Stirling North, South Australia
Encyclopedia
Stirling North is a small town
located 7 km east of Port Augusta
in South Australia
. It acts primarily as a satellite town
to Port Augusta with the town's railway station lying at a major rail junction linking the Port Augusta power station
and the main east-west rail link to the coal
rail link to Leigh Creek. It also lies on the junction of the Eyre Highway
and Port Wakefield Road
s. At the 2006 census
, Stirling North had a population of 1,698.
, but was renamed 'Catninga' after a nearby creek
. In 1916 however, this decision was overturned and the name was reverted to 'Stirling North'.
In 1871, a prison
was established near the town, and still exists today.
The town has existed mainly to service the railroads, with Leigh Creek coal
freighted down to Port Augusta
for use in the power station
. The historic Pichi Richi Railway
runs through Stirling North, between Port Augusta
and Quorn
, one of the only tourist attractions within the town.
. The town is situated at the base of the Southern Flinders Ranges
, and is often used by people travelling north.
The town has a number of services including accommodation in the form of hotels, a public bar, a number of food shops, fuel outlets, a post office
and public telephones.
Only two sporting venues are present in the town, a tennis court
, bike track, park (with toilets), public school which has a large oval and a golf course
.
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
located 7 km east of Port Augusta
Port Augusta, South Australia
-Electricity generation:Electricity is generated at the Playford B and Northern power stations from brown coal mined at Leigh Creek, 250 km to the north...
in 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...
. It acts primarily as a satellite town
Satellite town
A satellite town or satellite city is a concept in urban planning that refers essentially to smaller metropolitan areas which are located somewhat near to, but are mostly independent of, larger metropolitan areas.-Characteristics:...
to Port Augusta with the town's railway station lying at a major rail junction linking the Port Augusta power station
Power station
A power station is an industrial facility for the generation of electric energy....
and the main east-west rail link to the coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
rail link to Leigh Creek. It also lies on the junction of 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...
and Port Wakefield Road
Port Wakefield Road
Port Wakefield Road is an important Australian highway. It connects Adelaide, the South Australian capital, to the Yorke Peninsula, Port Augusta, northern and western South Australia, the Northern Territory and Western Australia. It is designated National Highway A1 and a part of the National Highway...
s. 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,...
, Stirling North had a population of 1,698.
History
The town of Stirling North was surveyed in 1859 as 'Stirling North' after Edward Stirling Snr, MLCMLC
-Technology:*Multi-level cell, a type of flash memory*Multi-Platform Language for Calculators*Multileaf collimator, a tool used for shaping radiation beams in external-beam radiotherapy.*Mobile Location Center, a network element in GSM Telephony Networks...
, but was renamed 'Catninga' after a nearby creek
Stream
A stream is a body of water with a current, confined within a bed and stream banks. Depending on its locale or certain characteristics, a stream may be referred to as a branch, brook, beck, burn, creek, "crick", gill , kill, lick, rill, river, syke, bayou, rivulet, streamage, wash, run or...
. In 1916 however, this decision was overturned and the name was reverted to 'Stirling North'.
In 1871, a prison
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
was established near the town, and still exists today.
The town has existed mainly to service the railroads, with Leigh Creek coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
freighted down to Port Augusta
Port Augusta, South Australia
-Electricity generation:Electricity is generated at the Playford B and Northern power stations from brown coal mined at Leigh Creek, 250 km to the north...
for use in the power station
Power station
A power station is an industrial facility for the generation of electric energy....
. The historic Pichi Richi Railway
Pichi Richi Railway
The Pichi Richi Railway Preservation Society is a non-profit railway preservation society and operating museum formed in 1973. The society, managed and staffed by volunteers, operates heritage steam and diesel trains on the restored 39 km section of track between Quorn and Port Augusta in...
runs through Stirling North, between Port Augusta
Port Augusta, South Australia
-Electricity generation:Electricity is generated at the Playford B and Northern power stations from brown coal mined at Leigh Creek, 250 km to the north...
and Quorn
Quorn
Quorn is the leading brand of mycoprotein food product in the UK and Ireland. The mycoprotein used to produce Quorn is extracted from a fungus, Fusarium venenatum, which is grown in large vats....
, one of the only tourist attractions within the town.
Facilities
Stirling North is not normally a tourist destination, but is commonly used as a service stop by travellers who don't want to travel the extra 7 km into Port AugustaPort Augusta, South Australia
-Electricity generation:Electricity is generated at the Playford B and Northern power stations from brown coal mined at Leigh Creek, 250 km to the north...
. The town is situated at the base of the Southern Flinders Ranges
Flinders Ranges
Flinders Ranges is the largest mountain range in South Australia, which starts approximately north west of Adelaide. The discontinuous ranges stretch for over from Port Pirie to Lake Callabonna...
, and is often used by people travelling north.
The town has a number of services including accommodation in the form of hotels, a public bar, a number of food shops, fuel outlets, a post office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
and public telephones.
Only two sporting venues are present in the town, a tennis court
Tennis court
A tennis court is where the game of tennis is played. It is a firm rectangular surface with a low net stretched across the center. The same surface can be used to play both doubles and singles.-Dimensions:...
, bike track, park (with toilets), public school which has a large oval and a golf course
Golf course
A golf course comprises a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, fairway, rough and other hazards, and a green with a flagstick and cup, all designed for the game of golf. A standard round of golf consists of playing 18 holes, thus most golf courses have this number of holes...
.