| Kingscote South Australia |
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Dauncey Street |
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Kingscote
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| Population: | 1,692[1] | ||||||
| Established: | 1836 | ||||||
| Postcode: | 5223 | ||||||
| LGA: | Kangaroo Island Council | ||||||
| State District: | Electoral district of Finnis | ||||||
| Federal Division: | Division of Mayo | ||||||
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Kingscote is the largest town on Kangaroo Island, an island off the south coast of South Australia. It is a well established tourist centre, and also the administrative and communications centre. It is also home to a colony of the smallest penguins in the world, the little penguin. It is South Australia's oldest European settlement.[2] At the 2006 census, Kingscote had a population of 1,692.[1]
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The South Australia Company established its colony at Kingscote at Reeves Point on 27 July 1836, as South Australia's first official European settlement, the first settlers having arrived on the Duke of York.[3] It was later suggested that Kingscote could serve as the capital of South Australia, but the island's resources were insufficient to support such a large community; the South Australia Company moved almost six months later to Adelaide after having sent surveyors to find a better site.
The history of the area is displayed in the museum in Hope Cottage, located to the north of the town. Hope Cottage was one of the three earliest houses built in Kingscote, circa 1850, together with the adjoining cottages of Faith and Charity. (Faith has been subsequently demolished).
The Old Mulberry Tree at Reeves Point was planted in 1836, and still bears fruit. Reeves Point has been placed on the Australian Heritage Places List.[4]
The current town of Kingscote is now located immediately to the south of the original Kingscote settlement at Reeves Point in the area originally known as Queenscliffe (the origin of the name of the Queenscliffe Hotel in Dauncey Street). [5]
Kingscote has a Mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification Csa), where most of the rain falls in the winter months.
| Climate data for Kingscote | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 40.6 (105.1) |
41.0 (105.8) |
35.8 (96.4) |
31.0 (87.8) |
24.7 (76.5) |
22.4 (72.3) |
22.0 (71.6) |
23.0 (73.4) |
27.5 (81.5) |
37.3 (99.1) |
39.4 (102.9) |
38.8 (101.8) |
41.0 (105.8) |
| Average high °C (°F) | 23.7 (74.7) |
23.5 (74.3) |
22.2 (72.0) |
19.8 (67.6) |
17.5 (63.5) |
15.4 (59.7) |
14.6 (58.3) |
15.0 (59.0) |
16.5 (61.7) |
18.5 (65.3) |
20.5 (68.9) |
22.3 (72.1) |
19.1 (66.4) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 14.9 (58.8) |
15.4 (59.7) |
14.3 (57.7) |
12.5 (54.5) |
10.8 (51.4) |
9.3 (48.7) |
8.4 (47.1) |
8.3 (46.9) |
9.1 (48.4) |
10.3 (50.5) |
12.0 (53.6) |
13.6 (56.5) |
11.6 (52.9) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 8.3 (46.9) |
8.9 (48.0) |
6.1 (43.0) |
5.6 (42.1) |
2.8 (37.0) |
−1.1 (30.0) |
2.1 (35.8) |
2.0 (35.6) |
1.6 (34.9) |
2.2 (36.0) |
4.7 (40.5) |
6.1 (43.0) |
−1.1 (30.0) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 14.7 (0.579) |
17.0 (0.669) |
18.4 (0.724) |
35.1 (1.382) |
58.6 (2.307) |
72.5 (2.854) |
77.7 (3.059) |
65.2 (2.567) |
47.4 (1.866) |
37.1 (1.461) |
23.0 (0.906) |
19.2 (0.756) |
483.6 (19.039) |
| Avg. precipitation days | 3.6 | 3.5 | 5.0 | 8.7 | 12.8 | 15.7 | 18.1 | 16.8 | 12.9 | 10.0 | 6.7 | 5.3 | 119.1 |
| Source: [6] | |||||||||||||
Kingscote has a school offering years 1 to 12, a hospital, supermarket, post office and Government offices. It is the administrative centre for the Kangaroo Island Council, whose offices have recently undergone a significant upgrade.
There is an extensive wharf and jetty, formerly utilised by the roll on, roll off vessels, Troubridge and Island Seaway.
Kingscote has a tidal swimming pool, plus a sports centre and adjoining oval and netball courts.
The Aurora Ozone Seafront Hotel, with its mermaid statue, is a well known landmark on the Kingscote foreshore, having opened in 1907.
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