Lock, South Australia

Lock is a town in the centre of Eyre Peninsula in South Australia. It is central Eyre Peninsula's main grain storage hub, as it is surrounded by a predominantly farming community, with emphasis on cereal crop production. The town has a hotel, caravan park, motel, supermarket, post office, police station, sporting complex, golf and bowling clubs and area school. At the 2006 census, Lock had a population of 290.^[1]

History

Although many nearby coastal towns were settled much earlier, Lock was not established until the 1860s due to the low rainfall and marginal conditions. Early settlers grazed sheep on vast tracts of natural vegetation for very low costs. Land settlement occurred in 1861, with settlements continuing further north over the next decades.

A major change occurred in the area with the arrival of the Port Lincoln railway line in 1913. The area was serviced by a siding known simply as Terre Siding after one of the local properties. This was altered when the town was gazetted in February 1918, and named Lock after Corporal Albert Lock, a member of the South Australian Survey Department who had been killed in Belgium during World War I, in 1917.^[2]

The potential for wheat cropping was realised with the establishment of the railway, but the low rainfall kept any developments from happening until the pipeline from the Tod Reservoir was connected. Two years later, a huge underground water reservoir was discovered under the town, capable of supplying all of the town's water needs.^[3]

The Lock Heritage Museum displays a number of old wartime, farming and household items used in the area many years ago.^[4]

Geography

The town is located in the geographic centre of the Eyre Peninsula, surrounded by mostly flat farming land, with patches of remnant vegetation.

It is also located close to the Hambridge Conservation Park to the north and the Hinck’s Conservation Park to the south, where the area's original ecosystems are somewhat preserved.

Community

In the 2006 Australian Bureau of Statistics Census of Population and Housing, the population of the Lock town census area was 290. Some 95.2% of the population was born in Australia, with immigrants coming from New Zealand, United States of America and England.^[1]

Economy

Agriculture, predominantly cereal cropping and to a lesser extent, sheep grazing, is still the area's main economic input, with a minor input from tourism during school holidays.

Mining potential in the area is showing promise, with iron ore having been discovered in banded iron formations only 20 km to the southeast at Wilgerup by Centrex Metals Ltd.^[5]

References

↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Lock (State Suburb)". 2006 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 22 September 2011.
↑ Manning Index of SA, Lock, retrieved 2007-05-26
↑ Sydney Morning Herald Travel (2004-02-08), Lock, The Sydney Morning Herald, retrieved 2007-05-26
↑ Tourism EP, Lock, retrieved 2007-05-26
↑ Centrex Metals, Wilgerup, retrieved 2007-05-26

External links

Coordinates: 33°34′S 135°46′E / 33.567°S 135.767°E / -33.567; 135.767

v t e Towns and Localities of the District Council of Elliston

Bramfield Colton Elliston Kopi Lock McLachlan Mount Damper Mount Wedge Murdinga Polda Port Kenny Sheringa Talia Tooligie Venus Bay Warrachie

v t e Eyre Peninsula, South Australia

Cities	Port Augusta Port Lincoln Whyalla

Townships	Arno Bay Baird Bay Ceduna Cleve Coffin Bay Cowell Cummins Darke Peak Denial Bay Elliston Iron Knob Kimba Kyancutta Lock Minnipa Poochera Port Kenny Port Neill Pygery Sceale Bay Smoky Bay Streaky Bay Thevenard Tumby Bay Venus Bay Wangary Wirrulla Wudinna Yaninee Yeelanna

National parks	Coffin Bay National Park Gawler Ranges National Park Lake Gilles Conservation Park Lincoln National Park

Islands	Avoid Bay Islands Baird Bay Islands Bicker Isles Boston Island Cap Island Curlew Island Eba Island Entrance Island Flinders Island Germein Island Golden Island Grantham Island Investigator Group Liguanea Island Lipson Island Louth Island Neptune Islands Nicolas Baudin Island Nuyts Archipelago Olive Island Pigface Island Price Island Sir Joseph Banks Group Sleaford Islands Taylor Island Thistle Island Tumby Island Waldegrave Islands Whidbey Isles Williams Island

Councils	Ceduna DC Cleve DC Elliston DC Franklin Harbour DC Kimba DC Lower Eyre Peninsula DC City of Port Augusta City of Port Lincoln Streaky Bay DC Tumby Bay DC City of Whyalla Wudinna DC

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