| Tantanoola South Australia |
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Caves near Tantanoola |
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Tantanoola
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| Population: | 255 (2006 Census)[1] |
| Postcode: | 5280 |
| Elevation: | 67 m (220 ft) |
| Time zone:
• Summer (DST) |
ACST (UTC+9:30) |
| LGA: | Wattle Range Council |
| State District: | MacKillop, Mount Gambier |
| Federal Division: | Barker |
Tantanoola (postcode 5280) is a town in South Australia. The name is derived from the aboriginal word tentunola, which means boxwood / brushwood hill or camp. Tantanoola was originally named 'Lucieton' by Governor Jervois after his daughter Lucy Caroline, on 10 July 1879. It was changed by Governor Robinson to 'Tantanoola' on 4 October 1888. At the 2006 census, Tantanoola had a population of 255.[1]
Tantanoola is in the Wattle Range Council local government area, the South Australian House of Assembly electoral districts of and the Australian House of Representatives Division of Barker.
The township of Tantanoola is situated in the Hundred of Hindmarsh, 425 km south east of Adelaide, and was once a portion of Mayurra Station. It was the second town of importance on the Mount Gambier to Beachport rail line.
Tantanoola is known for the Tantanoola Tiger, a phantom cat which supposedly stalked the area during the late nineteenth century. In August 1895 an animal was shot by one Thomas John Donovan, which was believed to have been the mysterious predator. The animal turned out to be more like a wolf than a cat. Later, it was determined to be an Assyrian wolf, although how it arrived in South Australia has been the subject of a number of theories. It is currently preserved and on display at the Tantanoola Hotel (which is also known colloquially as the 'Tantanoola Tiger Hotel').[2] Tantanoola Caves Conservation Park, featuring a spectacular dolomite cave is located nearby.
Australian poet Max Harris wrote a poem titled "The Tantanoola Tiger", which is included in the collection The Angry Penguin: the Poetry of Max Harris, published by the National Library of Australia. [3][4]