Port Wakefield, South Australia
Encyclopedia
Port Wakefield was the first government town to be established north of the capital, Adelaide
, in South Australia
.
Port Wakefield is situated approximately 98.7 kilometres from Adelaide
and lies on the Port Wakefield Road
section of the A1 National Highway
. Port Wakefield is situated on the River Wakefield
, at the head of the Gulf St Vincent.
in 1802, while he was travelling to the Flinders Ranges and was originally named Port Henry. The name of the town was, around 1849, changed to Port Wakefield.
and Adelaide – Port Augusta
road routes. Just north of the township there is a major forked intersection where the Yorke Peninsula traffic diverges west from the main highway. The intersection is notorious for road accidents.
Located thus, Port Wakefield is known mostly for its roadhouses and trucking stops, including Shell, United, SAFF and, the recently upgraded BP. The BP is open 24/7, providing dine in and takeaway foods, and freshly ground coffee.
Port Wakefield hosts travellers (coming from Adelaide by road) to the Flinders Ranges
, Yorke Peninsula
, Eyre Peninsula
or the Nullarbor Plain
will travel through this town.
Port Wakefield has several adjacent beaches and caravan parks. Popular places to stay include the Port Wakefield Motel (located just off the highway) and the Port Wakefield Caravan Park.
. Seeking to reduce cartage costs, a track was surveyed to its port established at the mouth of the River Wakefield
. By securing leases of the appropriate Crown Land, the company obtained a monopoly of the port. The Government declared the track the Great Western Road. The wharf was constructed along the bank of the river and cargo was transferred between the wharf and ships at anchor in the Gulf on lighter
s.
With the opening of the railway from Adelaide to Gawler
in 1857, the Copper Company's traffic came to a sudden end, leaving only pastoral produce to flow to the port. Mixed farming was established on lands opening up by the Government along the River in the mid 1860s and this called for improvement in transport to the Port.
William Hanson, Manager for Railways, selected a route for a horse-drawn tramway terminating at Hoyles Plains, later renamed Hoyleton
. The enabling Act provided for a tramway of 28 miles 41 chains (45.9 km) in length to a gauge of , the first line in South Australia built to that gauge. Subsequently, the Government agreed that the line should be operated by a private body. The successful tenderer was one Paul Badcock who opened the line to traffic on 4 January, 1870. Horses were worked in three relays between the stations on the route.
The choice of gauge was influenced by the argument that costs varied with the cube of the gauge.
Following a surrender of the lease, the line was taken over by the Government at the end of 1870.
On 1 March, 1876 the line was extended from Hoyleton to Blyth
. Steam locomotives were subsequently obtained and, by August, 1876, the entire line was being worked by steam power. The line was extended at the other end from Port Wakefield to Kadina
on 9 October, 1878.
In 1927, these railways, and the remainder of the Western system that grew from them, were converted to the broad gauge.
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...
, in 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...
.
Port Wakefield is situated approximately 98.7 kilometres from 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 lies on the Port Wakefield Road
Port Wakefield Road
Port Wakefield Road is an important Australian highway. It connects Adelaide, the South Australian capital, to the Yorke Peninsula, Port Augusta, northern and western South Australia, the Northern Territory and Western Australia. It is designated National Highway A1 and a part of the National Highway...
section of the A1 National Highway
Highway 1 (Australia)
Australia's Highway 1 is a network of highways that circumnavigate the Australian continent, joining all mainland state capitals. At a total length of approximately it is the longest national highway in the world, longer than the Trans-Siberian Highway and the Trans-Canada Highway...
. Port Wakefield is situated on the River Wakefield
Wakefield River
The Wakefield River, is part of an estuary located in South Australia. It is an ephemeral river that usually flows only when there are significant rains. The town of Balaklava is located along the lower reaches of the river....
, at the head of the Gulf St Vincent.
History
Port Wakefield was first visited by Matthew FlindersMatthew Flinders
Captain Matthew Flinders RN was one of the most successful navigators and cartographers of his age. In a career that spanned just over twenty years, he sailed with Captain William Bligh, circumnavigated Australia and encouraged the use of that name for the continent, which had previously been...
in 1802, while he was travelling to the Flinders Ranges and was originally named Port Henry. The name of the town was, around 1849, changed to Port Wakefield.
Today
Port Wakefield is a major stop on the Adelaide – Yorke PeninsulaYorke Peninsula
The Yorke Peninsula is a peninsula located north-west and west of Adelaide in South Australia, Australia, between Spencer Gulf on the west and Gulf St Vincent on the east. It has geographic coordinates of...
and Adelaide – Port Augusta
Port Augusta, South Australia
-Electricity generation:Electricity is generated at the Playford B and Northern power stations from brown coal mined at Leigh Creek, 250 km to the north...
road routes. Just north of the township there is a major forked intersection where the Yorke Peninsula traffic diverges west from the main highway. The intersection is notorious for road accidents.
