District Council of Mallala
Encyclopedia
The District Council of Mallala was originally proclaimed in 1935 as the District Council of Light. It is the result of the amalgamation of the District Councils of Dublin, Port Gawler and Grace Plains. The District Council of Light was renamed the District Council of Mallala on 15 April 1937.
The first white settlement of the area dates back to the Port Gawler Special Survey in 1839.
Originally the land was inhabited by the Kaurna people whose territory extended in a narrow corridor along the eastern shore of Gulf St Vincent; Cape Jervis to Port Wakefield; inland to near Crystal Brook, Snowtown, Blyth, Hoyleton, Hamley Bridge, Clarendon, Gawler, and Myponga; from the east side of the Hummock Range to Red Hill. Inland the stringy bark forests of the Mount Lofty Ranges marked their boundary.
Throughout the district large tracts of surveyed land were allotted to pastoralists who farmed mostly grain and sheep. The early produce of the area was often shipped out on ketches from the Ports of Gawler and Parham.
Both the Light River and the Gawler River pass through the district and the rich fertile plains are ideal for vegetable production, the majority of which is sent to the nearby Adelaide markets. As well as the general agricultural pursuits of grain growing and storage and running livestock, other major industries in the region include the livestock market / sale yards, metal fabrication and manufacture of industrial equipment.
, Mallala
and Dublin
,
along with settlements at Barabba, Port Gawler
, Redbanks, Wild Horse Plains and Port Parham.
The first white settlement of the area dates back to the Port Gawler Special Survey in 1839.
Originally the land was inhabited by the Kaurna people whose territory extended in a narrow corridor along the eastern shore of Gulf St Vincent; Cape Jervis to Port Wakefield; inland to near Crystal Brook, Snowtown, Blyth, Hoyleton, Hamley Bridge, Clarendon, Gawler, and Myponga; from the east side of the Hummock Range to Red Hill. Inland the stringy bark forests of the Mount Lofty Ranges marked their boundary.
Throughout the district large tracts of surveyed land were allotted to pastoralists who farmed mostly grain and sheep. The early produce of the area was often shipped out on ketches from the Ports of Gawler and Parham.
Both the Light River and the Gawler River pass through the district and the rich fertile plains are ideal for vegetable production, the majority of which is sent to the nearby Adelaide markets. As well as the general agricultural pursuits of grain growing and storage and running livestock, other major industries in the region include the livestock market / sale yards, metal fabrication and manufacture of industrial equipment.
Major towns
Major towns that were established early on include Two WellsTwo Wells, South Australia
Two Wells is a town approximately 40km north of Adelaide South Australia. The first settlers in the area used two aboriginal wells in the area as a freshwater source. The town was officially named on 21 June 1990...
, Mallala
Mallala, South Australia
Mallala is a small town about 58 kilometres north of Adelaide in South Australia. The name Mallala is thought to be derived from the local Aboriginal word 'madlola' which supposedly meant 'place of the ground frog'. At the 2006 census, Mallala had a population of 737.In 1939 the Royal Australian...
and Dublin
Dublin, South Australia
Dublin is a small town on the Adelaide Plains in South Australia, north of the state capital, Adelaide. Situated on Highway 1, the town is surrounded by farmland and rural industry. Along with nearby Windsor the area is home to a growing commuter population...
,
along with settlements at Barabba, Port Gawler
Port Gawler, South Australia
Port Gawler is a locality in the Adelaide Plains and on Gulf St Vincent in South Australia. The locality is in the District Council of Mallala local government area, north west of the state capital, Adelaide...
, Redbanks, Wild Horse Plains and Port Parham.