Mount Burr is a small town located in the South East of South Australia

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...

, about 12 km east of Millicent

Millicent

Millicent is a female given name that has been in use since the Middle Ages. The English form Millicent derives from the Old French Melisende, from the Germanic amal "work" and swinth "strength"...

 and about 50 km northeast of Mount Gambier

Mount Gambier, South Australia

Mount Gambier is the largest regional city in South Australia located approximately 450 kilometres south of the capital Adelaide and just 17 kilometres from the Victorian border....

. At the 2006 census

Census in Australia

The Australian census is administered once every five years by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The most recent census was conducted on 9 August 2011; the next will be conducted in 2016. Prior to the introduction of regular censuses in 1961, they had also been run in 1901, 1911, 1921, 1933,...

, Mount Burr had a population of 380.

Geography

The town is named after a local mountain called Mount Burr; it measures 67 metres tall (220 ft) and is one of 15 extinct volcanoes on the Limestone Coast

Limestone Coast

The Limestone Coast is a name used since the early twentyfirst century for the geographical region and tourist region of the southeast coast of South Australia from the Victoria border to the towards the city of Adelaide.-Location and description:...

. The mountain of Mount Burr is home to the SES 8 television transmitter, which is responsible for transmitting WIN, WIN Ten, SBS

Special Broadcasting Service

The Special Broadcasting Service is a hybrid-funded Australian public broadcasting radio and television network. The stated purpose of SBS is "to provide multilingual and multicultural radio and television services that inform, educate and entertain all Australians and, in doing so, reflect...

 and ABC

Australian Broadcasting Corporation

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...

 to households across the South East of SA and Western Victoria

Victoria (Australia)

Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....

.

History

Mount Burr was once a thriving country town, which was home to a large timber mill. The mill was the first of its kind in the region, built in 1931. It was considered a turning point for industry on the Limestone Coast. Unfortunately in late 2000 the timber mill closed leaving many employees unemployed.

The mountain was named by Governor George Grey

George Grey

George Grey may refer to:*Sir George Grey, 2nd Baronet , British politician*George Grey, 2nd Earl of Kent *Sir George Grey , Governor of Cape Colony, South Australia and New Zealand...

after George Dominicus Burr, a surveyor and Professor of Mathematics at Sandhurst Military College. His son, Thomas Burr, a surveyor, accompanied Governor Grey on the expedition in 1844.

Quoted from the account of the expedition published in the Journal of the Royal Geographical Society of London, vol 15, 1845: "Article III.- Account of Governor G Grey's Exploratory Journey along the South-Eastern Sea-board of South Australia. By Mr Thos. Burr, Dep Surv.-Gen."
"7 May 1844: At about 2pm we made the top of a range, the principal summit of which his Excellency has done me the honour to call after my father. The Mount Burr range is about 1600 feet above the level of the sea..."

Folklore

According to a well-known story, the proposed site for the town was located about 7 km South East of the current location, but due to a fire to "The Inn" (a small pub) in 1864, it was decided that the town be built at its current location.