Penong, South Australia
Encyclopedia
Penong is a small South Australia
n town, located on the Nullarbor Plain
. Its location on the Eyre Highway
makes it a popular rest-stop for travellers.
The area surrounding Penong was settled by Europeans in the 19th century, the town being established in 1915 with the arrival of the railway. It is characterised by many windmill
s, which pump water from the Anjutabie water basin.
Penong is located close to Lake McDonnell, which has rich reserves of salt
and gypsum
. The town is 20km north of Cactus Beach, a popular surfing
beach.
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...
n town, located on the Nullarbor Plain
Nullarbor Plain
The Nullarbor Plain is part of the area of flat, almost treeless, arid or semi-arid country of southern Australia, located on the Great Australian Bight coast with the Great Victoria Desert to its north. It is the world's largest single piece of limestone, and occupies an area of about...
. Its location on the Eyre Highway
Eyre Highway
The Eyre Highway is a highway linking Western Australia and South Australia via the Nullarbor Plain. Signed as National Highway 1/A1, it forms part of Highway 1 and the Australian National Highway network linking Perth and Adelaide. It was named after explorer Edward John Eyre, who was the first to...
makes it a popular rest-stop for travellers.
The area surrounding Penong was settled by Europeans in the 19th century, the town being established in 1915 with the arrival of the railway. It is characterised by many windmill
Windmill
A windmill is a machine which converts the energy of wind into rotational energy by means of vanes called sails or blades. Originally windmills were developed for milling grain for food production. In the course of history the windmill was adapted to many other industrial uses. An important...
s, which pump water from the Anjutabie water basin.
Penong is located close to Lake McDonnell, which has rich reserves of salt
Salt
In chemistry, salts are ionic compounds that result from the neutralization reaction of an acid and a base. They are composed of cations and anions so that the product is electrically neutral...
and gypsum
Gypsum
Gypsum is a very soft sulfate mineral composed of calcium sulfate dihydrate, with the chemical formula CaSO4·2H2O. It is found in alabaster, a decorative stone used in Ancient Egypt. It is the second softest mineral on the Mohs Hardness Scale...
. The town is 20km north of Cactus Beach, a popular surfing
Surfing
Surfing' is a surface water sport in which the surfer rides a surfboard on the crest and face of a wave which is carrying the surfer towards the shore...
beach.