Peters Hill, South Australia

Peters Hill
Highest point
Elevation 518 m (1,699 ft)
Coordinates 34°10′42.02″S 138°49′56.17″E / 34.1783389°S 138.8322694°E / -34.1783389; 138.8322694Coordinates: 34°10′42.02″S 138°49′56.17″E / 34.1783389°S 138.8322694°E / -34.1783389; 138.8322694 
Geography
Location South Australia, Australia
Parent range Belvidere Range

Peters Hill, (518m), formerly Peter's Hill (the possessive apostrophe being officially deleted in December 1940) is the highest peak in the Belvidere Range of hills of South Australia, which is a northern extension of the Mount Lofty Ranges.

Description

Peters Hill sits atop a north-south ridge about 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) west of the surveyed town of Hamilton and around 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) nearly due east of the town of Riverton. The surrounding country supports grazing on the higher peaks and dry grain farming on the slopes and plains.

Naming

Peters Hill has been named as such since as early as 1842. Without doubt, the hill is named after William Peter, a Scottish grazier who in 1841 pioneered European settlement in this district. His sheep runs extended all round this hill, one of his head stations being nearby."[1] 'Peter's Hill', as well as the neighbouring 'Mr Peter's Head Station', are both marked and named on a survey plan drawn up in 1842 for the Secondary Towns Association.[2]

Despite that evidence, some history sources have caused confusion by citing alternative origins which are obviously incorrect. Among these are the Manning Index.[1][3][4] This identifies three sources for the hill's name. One is William Spence Peter, as already mentioned. Another asserts it was named after “Peter Inkster (c.1829-1917), an early settler.”,[1][3] However, Inkster did not migrate to South Australia until 1852, by which time the name had been in use for at least ten years.[5] Lastly, it was supposedly named 'Petatz Hill' after Martin Petatz, a Germanic settler who owned a nearby property. However, Petatz’s name is not recorded in official records as a landholder.[1][3] More likely, Petatz is simply a translated form of the name Peter.

History

In the early 1850s a small copper mine, the Belvidere, was worked at the north end of this hill. Around that time the first European farming settlers arrived, including a significant community of Wends, displacing the earlier pastoralists. By 1856 these pioneers had erected a school, church, and cemetery. Some of their descendants are still farming there today.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Search result for "Peters Hill" (Record number SA0054601)". Department of Planning Transport and Infrastructure. 15 April 2014. Retrieved 28 October 2015.
  2. ↑ File:http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/20341869 | Plan of Secondary Towns Assoc Survey, 1842
  3. 1 2 3 Manning, G. H. "Peters Hill". State Library of South Australia. Retrieved 30 October 2015.
  4. ↑ "FORTY-THREE TOWN NAMES CHANGED, Premier's Home Town Among Them". The Advertiser. 6 December 1940. p. 12. Retrieved 30 October 2015.
  5. ↑ See Advertiser newspaper, 24 February 1917, p.9, for Inkster's obituary.


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