climate encompasses the statistics of temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind, rainfall, atmospheric particle count and other meteorological elemental measurements in a given region over long periods...
conditions.
Tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
is a minor component of the towns economy, with Darke's Grave, The Darke Range and various tourist drives the main attractions. Tourist information is present at the The Peak Stop shelter.
Facilities
Darke Peak has a hotelHotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
which dates back to the early days of the settlement and offers accommodation and meals.
Sport
Sport
A Sport is all forms of physical activity which, through casual or organised participation, aim to use, maintain or improve physical fitness and provide entertainment to participants. Sport may be competitive, where a winner or winners can be identified by objective means, and may require a degree...
ing facilities in the town include tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
and netball
Netball
Netball is a ball sport played between two teams of seven players. Its development, derived from early versions of basketball, began in England in the 1890s. By 1960 international playing rules had been standardised for the game, and the International Federation of Netball and Women's Basketball ...
courts, oval, playground
Playground
A playground or play area is a place with a specific design for children be able to play there. It may be indoors but is typically outdoors...
, swimming pool
Swimming pool
A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, or simply a pool, is a container filled with water intended for swimming or water-based recreation. There are many standard sizes; the largest is the Olympic-size swimming pool...
and a golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
course, with some sports teams competing in local leagues.
Government
The township of Darke Peak is encompassed in the District Council of CleveDistrict Council of Cleve
The District Council of Cleve is a Local Government Area located on the eastern Eyre Peninsula in South Australia. The district is mostly agricultural in nature, but also encompasses the popular coastal tourist town of Arno Bay.-History:...
, the State Electoral district of Flinders
Electoral district of Flinders
Flinders is an electoral district of the House of Assembly in the Australian state of South Australia. It is named after explorer Matthew Flinders, who was responsible for charting most of the state's coastline. It is a 55,260.6 km² coastal rural electorate encompassing the Eyre Peninsula and...
and the Federal Division of Grey
Division of Grey
The Division of Grey is an Australian Electoral Division in South Australia.The division was created in 1903 and is named for Sir George Grey, who was Governor of South Australia 1841-45 ....
. The town is under the mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
ship of Allan Edwards.