Pinnaroo, South Australia
Encyclopedia
Pinnaroo is a town in the Murray Mallee
region of South Australia
, near the border with Victoria
243 km east of Adelaide
. Pinnaroo is on the Mallee Highway
, and the railway line between Tailem Bend
and Ouyen
. The roadhouse
s on the highway are the first food and leg-stretch stop on the bus route from Adelaide to Sydney
. At the 2006 census
, Pinnaroo had a population of 587.
The town's name is derived from "big man" in a local Aboriginal language.
The railway arrived in the area in 1906. There had not been any significant development in the area before that, as the remoteness and difficulty of getting supplies in and produce out had made it uneconomic to farm before that.
The Border Times is a weekly newspaper published in the town.
The Town has a large variety of sports for a town of 900, such as Australian Football, Netball, Cricket, Tennis, Basketball, Volleyball, Lawnbowls, Badminton, Golf and darts. The towns local football team, the Pinnaroo Supa Roos play in the Mallee Football League.
Pinnaroo also has a show and field days every year at the start of October. The Pinnaroo Show features dog trials, agricultural tents, competitions, horse events, keg tosses, animal judging and fireworks. The Show attracts over 10 000 people every year. Another event Pinnaroo hosts is the Pinnaroo SpudFest. The SpudFest features a black tie dinner, stalls and games, entertainment, and Spud Wrestling.
The railway is not currently available for transport between the states, as the line from Tailem Bend was converted to standard gauge
soon after the main Adelaide–Melbourne line was converted, but the line to Ouyen remains as broad gauge
. Both sides are used to transport grain
from silos along the railway line towards the ports in each state.
The town has also become a major centre for growing potato
es since around 1990.
The Peebinga Conservation Park
is 42 km north of Pinnaroo, Karte Conservation Park 30 km north-west and the much larger Ngarkat Conservation Park
is 28 km south of the town.
The postcode for Pinnaroo is 5304. Pinnaroo is the seat of the Southern Mallee District Council
, and is in the South Australian House of Assembly
electoral district of Hammond
and the Australian House of Representatives
Division of Barker
.
, Cricket
, Athletics, Swimming, Golf, Softball, Tennis, Netball and Basketball. The school has four class-rooms, a GP room, an art and technical centre, a home economics centre, an FM radio station, a swimming pool, two ovals, outdoor tennis, netball and basketball courts, and a full size gymnasium.
Pinnaroo Primary School is the home of South Australia's first Community Library which opened in 1977.
Murray Mallee
The Murray Mallee is the grain-growing and sheep-farming area of South Australia bounded to the north and west by the Murray River, to the east by the Victorian border, and extending about 50 km south of the Mallee Highway....
region 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...
, near the border with 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....
243 km east of 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...
. Pinnaroo is on the Mallee Highway
Mallee Highway
The Mallee Highway runs east from Tailem Bend in South Australia through cereal-growing farmland at the southern end of the Murray Mallee to Pinnaroo near the border with Victoria, where it crosses route...
, and the railway line between Tailem Bend
Tailem Bend, South Australia
Tailem Bend is a town on the Murray River in South Australia. The town was proclaimed in 1887, the year after the main railway came through. At the 2006 census, Tailem Bend had a population of 1,457....
and Ouyen
Ouyen, Victoria
Ouyen is a town in Victoria, Australia, located in the Rural City of Mildura at the junction of the Calder Highway and Mallee Highway, south of Mildura and north-west of Melbourne. At the 2006 census the town had a population of 1,061.-History:...
. The roadhouse
Roadhouse (facility)
A roadhouse is a commercial establishment typically built on a major road or highway, to service passing travellers. Its meaning varies slightly by country.-USA:...
s on the highway are the first food and leg-stretch stop on the bus route from Adelaide to Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
. 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,...
, Pinnaroo had a population of 587.
The town's name is derived from "big man" in a local Aboriginal language.
The railway arrived in the area in 1906. There had not been any significant development in the area before that, as the remoteness and difficulty of getting supplies in and produce out had made it uneconomic to farm before that.
The Border Times is a weekly newspaper published in the town.
