Booborowie is a locality 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 ...

. It is located north of Adelaide. At the 2016 census, the Booborowie district had a population of 218.

Booborowie Station

In 1843, Dr William James Browne and his brother Dr John Harris Browne took up the Booborowie run. In 1851 they purchased a crown lease of 153 square miles, and in 1853 the brothers purchased 46,978 acres of the lease. The Browne brothers established a merino stud and ran shorthorn cattle. They went on to purchase properties on the

Adelaide Plains The Adelaide Plains (Kaurna name Tarndanya) is a plain in South Australia lying between the coast (Gulf St Vincent) on the west and the Mount Lofty Ranges on the east. The southernmost tip of the plain is in the southern seaside suburbs of Ade ...

, at

Mount Gambier Mount Gambier is the second most populated city in South Australia, with an estimated urban population of 33,233 . The city is located on the slopes of Mount Gambier, a volcano in the south east of the state, about south-east of the capital Ad ...

, the

Flinders Ranges The Flinders Ranges are the largest mountain range in South Australia, which starts about north of Adelaide. The ranges stretch for over from Port Pirie to Lake Callabonna. The Adnyamathanha people are the Aboriginal group who have inhabi ...

, and the

Eyre Peninsula The Eyre Peninsula is a triangular peninsula in South Australia. It is bounded by the Spencer Gulf on the east, the Great Australian Bight on the west, and the Gawler Ranges to the north. Originally called Eyre’s Peninsula, it was named aft ...

, and were instrumental in establishing

Katherine Katherine, also spelled Catherine, and Catherina, other variations are feminine Given name, names. They are popular in Christian countries because of their derivation from the name of one of the first Christian saints, Catherine of Alexandria ...

in the

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory ...

. This led to a large sheep and cattle drive, under the supervision of Alfred Giles, to leave South Australia in 1878. The northern portion of the station was sold to Henry Dutton and George Melrose in 1897. The remainder of the station was sold in 1910 and 1912 for closer settlement.

History of the township

Baldry Township was first surveyed in 1875 near Leighton, but was abandoned at the time. The Booborowie Township was proclaimed on 29 March 1877. Being a farming community, the chief products produced are wool, wheat, lucerne and canola. The town is named after the nearby Booborowie Waterhole, a small seasonal waterhole on Walton Palace Creek about north west of the town, the "owie" signifying "waterhole" in the language of the indigenous

Ngadjuri people The Ngadjuri people are a group of Aboriginal Australian people whose traditional lands lie in the mid north of South Australia with a territory extending from Gawler in the south to Orroroo in the Flinders Ranges in the north. Name Their ethno ...

, as in

Hundred of Minlacowie County of Fergusson is a cadastral unit located in the Australian state of South Australia which spans Yorke Peninsula south of Price. It was proclaimed in 1869 by Governor Fergusson after whom the county was named. Description The Count ...

, Terowie and Yarcowie (modern linguists tend to render the word as awi'''). The spelling "Booboorowie" was common in the 19th century. A feature of the area is the "Camel Hump", a

drystone wall Dry stone, sometimes called drystack or, in Scotland, drystane, is a building method by which structures are constructed from stones without any mortar to bind them together. Dry stone structures are stable because of their construction m ...

which runs over from Booborowie to

Farrell Flat Farrell Flat (formerly Hanson) is a town in South Australia. The town is located east of Clare and southwest of Burra on the former Peterborough railway line, in the Regional Council of Goyder. At the 2006 census, Farrell Flat and the surrou ...

. The historic

Booborowie Homestead Booborowie is a locality in South Australia. It is located north of Adelaide. At the 2016 census, the Booborowie district had a population of 218. Booborowie Station In 1843, Dr William James Browne and his brother Dr John Harris Browne too ...

and the former

Booborowie Council Chambers Booborowie is a locality in South Australia. It is located north of Adelaide. At the 2016 census, the Booborowie district had a population of 218. Booborowie Station In 1843, Dr William James Browne and his brother Dr John Harris Browne too ...

are listed on the

South Australian Heritage Register The South Australian Heritage Register, also known as the SA Heritage Register, is a statutory register of historic places in South Australia. It extends legal protection regarding demolition and development under the ''Heritage Places Act 1993'' ...

. Today, Booborowie is a popular destination for visitors enjoying the rural scenery, historic buildings and camping facilities at the town oval. The town is serviced by a primary school (opened 1892) with playgroup, and a grocer, incorporating hardware and post office facilities.

References

;Notes ;Citations Towns in South Australia Mid North (South Australia) {{SouthAustralia-geo-stub