Gawler, South Australia
Encyclopedia
Gawler is the first country town in the state of South Australia
, and is named after the second Governor (British Vice-Regal representative) of the colony of South Australia, George Gawler
. It is located 44 km (27.3 mi) north of the centre
of the state capital, Adelaide
, and is close to the major wine producing district of the Barossa Valley
. Topographically, Gawler lies at the confluence of two tributaries of the Gawler River
, the North
and South
Para rivers, where they emerge from a range of low hills.
A British
colony, South Australia was established as a commercial venture by the South Australia Company
through the sale of land to free settlers at £1 per acre (£2/9/5d per hectare). Gawler was established through a 4000 acres (1,618.7 ha) "special survey" applied for by Henry Dundas Murray and John Reid and a syndicate of ten other colonists.
The town plan was devised by the colonial surveyor William Light
, and was the only town planned by him other than Adelaide. William Jacob used Light's plans and laid out the town.
Adelaide became a model of foresight with wide streets and ample parklands. After Light's death, it also became a model for numerous other planned towns in South Australia (many of which were never built). As the only other town planned by Light, Gawler is dissimilar to Adelaide's one square mile (2.6 km²) grid; the heart of Gawler is triangular rather than square, a form dictated by the topographical features. The parkland along the riverbanks and a Victorian
preference for public squares are present, but Light was aware that he was planning a village, not a metropolis.
Gawler prospered early with the discovery of copper nearby at Kapunda and Burra
, which resulted in Gawler becoming a resting stop to and from Adelaide. Later, it developed industries including flour milling and manufacturing steam locomotives.
With prosperity came a modest cultural flowering, ("The colonial Athens" was its nickname in the late 19th and early 20th centuries), the high point of which was the holding of a competition to compose an anthem for Australia in 1859, four decades before nationhood. The result was the Song Of Australia
, written by Caroline J Carleton to music by Carl Linger
. This became, in the next century, a candidate in a national referendum to choose a new National Anthem for Australia
to replace God Save the Queen.
Gawler had a horse street tram service from 1879 to 1931.
, is shot at "Kingsford", a working property outside Gawler's northeastern fringe.
Former Australian cricketer Darren Lehmann
was born in Gawler in 1970.
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
, and is named after the second Governor (British Vice-Regal representative) of the colony of South Australia, George Gawler
George Gawler
-External links: – Memorials and Monuments in Portsmouth, Hampshire, UK...
. It is located 44 km (27.3 mi) north of the centre
Adelaide city centre
The Adelaide city centre is the innermost locality of Greater Adelaide, known by locals simply as "The City" or "Town". The locality is split into two key geographical distinctions: the city "square mile", bordered by North, East, South and West Terraces; and that part of the Adelaide Parklands...
of the state capital, Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
, and is close to the major wine producing district of the Barossa Valley
Barossa Valley (wine)
The Barossa Valley is one of Australia's oldest wine regions. Located in South Australia, the Barossa Valley is about 56km northeast of the city of Adelaide...
. Topographically, Gawler lies at the confluence of two tributaries of the Gawler River
Gawler River
Gawler River, is a confluence of the North Para and South Para Rivers at the South Australian town of Gawler. It is also the name of a suburb, between Gawler and Angle Vale....
, the North
North Para River
The North Para River rises from the Barossa Ranges near Eden Valley and flows southwest through thhe Barossa Valley, passing through the towns of Nuriootpa, Tanunda, before merging with the South Para River in Gawler forming the Gawler River....
and South
South Para River
The South Para River is a river in Australia. It rises in the Mount Lofty Ranges near Mount Crawford and Kersbrook and flows northwest through the Mount Lofty Ranges, passing through the Warren Reservoir and the South Para Reservoir, before merging with the North Para River in Gawler forming the...
Para rivers, where they emerge from a range of low hills.
