The District Council of Mobilong was a

local government area A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a State (administrative division), state, province, divi ...

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 ...

from 1884 to 1977. It was proclaimed on 26 June 1884, comprising the cadastral

Hundred of Mobilong The Hundred of Mobilong is a cadastral unit of hundred on the west bank of the Murray River in South Australia and centred on Murray Bridge. One of the ten hundreds of the County of Sturt, it is bounded on the east entirely by the Murray River. ...

. The first meeting was held on 12 July 1884 in the Murray Bridge Round House. In 1910–1911, the council built the

Murray Bridge Town Hall Murray may refer to: Businesses * Murray (bicycle company), an American manufacturer of low-cost bicycles * Murrays, an Australian bus company * Murray International Trust, a Scottish investment trust * D. & W. Murray Limited, an Australian who ...

, which contained their offices as well as a library, reading room and public hall. By 1923, it comprised an area of approximately 700 square miles, including the Hundreds of Mobilong and Ettrick and parts of the Hundreds of Burdett and

Brinkley Brinkley may refer to: People * Brinkley (surname) Places * Brinkley, Arkansas, USA * Brinkley, Nottinghamshire, England * Brinkley, Cambridgeshire, England Fictional places * Brinkley Court The following is a list of recurring or notable fict ...

, with the growing township of Murray Bridge having its own ward. At that time, it was responsible for the supply of electricity to Murray Bridge. On 6 May 1924, it lost the town of Murray Bridge, as the Murray Bridge Ward of the council was severed to form the

Corporate Town of Murray Bridge The Corporate Town of Murray Bridge was a local government area in South Australia from 1924 to 1977. It was established in February 1924, when the town of Murray Bridge was severed from the District Council of Mobilong, of which it had been th ...

; thereafter it represented the rural districts surrounding the town. The Mobilong council was substantially affected by a series of surrounding local council amalgamations in 1935: it absorbed the abolished District Council of Brinkley and District Council of Monarto, both of which had just been expanded by the abolition of the District Council of Onaunga, and gained a section of the

District Council of Mannum The District Council of Mannum was a local government area in South Australia from 1877 to 1997, centring on the town of Mannum. It was proclaimed on 23 August 1877, comprising the cadastral Hundred of Finniss, "situated between the eastern fringe ...

, while losing a section to the new

District Council of Mount Pleasant The District Council of Mount Pleasant was a local government area in South Australia from 1935 to 1997. The council seat was located at Mount Pleasant. It was established on 1 May 1935 following the amalgamation of the District Council of Spri ...

. The enlarged council comprised the whole of the Hundreds of Mobilong, Monarto, Brinkley and Ettrick, most of the Hundred of Burdett, and part of the

Hundred of Freeling Freeling may refer to: * Major-General Sir Arthur Henry Freeling, Surveyor-General of South Australia from 1849 to 1861 **Freeling, South Australia, a small town, named for Arthur Freeling *Christian Freeling, Dutch game designer and inventor/autho ...

. Its main industries were described as dairying, citrus, sheep and wool, with the district being advantaged by the development of irrigation settlements along the

Murray River The Murray River (in South Australia: River Murray) (Ngarrindjeri: ''Millewa'', Yorta Yorta: ''Tongala'') is a river in Southeastern Australia. It is Australia's longest river at extent. Its tributaries include five of the next six longest r ...

. In 1964, the Mobilong council opened new offices in Bridge Street, Murray Bridge, which it used for the remainder of its existence. It ceased to exist on 4 April 1977, when it amalgamated with the Corporate Town of Murray Bridge to form the

District Council of Murray Bridge The Rural City of Murray Bridge is a local government area of South Australia centred on the regional city of Murray Bridge and stretching south to Lake Alexandrina. It was formed in 1977 by amalgamation of the District Council of Mobilong and ...

(later called Rural City of Murray Bridge). The rapid growth of Murray Bridge had seen the town expanding into the area controlled by the district council, and the associated development issues had strengthened arguments for amalgamation.

Chairmen of the District Council of Mobilong

John Cowan John Cowan (born August 24, 1953) is an American soul music and progressive bluegrass vocalist and bass guitar player. He was the lead vocalist and bass player for the New Grass Revival. Cowan became the band's bassist in 1972 after the departure ...

(1896–1912) *

Maurice Parish Maurice William Parish (29 December 1890 – 17 January 1980) was an Australian politician who represented the South Australian House of Assembly multi-member seat of Murray from 1915 to 1918. He was elected at as a United Labor Party member, le ...

(1915–1924) *

John Lancelot Cowan John Lancelot Cowan (14 August 1893 – 19 May 1971) served as one of the 4 members for the District of Southern Districts in the South Australian Legislative Council from 26 May 1949 to 28 February 1959. Early life Cowan who was born in Mur ...

(1932–1949) * Victor Cromwell (1949–1959) * Thomas Debney Humphrey (1959–1962) * Norman Mervyn Green (1962–1977)

References

{{Former local government areas in South Australia Mobilong, District Council of 1884 establishments in Australia 1977 disestablishments in Australia