Mount Gambier, South Australia
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| Mount Gambier South Australia |
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 Location of Mount Gambier in South Australia (red). |
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| Population: | 23,494 (2006 census)[1] | ||||||
| • Density: | 881.1/km² (2282.0/sq mi) | ||||||
| Established: | 1854 | ||||||
| Area: | 26.7 km² (10.3 sq mi) | ||||||
| Time zone:
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ACST (UTC+9:30) | ||||||
| Location: | |||||||
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Mount Gambier is the second most populous city in South Australia after Adelaide, the capital of the state. It is approximately a five hour drive from both Adelaide and Melbourne.
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[edit] History
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This section does not cite any references or sources. (April 2008) Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed. |
Before European settlement, the Buandig (or Boandik) people were the original Aboriginal inhabitants of the area. They called it 'ereng balam' or 'egree belum', meaning 'home of the eagle hawk'.[2]
The peak of the extinct Mount Gambier crater was sighted in 1800 by Lieutenant James Grant from the survey brig, HMS Lady Nelson, and named for Lord James Gambier, Admiral of the Fleet.
The Henty brothers who owned large holdings in Portland, Western [[Victoria claim to the land, were forced to retreat when the lands were granted to Evelyn Sturt, the brother of the explorer Charles Sturt. Industries soon began to appear. The Post Office opened on September 22, 1846, [3] John Byng built the Mount Gambier Hotel in 1847, and Dr Edward Wehl arrived in 1849 to begin a flour-milling operation.
Hastings Cunningham founded "Gambierton" in 1854 by subdividing a block of 77 acres. From 1861 to 1878 the Post Office was known by this name before reverting to Mount Gambier. Local government appeared in 1863 when Dr Wehl, who now owned a substantial millhouse on Commercial Road, was elected chairman of the District Council of Mount Gambier. In December 1864 this became the District Council of Mount Gambier West and, at the same time, a separate District Council of Mount Gambier East was formed.
Incorporation in 1876 saw a further division, with the creation of the Town Council and Mr. John Watson elected Mayor. Mount Gambier was governed in this fashion until 1932, when the District Council of East and West merged to form a single District Council of Mount Gambier once more.
On 9 December 1954, Mount Gambier was officially declared a city.
[edit] Economy
The town's major industries are agriculture, forestry, trucking and tourism.
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[edit] Tourism
One of Mount Gambier's main tourism draw-cards is its location upon the slopes of a maar volcano of the same name, Mount Gambier, comprising several craters, part of the Newer Volcanics Province complex of volcanoes. One of these contains a huge lake of high-quality artesian drinking water which changes colour with the seasons. In winter, it is a steel grey and then changes to a spectacular cobalt blue in the summer, giving rise to its name, Blue Lake. This 70-metre deep lake also accommodates a range of unusual aquatic flora and fauna, in particular fields of large stromatolites.
Another crater, Valley Lake, contains a water skiing lake, scenic picnic grounds and wildlife walk. A small dormant volcano, Mount Schank, can also be seen to the south from Mount Gambier.
The region has many water-filled caves and sinkholes which attract cave divers from around the globe, and such places as Tantanoola Caves, Umpherston Sinkhole, Cave Gardens and Engelbrecht Cave can all be visited by tourists. Within a half hour drive of Mount Gambier one can also experience the wineries of the Coonawarra, pine plantation tours, shipwreck beaches, and river fishing.
[edit] Education
The town is serviced by four Reception to Year 7 (R-7) Primary schools, Mount Gambier North Primary School, McDonald Park, Melalueuca Park and Mulga Street Primary School. Two colleges offer Reception to Year 12 study Tenison Woods College and St Martins Lutheran College. There are two High Schools for Year 8 to 12, Mount Gambier High School and Grant High School. TAFE SA has a campus in Mount Gambier providing an extensive variety of vocational study. The Mount Gambier TAFE SA campus also incorporates a UniSA campus.
[edit] Retail
Centro Mount Gambier located in Mount Gambier’s CBD is a single level, air-conditioned fully enclosed shopping centre anchored by a discount department store and a supermarket.
[edit] Sport
The town has 4 Australian rules football teams competing in the Western Border Football League: East Gambier, North Gambier, South Gambier and West Gambier.
[edit] Governance
The City of Mount Gambier local government area consists of a mayor and ten councillors, elected equally from the East and West wards. As of November 2007, the Mayor of Mount Gambier council is Steve Perryman.
The City of Mount Gambier is surrounded by the District Council of Grant local government area.
Mount Gambier lies in the state electoral district of Mount Gambier and the federal seat of Barker.
[edit] See also
- Blue Lake (South Australia)
- Mount Gambier Airport
- Mount Gambier Golf Club
[edit] References
- ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). Mount Gambier (Urban Centre/Locality). 2006 Census QuickStats. Retrieved on 2008-02-28.
- ^ Other information. Place Names Online. Government of South Australia Land Services Group. Retrieved on 2006-10-22.
- ^ Premier Postal History, Post Office List, <https://www.premierpostal.com/cgi-bin/wsProd.sh/Viewpocdwrapper.p?SortBy=VIC&country=>. Retrieved on 11 April 2008
[edit] External links
- Mount Gambier, South Australia is at coordinates Coordinates:
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