Located thus, Port Wakefield is known mostly for its roadhouses and trucking stops, including Shell, United, SAFF and, the recently upgraded BP. The BP is open 24/7, providing dine in and takeaway foods, and freshly ground coffee.
Port Wakefield hosts travellers (coming from Adelaide by road) to the Flinders Ranges
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...
, Yorke Peninsula
Yorke Peninsula
The Yorke Peninsula is a peninsula located north-west and west of Adelaide in South Australia, Australia, between Spencer Gulf on the west and Gulf St Vincent on the east. It has geographic coordinates of...
, 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...
or the Nullarbor Plain
Nullarbor Plain
The Nullarbor Plain is part of the area of flat, almost treeless, arid or semi-arid country of southern Australia, located on the Great Australian Bight coast with the Great Victoria Desert to its north. It is the world's largest single piece of limestone, and occupies an area of about...
will travel through this town.
Port Wakefield has several adjacent beaches and caravan parks. Popular places to stay include the Port Wakefield Motel (located just off the highway) and the Port Wakefield Caravan Park.
The Port and the Railway
In 1848, the Patent Copper Company agreed to build and operate a smelter at BurraBurra, South Australia
Burra is a pastoral centre and historic tourist town in the mid-north of South Australia. It lies east of the Clare Valley in the Bald Hills range, part of the northern Mount Lofty Ranges, and on Burra Creek. The town began as a single company mining township that, by 1851, was a set of townships ...
. Seeking to reduce cartage costs, a track was surveyed to its port established at the mouth of the River Wakefield
Wakefield River
The Wakefield River, is part of an estuary located in South Australia. It is an ephemeral river that usually flows only when there are significant rains. The town of Balaklava is located along the lower reaches of the river....
. By securing leases of the appropriate Crown Land, the company obtained a monopoly of the port. The Government declared the track the Great Western Road. The wharf was constructed along the bank of the river and cargo was transferred between the wharf and ships at anchor in the Gulf on lighter
Lighter (barge)
A lighter is a type of flat-bottomed barge used to transfer goods and passengers to and from moored ships. Lighters were traditionally unpowered and were moved and steered using long oars called "sweeps," with their motive power provided by water currents...
s.
With the opening of the railway from Adelaide to Gawler
Gawler, South Australia
Gawler is the first country town in the state of South Australia, and is named after the second Governor of the colony of South Australia, George Gawler. It is located north of the centre of the state capital, Adelaide, and is close to the major wine producing district of the Barossa Valley...
in 1857, the Copper Company's traffic came to a sudden end, leaving only pastoral produce to flow to the port. Mixed farming was established on lands opening up by the Government along the River in the mid 1860s and this called for improvement in transport to the Port.
William Hanson, Manager for Railways, selected a route for a horse-drawn tramway terminating at Hoyles Plains, later renamed Hoyleton
Hoyleton, South Australia
Hoyleton is a former railway town in South Australia, west of the Clare Valley, halfway between Leasingham and Halbury. At the 2006 census, Hoyleton had a population of 283....
. The enabling Act provided for a tramway of 28 miles 41 chains (45.9 km) in length to a gauge of , the first line in South Australia built to that gauge. Subsequently, the Government agreed that the line should be operated by a private body. The successful tenderer was one Paul Badcock who opened the line to traffic on 4 January, 1870. Horses were worked in three relays between the stations on the route.
The choice of gauge was influenced by the argument that costs varied with the cube of the gauge.
Following a surrender of the lease, the line was taken over by the Government at the end of 1870.
On 1 March, 1876 the line was extended from Hoyleton to Blyth
Blyth, South Australia
Blyth is a small town in the Mid North of South Australia, located west of the renowned Clare Valley. It has a population of 306, the farming community spanning the plains between the Clare Hills and the Barunga/Hummocks ranges...
. Steam locomotives were subsequently obtained and, by August, 1876, the entire line was being worked by steam power. The line was extended at the other end from Port Wakefield to Kadina
Kadina, South Australia
Kadina is a town located on the Yorke Peninsula of South Australia, approximately 144 kilometres north-northwest of the state capital of Adelaide. The largest town of the Peninsula, Kadina is one of the three Copper Triangle towns famous for their shared copper mining history...
on 9 October, 1878.
In 1927, these railways, and the remainder of the Western system that grew from them, were converted to the broad gauge.