Alma is a small town in

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

halfway between the

Wakefield River The Wakefield River is an ephemeral river that flows to an estuary in the Australian state of South Australia. Course and features The river rises above , flowing southward, passing the towns of Watervale and Auburn, where it is fed by severa ...

, to the north, and

River Light The Light River (Kaurna: ''Yarralinka''), commonly called the River Light, is a seasonal and significant river in the Mid North region of the Australian state of South Australia named for early surveyor William Light. The River Light has give ...

to the south. Alma, Alma South and Alma Plains were named for the cadastral

Hundred of Alma The Hundred of Alma is a cadastral unit of hundred located on the northern Adelaide Plains of South Australia spanning the township of Alma and the Alma Plains. The hundred was proclaimed in 1856 in the County of Gawler and named by Governor Ric ...

in which they lie, which was in turn named after the

Battle of the Alma The Battle of the Alma (short for Battle of the Alma River) was a battle in the Crimean War between an allied expeditionary force (made up of French, British, and Ottoman forces) and Russian forces defending the Crimean Peninsula on 20Septemb ...

, the site of an allied victory in the

Crimean War The Crimean War, , was fought from October 1853 to February 1856 between Russia and an ultimately victorious alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France, the United Kingdom and Piedmont-Sardinia. Geopolitical causes of the war included the de ...

. Alma is located approximately 74 km from

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

and covers an area of 102.786 km². It has a recorded population of 75 residents.

Local government

For about five years from the mid-1860s the township and surrounding locality was governed at the local level by the

Stockport Stockport is a town and borough in Greater Manchester, England, south-east of Manchester, south-west of Ashton-under-Lyne and north of Macclesfield. The River Goyt and Tame merge to create the River Mersey here. Most of the town is within ...

and Rhynie councils, seated to the southeast and northeast of Alma, respectively. The

District Council of Alma Plains The District Council of Alma Plains was a local government area in South Australia seated at Alma from 1870 to 1932. History The District Council of Alma Plains was proclaimed on 8 December 1870 in spite of opposition from Stockport and Rhyni ...

was proclaimed in 1870, severing portions of Stockport and Rhynie, to provide dedicated local government to Alma. The Alma Range to the east of the township formed a natural boundary with Rhynie and Stockport. The council was amalgamated with

Dalkey Dalkey ( ; ) is an affluent suburb of Dublin, and a seaside resort southeast of the city, and the town of Dún Laoghaire, in the county of Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown in the historic County Dublin, Ireland. It was founded as a Viking settlement ...

in 1932, bringing Alma under local governance of Owen Council. From 1983, Alma came under the local governance of the much larger

District Council of Wakefield Plains The District Council of Wakefield Plains was a local government area in South Australia from 1983 to 1997, seated at Balaklava. History The District Council of Wakefield Plains was established on 1 July 1983 as a result of the amalgamation of t ...

when that council was formed by the amalgamation of Owen with

Balaklava Balaklava ( uk, Балаклáва, russian: Балаклáва, crh, Balıqlava, ) is a settlement on the Crimean Peninsula and part of the city of Sevastopol. It is an administrative center of Balaklava Raion that used to be part of the Crim ...

and

Port Wakefield Port Wakefield may refer to. Australia *Port Wakefield, South Australia, a town and locality * Port Wakefield railway line, part of the now-closed Balaklava-Moonta railway line in South Australia * Port Wakefield Circuit, a former motor racing cir ...

councils. The regional councils further coalesced in 1997 when Wakefield Plains amalgamated with Blyth-Snowtown to form the

Wakefield Regional Council Wakefield Regional Council is a Local government in Australia, local government area in the Yorke and Mid North region of South Australia. The council seat is at Balaklava, South Australia, Balaklava. Geography The Wakefield Regional Council ...

which presently governs Alma at the local level. Alma Church

Churches

There are no longer any churches operating in the Alma area. There are or have been churches and cemeteries associated with several denominations: *

Church of Christ Church of Christ may refer to: Church groups * When used in the plural, a New Testament designation for local groups of people following the teachings of Jesus Christ: "...all the churches of Christ greet you", Romans 16:16. * The entire body of Ch ...

(1862–1938), corner of Branson Road and Alma South Road *

Congregational Church Congregational churches (also Congregationalist churches or Congregationalism) are Protestant churches in the Calvinist tradition practising congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its ...

at Alma Plains (1865–1928), corner of Almond Tree Road and Freebairn Road **Replaced by new building in Alma township (corner of Alma Road and Almond Tree Road), 1928–1972 *

Primitive Methodist Church The Primitive Methodist Church is a Methodist Christian denomination with the holiness movement. It began in England in the early 19th century, with the influence of American evangelist Lorenzo Dow (1777–1834). In the United States, the Primiti ...

(corner of Owen Road and McKenzie Road) original building 1866 replaced 1878

Notable people

Notable from or who have lived in Alma include: *

Robert Caldwell Robert Caldwell (7 May 1814 – 28 August 1891) was a missionary for London Missionary Society. He arrived in India at age 24, studied the local language to spread the word of Bible in a vernacular language, studies that led him to author a tex ...

, farmer and politician *

James Gilbert Woolcock James Gilbert Woolcock (7 November 187414 March 1957) was an Australian company director, metallurgist, mining consultant, mining engineer and public servant. Early life James Woolcock was born on 7 November 1874 in Alma, South Australia, the th ...

, metallurgist, mining consultant, mining engineer

References

External links

Flinders Ranges Research: Alma
Towns in South Australia {{SouthAustralia-geo-stub