History
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
colony, South Australia was established as a commercial venture by the South Australia Company
South Australia Company
The South Australian Company was formed in London on 9 October 1835 by George Fife Angas and other wealthy British merchants to develop a new settlement in South Australia; its purpose was to build a new colony...
through the sale of land to free settlers at £1 per acre (£2/9/5d per hectare). Gawler was established through a 4000 acres (1,618.7 ha) "special survey" applied for by Henry Dundas Murray and John Reid and a syndicate of ten other colonists.
The town plan was devised by the colonial surveyor William Light
William Light
Colonel William Light was a British military officer and the first Surveyor-General of the Colony of South Australia...
, and was the only town planned by him other than Adelaide. William Jacob used Light's plans and laid out the town.
Adelaide became a model of foresight with wide streets and ample parklands. After Light's death, it also became a model for numerous other planned towns in South Australia (many of which were never built). As the only other town planned by Light, Gawler is dissimilar to Adelaide's one square mile (2.6 km²) grid; the heart of Gawler is triangular rather than square, a form dictated by the topographical features. The parkland along the riverbanks and a Victorian
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
preference for public squares are present, but Light was aware that he was planning a village, not a metropolis.
Gawler prospered early with the discovery of copper nearby at Kapunda and Burra
Burra, South Australia
Burra is a pastoral centre and historic tourist town in the mid-north of South Australia. It lies east of the Clare Valley in the Bald Hills range, part of the northern Mount Lofty Ranges, and on Burra Creek. The town began as a single company mining township that, by 1851, was a set of townships ...
, which resulted in Gawler becoming a resting stop to and from Adelaide. Later, it developed industries including flour milling and manufacturing steam locomotives.
With prosperity came a modest cultural flowering, ("The colonial Athens" was its nickname in the late 19th and early 20th centuries), the high point of which was the holding of a competition to compose an anthem for Australia in 1859, four decades before nationhood. The result was the Song Of Australia
Song of Australia
"The Song of Australia" was written by English-born poet Caroline J. Carleton in 1859 for a competition sponsored by the Gawler Institute. The music for the song was composed by the German-born Carl Linger , a prominent member of the Australian Forty-Eighters.The song was popularised in Australia...
, written by Caroline J Carleton to music by Carl Linger
Carl Linger
Carl Linger was a German Australian composer who wrote the "Song of Australia". For his song he received a price of ten guineas.German-born intellectual Carl Linger, who had studied at the Institute of Music in Berlin, came to South Australia in 1849 on the Princess Luise. He settled in Gawler,...
. This became, in the next century, a candidate in a national referendum to choose a new National Anthem for Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
to replace God Save the Queen.
Gawler had a horse street tram service from 1879 to 1931.
Culture
Gawler is a commercial centre for the Mid-North districts of South Australia and, increasingly, a dormitory town for Adelaide. The hit Australian television program about the McLeod sisters, McLeod's DaughtersMcLeod's Daughters
McLeod's Daughters is a Logie award-winning Australian drama series that aired on the Nine Network from 2001 to 2009. It tells the story of two sisters, Claire and Tess McLeod, who are reunited after they inherit the family farm...
, is shot at "Kingsford", a working property outside Gawler's northeastern fringe.
Former Australian cricketer Darren Lehmann
Darren Lehmann
Darren Scott Lehmann is a former Australian cricketer, who made his ODI debut in 1996 and Test debut in 1998. He was on the fringes of national selection for the entirety of the 1990s, and only became a regular in the ODI team in 2001 and Test team in late 2002, before being dropped in early 2005...
was born in Gawler in 1970.
See also
- Town of GawlerTown of GawlerThe Town of Gawler is a Local Government Area north of Adelaide in South Australia containing Gawler and its suburbs. The Corporation of the Town of Gawler was established on 9 July 1857 as the residents were not happy that the town area was covered by three different district councils...
- Gawler railway station
- May Brothers and CompanyMay Brothers and CompanyMay Brothers and Company was an engineering and manufacturing firm founded by Frederick and Alfred May in 1885. In 1986, during South Australia’s 150th Jubilee celebrations, Frederick May was named one of the 150 individuals to have made an outstanding contribution to the state’s development...
- List of locomotive builders