The Regional Council of Goyder is a local government area located in the Mid North

Mid North

The Mid North is a region of South Australia, north of the Adelaide Plains, but not as far north as the Far North, or outback. It is generally accepted to extend from Spencer Gulf east to the Barrier Highway, including the coastal plain, the southern part of the Flinders Ranges, and the northern...

 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...

. The district is reliant on agriculture

Agriculture

Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...

 as a mainstay of its economy

Economy

An economy consists of the economic system of a country or other area; the labor, capital and land resources; and the manufacturing, trade, distribution, and consumption of goods and services of that area...

, with manufacturing

Manufacturing

Manufacturing is the use of machines, tools and labor to produce goods for use or sale. The term may refer to a range of human activity, from handicraft to high tech, but is most commonly applied to industrial production, in which raw materials are transformed into finished goods on a large scale...

 and tourism

Tourism

Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...

 also becoming prominent.

History

The region has a prominent history, as it encompasses the former District Councils of Burra Burra, which in 1851 had a reported population of 5,000 making it the seventh largest town in 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...

 and the largest inland settlement. Mining

Mining

Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...

 features prominently in the district's history, particularly the mining of copper

Copper

Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...

.

The district was originally governed by four independent councils, the District Councils of Burra Burra (formerly the Corporation of the Town of Burra and the Burra District Council), Eudunda, Hallet and Robertstown, all of which were established around the same time in which the copper

Copper

Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...

 deposits were mined heavily.

The councils were amalgamated in 1997 to form the current council area.

Council logo

The council logo consists of four hills, symbolising the four former amalgamated district councils, and also depict the ranges in the area. The symbols represent various aspects of the area :

• Sheep - studs, wool and meat industry;
• Mining - buildings - 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 ...
  
   mining history;
• Wheat - cereal crops;
• Windmill - pastoral areas and engineering works in the area.

The line under the symbols represents Goyder's Line

Goyder's Line

Goyder's Line is a boundary line across South Australia corresponding to a rainfall boundary believed to indicate the edge of the area suitable for agriculture. North of Goyder's Line, the rainfall is not reliable enough, and the land is only suitable for grazing and not cropping. The line traces a...

 (of rainfall) which dissects the Council area.

Economy

In the past, the district was heavily reliant on mining industries as the integral part of its economy, but since the mines shut down many years ago, agriculture has become the prevailing industry.

Agriculture in the Goyder region is primarily associated with cereal crops, such as wheat and barley, as well as sheep grazing for merino

Merino

The Merino is an economically influential breed of sheep prized for its wool. Merinos are regarded as having some of the finest and softest wool of any sheep...

 wool. Dairy and beef cattle,piggeries, and chicken farms also play a minor part in the economic structure of the region.

More recently established industries include viticulture

Viticulture

Viticulture is the science, production and study of grapes which deals with the series of events that occur in the vineyard. When the grapes are used for winemaking, it is also known as viniculture...

 and locally grown and produced food products. Manufacturing

Manufacturing

Manufacturing is the use of machines, tools and labor to produce goods for use or sale. The term may refer to a range of human activity, from handicraft to high tech, but is most commonly applied to industrial production, in which raw materials are transformed into finished goods on a large scale...

 interests are increasingly entering the area.

Tourism

Tourism

Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...

 makes up a minor part of the economy, with the town of 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 ...

 still a major attraction, known for its mining history and rural

Rural

Rural areas or the country or countryside are areas that are not urbanized, though when large areas are described, country towns and smaller cities will be included. They have a low population density, and typically much of the land is devoted to agriculture...

 lifestyle.

Localities

The largest town and council seat of the district is 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 ...

, with a number of smaller towns and geographic localities in the district. The full list is:

Aberdeen, Apoinga, Australia Plain, Baldina, Baldry, Booborowie

Booborowie, South Australia

Booborowie is a settlement in South Australia. Booborowie is located 200km north of Adelaide. Being a farming community, the chief products produced are wool, wheat and canola. The town is named after the nearby Booborowie Waterhole. A small and insignificant waterhole about 1km north west of the...

, Bower, Brady Creek, Braemar (Station), Bright, Brownlow, Buchanan, Bundey, Burra, Burra Eastern Districts, Burra North, Canowie, Canowie Belt, Collinsville, Copperhouse, Deep Creek, Dutton, Emu Downs (Hill), Eudunda

Eudunda, South Australia

Eudunda is a rural town in South Australia, roughly 103 kilometres northeast of Adelaide, established in 1870 after settlers began moving into the area in the 1860s...

, Farrell Flat

Farrell Flat, South Australia

Farrell Flat is a town in South Australia. The town is located east of Clare and south-west of Burra, in the Regional Council of Goyder. At the 2006 census, Farrell Flat and the surrounding area had a population of 294....

, Franklyn, Frankton, Geranium Plains, Gum Creek, Hallelujah Hills, Hallet

Hallett, South Australia

Hallett is a small town with a large history. Situated on the Barrier Highway north of Burra and south-east of Jamestown, Hallett lies close to Goyder's Line, plotted in the nineteenth century by George Goyder, separating the land suitable for cropping from the land suitable for grazing...

, Hampden, Hansborough

Hansborough, South Australia

Hansborough is a locality along the Kapunda-Morgan Road, in South Australia's Mid North region. It is situated 9 kilometres south-west of Eudunda and 18 kilometres north-east of Kapunda. The town was originally surveyed in July 1865 and is named after early pastoralist and overlander Frederick...

, Hanson, Julia, Ketchowla, Koonoona, Kooringa, Leighton, Mallet (Reservoir), Mongolata, Mount Bryan

Mount Bryan, South Australia

Mount Bryan is a town in north east South Australia. The town is situated on the Barrier Highway, north of Burra, in the Regional Council of Goyder...

, Neales, Neath Vale, Ngapala, North Booborwie, Pandappa, Peep Hill, Point Pass, Porter Lagoon, Robertstown

Robertstown, South Australia

Robertstown is a town in South Australia. The town is located north of Eudunda, in the Regional Council of Goyder. At the 2006 census, Robertstown and the surrounding area had a population of 318....

, Rocky Plain, Steinfeld, Sutherlands

Sutherlands, South Australia

Sutherlands is a town in South Australia. The town is located east of Eudunda, South Australia, in the Regional Council of Goyder. At the 2006 census, Sutherlands and the surrounding area had a population of 307....

, Terowie

Terowie, South Australia

Terowie is a small town in the mid-north of South Australia located north of Adelaide. It is located in the Regional Council of Goyder. Terowie retains a number of authentic and well preserved 1880s buildings, and has been declared a "historic town". It also remains a town of interest to those...

, Thistle Beds, Tracy, Ulooloo, Whyte-Yarcowie

Whyte Yarcowie, South Australia

Whyte Yarcowie is a settlement in South Australia. At the 2006 census, Whyte Yarcowie had a population of 119....

, Willalo, Worlds End, Worlds End Creek, Yarcowie and Yongala Vale.

Elected Members

Mayor

Mayor

In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....

: Peter Mattey

CEO: Mr J.P. Brak
Councillors:

• Bob Bradley
• Adrian Gill
• Warren Mosey
• Judy Partington
• Don Pfitzner
• Peter Reilly

External links

• Council website
• LGA of SA website