Polish Hill River, South Australia
| Polish Hill River South Australia | |
|---|---|
 Church museum at Polish Hill River | |
  Polish Hill River Location in South Australia | |
| Coordinates | 33°53′06″S 138°40′19″E / 33.88500°S 138.67194°ECoordinates: 33°53′06″S 138°40′19″E / 33.88500°S 138.67194°E |
| Established | 1844 |
| Postcode(s) | 5453 |
| Location | |
| LGA(s) | District Council of Clare and Gilbert Valleys |
| Region | Mid North |
| State electorate(s) | Frome |
| Federal Division(s) | Wakefield |
Polish Hill River is a locality in the Mid North region of South Australia, between the towns of Sevenhill and Mintaro.
Running northward through the locality is the Hill River itself, discovered and named by Edward John Eyre in 1839 after John Hill, discoverer of the nearby Hutt River.[1]
Following earlier pastoralism, closer settlement began in the early 1850s, with the arrival of Irish Catholic migrants, including the Barry, Sullivan, Erwin, and Rochford families who were all from Glendalough, Wicklow. The first white child born at Hill River was James Erwin, in 1853.[2]
Following the lead of Dr Anton Sokolowsky (d.1862), later settlers, through the mid-1850s into the 1860s, included Polish migrants, hence the locality's current name.
The district is now recognised as a super-premium wine-growing district.A small museum exists as a testament to the early settlers of the region (see External links); turn down Annie's Lane, off the Sevenhill-Mintaro Road. Several well-known wineries exist in the Polish Hill River region, including Pikes, Pauletts, Wilson Vineyard and Little Brampton Wines. Grossett Wines also source grapes from this area. A circuit from the renowned Riesling Trail, the Father Rogoski Loop, provides a beautiful walking/ cycling entry to the Polish Hill River region.