Curramulka is a town in the
Australian state
The states and territories are federated administrative divisions in Australia, ruled by regional governments that constitute the second level of governance between the federal government and local governments. States are self-governing ...
of
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 ...
on the
Yorke Peninsula
The Yorke Peninsula is a peninsula located northwest and west of Adelaide in South Australia, between Spencer Gulf on the west and Gulf St Vincent on the east. The peninsula is separated from Kangaroo Island to the south by Investigator Str ...
. Curramulka is within easy driving distance of the
coastal resort town
A seaside resort is a resort town, town, village, or hotel that serves as a Resort, vacation resort and is located on a coast. Sometimes the concept includes an aspect of official accreditation based on the satisfaction of certain requirements, suc ...
s of
Port Victoria and
Port Vincent and is north-east of
Minlaton. At the , Curramulka had a population of 305.
Nearby is an extensive chain of limestone caves. They were first explored in 1850, and major extensions discovered in 1984. They have 14 km of known passages in an area of approximately 400m x 300m and depth 46m. Corra-Lynn is the longest cave in the region.
History
Curramulka is one of the oldest townships on the Peninsula, the
Hundred of Curramulka
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 County ...
being proclaimed on 31 December 1874. The name is derived from 'curre' (emu) and 'mulka' (deep water hole). Emus used to drink here, and thus it was named by the indigenous inhabitants.
Farming land was first opened up in the mid-1870s and Curramulka enjoyed its heyday in the late 19th and early 20th centuries when most farming produce moved through nearby
Port Julia.
The town's commercial importance dwindled when
Ardrossan
Ardrossan (; ) is a town on the North Ayrshire coast in southwestern Scotland. The town has a population of 10,670 and forms part of a conurbation with Saltcoats and Stevenston known as the ' Three Towns'. Ardrossan is located on the east shore ...
to the north became the main regional port for wheat and wool, but recent signs indicate that Curramulka is back in a strong growth mode.
Curramulka, South Australia
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Local School
The primary school located in Curramulka is in need of a few more students as its numbers are plummeting below the population count of just 50. Though the staff at Curramulka are happy with not having to account for many students, they also like having more company as they attend their current duties.
Bushfire
On 19 November 2009 a large fire started in paddocks near Curramulka.
/ref> The front was about 700 metres long and burnt about 400 hectares.
/ref>
The fire was soon terminated and had caused minimal damage to local areas with the exception of a few paddocks burnt.
See also
* List of cities and towns in South Australia
References
External links
Yorke Peninsula website
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