| Cradock South Australia |
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Village entrance signs. |
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Cradock
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| Established: | 1879 |
| Postcode: | 5432 |
| Elevation: | 410 m (1,345 ft) |
| Location: | 320 km (199 mi) N of Adelaide |
| LGA: | Flinders Ranges Council |
| State District: | Electoral district of Stuart |
| Federal Division: | Division of Grey |
Cradock is a settlement 320 kilometres north of Adelaide on the Hawker to Orroroo Road in South Australia. The nearest town with a greater population is Hawker which is approximately 20 km away with a population of around 360. Cradock is in the Flinders Ranges Council area, the state Electoral district of Stuart and the federal Division of Grey.
After the South Australian government permitted settlers to go into the semi-arid lands north of Goyder's Line Cradock was established in 1879 on a 'grassy flat' of 'strong red loam', by the Wirreanda Creek. Cradock takes its name from the then Governor of South Africa, Sir John Cradock.[1]
Soon after settlement a school, police station, two hotels, two blacksmith shops and a saddler were operating in Cradock. The “wheat rush” was followed by the failure of four years of crops which led to an increasing despair and a loss of many of the town’s population.[1]
Several old sandstone buildings remain, including the stone masonry church opened in 1924 by John H.P. Moyses.[2]
The village still has one hotel, which used to be called the Heartbreak Hotel after the failure of many farms in the region.
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