Wirrulla, South Australia
Encyclopedia
Wirrulla is a small grain belt town
located 60 km from Streaky Bay
on the Eyre Peninsula
. The town is a focus point for many of the surrounding agricultural districts, and features a number of silos
used to store grain
from the surrounding areas. The name of the town is derived from an aboriginal
word meaning "to make haste, to be quick". At the 2006 census
, Wirrulla had a population of 241.
The town was established after The Wirrilla Estate owned by Mr D.H. Power was subdivided in 1914, growing around a railway siding. It was, and continues to be a useful stop for travellers making their way to the Gawler Ranges
, which lie 40 km to the North of the township.
Wirrulla currently has a number of basic facilities including a hotel
, a caravan park and a general store. The town also has an unusual tourist attraction
- an inland jetty
, possibly one of the few in the world.
The town has a number of sporting
and recreational facilities including bowls
and golf
courses.
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
located 60 km from Streaky Bay
Streaky Bay, South Australia
Streaky Bay is a coastal town on the western side of the Eyre Peninsula, in South Australia just off the Flinders Highway 303 km north west of Port Lincoln and 727 km by road from Adelaide...
on the 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...
. The town is a focus point for many of the surrounding agricultural districts, and features a number of silos
Silos
Silos is the plural of silo, a farm structure, typically cylindrical, in which fodder or forage is kept.Silos may also refer to:* Santo Domingo de Silos Abbey, famous for Romanesque carvings and recordings of Gregorian chant...
used to store grain
GRAIN
GRAIN is a small international non-profit organisation that works to support small farmers and social movements in their struggles for community-controlled and biodiversity-based food systems. Our support takes the form of independent research and analysis, networking at local, regional and...
from the surrounding areas. The name of the town is derived from an aboriginal
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....
word meaning "to make haste, to be quick". 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,...
, Wirrulla had a population of 241.
The town was established after The Wirrilla Estate owned by Mr D.H. Power was subdivided in 1914, growing around a railway siding. It was, and continues to be a useful stop for travellers making their way to 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...
, which lie 40 km to the North of the township.
Wirrulla currently has a number of basic facilities including a hotel
Hotel
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...
, a caravan park and a general store. The town also has an unusual tourist attraction
Tourist attraction
A tourist attraction is a place of interest where tourists visit, typically for its inherent or exhibited cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, or amusement opportunities....
- an inland jetty
Jetty
A jetty is any of a variety of structures used in river, dock, and maritime works that are generally carried out in pairs from river banks, or in continuation of river channels at their outlets into deep water; or out into docks, and outside their entrances; or for forming basins along the...
, possibly one of the few in the world.
The town has a number of sporting
Sporting
Sporting may refer to:*Sport, recreational games and play.It may also refer to a sporting club:*Sporting Clube de Portugal, a sports club from Lisbon, Portugal.*Sporting Al Riyadi Beirut, a sports club from Beirut, Lebanon.*A.O...
and recreational facilities including bowls
Bowls
Bowls is a sport in which the objective is to roll slightly asymmetric balls so that they stop close to a smaller "jack" or "kitty". It is played on a pitch which may be flat or convex or uneven...
and 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....
courses.