The Town has a large variety of sports for a town of 900, such as Australian Football, Netball, Cricket, Tennis, Basketball, Volleyball, Lawnbowls, Badminton, Golf and darts. The towns local football team, the Pinnaroo Supa Roos play in the Mallee Football League.
Pinnaroo also has a show and field days every year at the start of October. The Pinnaroo Show features dog trials, agricultural tents, competitions, horse events, keg tosses, animal judging and fireworks. The Show attracts over 10 000 people every year. Another event Pinnaroo hosts is the Pinnaroo SpudFest. The SpudFest features a black tie dinner, stalls and games, entertainment, and Spud Wrestling.
The railway is not currently available for transport between the states, as the line from Tailem Bend was converted to standard gauge
Standard gauge
The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
soon after the main Adelaide–Melbourne line was converted, but the line to Ouyen remains as broad gauge
Broad gauge
Broad-gauge railways use a track gauge greater than the standard gauge of .- List :For list see: List of broad gauges, by gauge and country- History :...
. Both sides are used to transport grain
Cereal
Cereals are grasses cultivated for the edible components of their grain , composed of the endosperm, germ, and bran...
from silos along the railway line towards the ports in each state.
The town has also become a major centre for growing potato
Potato
The potato is a starchy, tuberous crop from the perennial Solanum tuberosum of the Solanaceae family . The word potato may refer to the plant itself as well as the edible tuber. In the region of the Andes, there are some other closely related cultivated potato species...
es since around 1990.
The Peebinga Conservation Park
Peebinga Conservation Park
Peebinga Conservation Park is a 34 km2 nature reserve lying 40 km north of the town of Pinnaroo in the Murray Mallee region of south-eastern South Australia, about 240 km east of Adelaide and 10 km west of the Victorian border....
is 42 km north of Pinnaroo, Karte Conservation Park 30 km north-west and the much larger Ngarkat Conservation Park
Ngarkat Conservation Park
Ngarkat Conservation Park is situated in South Australia's south-eastern corner. It consists of Mallee vegetation on an area that was once a seabed. It is bordered by Scorpion Springs Conservation Park, Mount Shaugh Conservation Park and Mount Rescue Conservation Park, which constitutes the...
is 28 km south of the town.
The postcode for Pinnaroo is 5304. Pinnaroo is the seat of the Southern Mallee District Council
Southern Mallee District Council
The Southern Mallee District Council is a Local Government Area in the Murray Mallee region of South Australia. The council offices are in Pinnaroo and Lameroo....
, and is in the South Australian House of Assembly
South Australian House of Assembly
The House of Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of South Australia. The other is the Legislative Council. It sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Adelaide.- Overview :...
electoral district of Hammond
Electoral district of Hammond
Hammond is an electoral district of the House of Assembly in the Australian state of South Australia. It is named after Ruby Hammond, the first indigenous woman to stand for the South Australian parliament...
and the Australian House of Representatives
Australian House of Representatives
The House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the Parliament of Australia; it is the lower house; the upper house is the Senate. Members of Parliament serve for terms of approximately three years....
Division of Barker
Division of Barker
The Division of Barker is an Australian Electoral Division in the south-east of South Australia.The division was created in 1903 and is named for Collet Barker, an early explorer of the region at the mouth of the Murray River...
.
Pinnaroo Primary School
Pinnaroo Primary School is a public primary school for students in grades reception to 7, and has approximately 70 students. The school has four composites classes - Reception, Grades 1 and 2, Grades 3 and 4, and Grades 5,6 and 7. It is the only school within 30 km of the town. , the school's principal is Sunyl Vogt and the school slogan is Aim High. The school regularly takes part in interschool sports with neighbouring schools Lameroo and Geranium in swimming and athletics. The school also takes part in SAPSASA with the Murray Mallee team in sports such as Australian Rules FootballAustralian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
, Cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
, Athletics, Swimming, Golf, Softball, Tennis, Netball and Basketball. The school has four class-rooms, a GP room, an art and technical centre, a home economics centre, an FM radio station, a swimming pool, two ovals, outdoor tennis, netball and basketball courts, and a full size gymnasium.
Pinnaroo Primary School is the home of South Australia's first Community Library which opened in 1977.