| Inman Valley South Australia |
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Glaciated pavement in the Inman River |
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| Population: | 427 (2006 Census)[1] |
| Postcode: | 5211 |
| Location: | 86 km (53 mi) South of Adelaide |
| LGA: | City of Victor Harbor |
Inman Valley (), is a valley, locality, and township on the Fleurieu Peninsula, around 86 km south of Adelaide. The valley is about 380 square kilometres in area. At the 2006 census, Inman Valley had a population of 427.[1]
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Inman Valley, and Inman River, was named through association with Inspector Henry Inman, founder and first commander of the South Australia Police, who pursued two allegedly escaped convicts there in August 1838.[2] No Indigenous name is recorded for the valley itself, but two names are recorded for the river: Moo-oola and Moogoora.[3] The mouth was called Mugurank, meaning 'place of hammerstones'.[4]
The first recorded Europeans to sight the valley were likely the party that accompanied explorer Collet Barker (but not Barker himself) in 1831. In its pristine state the valley abounded in kangaroos, which were hunted for food by early sealers and whalers at Encounter Bay. Present day land use is predominantly grazing, dairy farming, forestry, and horticulture. The valley also attracts bushwalkers and tourists.[5]
In the valley is Selwyns Rock, a glaciated pavement in the bed of the Inman River. It was first described by, and named for, Alfred Richard Cecil Selwyn, who was Victorian Government Geologist at the time. Glacial striations on the polished surface indicate glacial movement to the north-west. Boulder clays, tillites, and erratics are also common in the area, which underwent glaciation during the Permian (approximately 270 Ma).
The pavement was exposed during the Tertiary when the Inman River eroded the topography to its present-day surface. Glacier Rock Restaurant overlooks the glaciated bed of the river, while nearby to that is the Inman Valley Cafe. [1]
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