Mount Torrens, South Australia
Encyclopedia
Mount Torrens is a town in the eastern Adelaide Hills
region of South Australia
, 46 kilometres east-north-east of the state capital, Adelaide
and 8 km east of Lobethal
along the Onkaparinga River
. It is located in the Adelaide Hills Council
local government area. At the 2006 census
, Mount Torrens had a population of 337.
The town (and nearby hill) was named after Colonel Robert Torrens
, one of South Australia's founding fathers, apparently in the mistaken belief that the Angas Creek which flows down the hill was the source of the Torrens River
, and was developed by the Dunn family in the early 1840s. The town, then known as Barton Springs, incorporated a farmhouse, smithy, stables and the Cornish Arms Inn. The town proper was laid out in 1853, and it served the Murray River
trade at Mannum
as well as a nearby copper mine. A small gold deposit was discovered in 1870, but by World War I
, the town's importance had diminished, and the town that stands today is virtually unchanged since that time.
At the ABS
2001 census, Mount Torrens had a population of 319 people living in 120 dwellings.
Mount Torrens has a football club, hotel and general store, as well as several historical buildings.
Adelaide Hills
The Adelaide Hills are part of the Mount Lofty Ranges, east of the city of Adelaide in the state of South Australia. It is unofficially centred on the largest town in the area, Mount Barker, which has a population of around 29,000 and is also one of Australia's fastest growing towns.- History :The...
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...
, 46 kilometres east-north-east 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...
and 8 km east of Lobethal
Lobethal, South Australia
Lobethal is a town in the Adelaide Hills area of South Australia. It is located in the Adelaide Hills Council local government area, and is nestled on the banks of a creek between the hills and up the sides of the valley. It was once the centre of the Adelaide Hills wool processing industry, which...
along the Onkaparinga River
Onkaparinga River
The Onkaparinga River runs from its source between Mount Torrens and Charleston in the Mount Lofty Ranges, and flows south westerly to an estuary at Port Noarlunga. The catchment is over 500 km² in area, and is in part located in the Onkaparinga River National Park.The Onkaparinga River is the...
. It is located in the Adelaide Hills Council
Adelaide Hills Council
Adelaide Hills Council was established in 1997 by the amalgamation of four smaller district councils...
local government area. 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,...
, Mount Torrens had a population of 337.
The town (and nearby hill) was named after Colonel Robert Torrens
Robert Torrens (economist)
Colonel Robert Torrens was a Royal Marines officer, political economist, MP, owner of the influential Globe newspaper and prolific writer.Born in Ireland, son of Protestant Robert Torrens of Hervey Hill....
, one of South Australia's founding fathers, apparently in the mistaken belief that the Angas Creek which flows down the hill was the source of the Torrens River
River Torrens
The River Torrens is the most significant river of the Adelaide Plains and was one of the reasons for the siting of the city of Adelaide, capital of South Australia. It flows from its source in the Adelaide Hills near Mount Pleasant, across the Adelaide Plains, past the city centre and empties...
, and was developed by the Dunn family in the early 1840s. The town, then known as Barton Springs, incorporated a farmhouse, smithy, stables and the Cornish Arms Inn. The town proper was laid out in 1853, and it served the Murray River
Murray River
The Murray River is Australia's longest river. At in length, the Murray rises in the Australian Alps, draining the western side of Australia's highest mountains and, for most of its length, meanders across Australia's inland plains, forming the border between New South Wales and Victoria as it...
trade at Mannum
Mannum, South Australia
Mannum is an historic town on the west bank of the Murray River in South Australia, east of Adelaide. At the 2006 census, Mannum had a population of 2,042. Mannum headquarters the Mid Murray Council, and is situated in both the State Electoral District of Schubert and the federal Division of...
as well as a nearby copper mine. A small gold deposit was discovered in 1870, but by World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, the town's importance had diminished, and the town that stands today is virtually unchanged since that time.
At the ABS
Australian Bureau of Statistics
The Australian Bureau of Statistics is Australia's national statistical agency. It was created as the Commonwealth Bureau of Census and Statistics on 8 December 1905, when the Census and Statistics Act 1905 was given Royal assent. It had its beginnings in section 51 of the Constitution of Australia...
2001 census, Mount Torrens had a population of 319 people living in 120 dwellings.
Mount Torrens has a football club, hotel and general store, as well as several historical buildings.