Carrieton is a small town situated in 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 inhabit ...

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 between the towns of Orroroo to the south and Cradock to the north. Originally opened in 1877 as Yanyarrie Whim, (Yanyarrie is in the local indigenous dialect "eagle feathers") with the construction of a post office, the settlement was renamed in 1888 as Carrieton, after the daughter of Governor Jervois, Lucy Caroline.

Railways

The town was on the

Peterborough–Quorn railway line The Peterborough–Quorn railway line was a railway line on the South Australian Railways network. Located in the upper Mid North of South Australia, it opened from Peterborough to Orroroo on 23 November 1881, being extended to Quorn on 22 ...

which opened in December 1881, served by a Class 1 station. A large goods shed and fettler's cottage were also constructed. Passenger services were discontinued during 1969, when the

South Australian Railways South Australian Railways (SAR) was the statutory corporation through which the Government of South Australia built and operated railways in South Australia from 1854 until March 1978, when its non-urban railways were incorporated into Aust ...

withdrew the railcar service. Declining rail traffic saw the gradual withdrawal of services on the railway, with the last station master being withdrawn on 1 July 1971. The railway was closed in 1981, and removed during 1986.Evans, J 2009; ''Proceed to Quorn'' Railmac Publications

Colonial history

Carrieton acquired a

school A school is an educational institution designed to provide learning spaces and learning environments for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is sometimes comp ...

(1882), a

police station A police station (sometimes called a "station house" or just "house") is a building which serves to accommodate police officers and other members of staff. These buildings often contain offices and accommodation for personnel and vehicles, ...

(1884), St Raphael's Roman

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

(the large presbytery was built in 1889), a small Methodist Church (1882), an

Anglican Church Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of the ...

(1888) and the

railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a prep ...

, built in 1885 at a cost of £1,500.

Recent history

The road was renamed the

RM Williams Way RM Williams Way (route B80) is a road through the Yorke and Mid North region of South Australia connecting Clare in the south through Spalding, Jamestown and Orroroo to Hawker in the Flinders Ranges. The road was named after R. M. Williams wh ...

in recognition of the area where

R. M. Williams Reginald Murray "R.M." Williams AO CMG (24 May 19084 November 2003) was an Australian bushman and entrepreneur who rose from a swagman to a millionaire. He was born at Belalie North near Jamestown in the Mid North of South Australia, north ...

had many associations. Carrieton is often referred to as 'Gum Greek' country. The town is serviced through a community general store, hotel, post office, and accommodation, and it is a part of the

District Council of Orroroo Carrieton The District Council of Orroroo Carrieton is a local government area in the Yorke and Mid North region of South Australia. The principal towns are Orroroo and Carrieton; it also includes the localities of Belton, Black Rock, Coomooroo, Ers ...

. Recently, after large downpours in January 2020, many of the creeks surrounding Carrieton were demolished. The bridge over Yanyarrie Creek 10 km north of Carrieton was especially damaged as huge slates of bitumen disappeared down the creek. Yanyarrie creek has since been repaired with a detour, after the first detour was ruined again by another flash flood a few weeks after the first one.

Carrieton Rodeo

Carrieton is home to the Carrieton Rodeo, an Australian Professional Rodeos Association event, held every year on

Proclamation Day Proclamation Day is the name of official or unofficial holidays or other anniversaries which commemorate or mark an important proclamation. In some cases it may be the day of, or the anniversary of, the proclamation of a monarch's accession to the ...

. It held its 60th anniversary meet on 28 December 2012.

References

;Notes ;Citations {{authority control Towns in South Australia