The District Council of Woolundunga was a local government area 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 ...

from 1888 until 1933.

History

It was created on 5 January 1888 as the District Council of Davenport under the provisions of the ''

District Councils Act 1887 The District Councils Act 1887 was an act of the Parliament of South Australia. It received assent on 9 December 1887, and its provisions came into effect when proclaimed by Governor William C. F. Robinson on 5 January 1888. The legislation intro ...

'', but was renamed Woolundunga on 8 June 1893 to avoid confusion with the adjacent

Corporate Town of Davenport The Corporate Town of Davenport was a local government area in South Australia that existed from 1887 to 1932 on land now located within the suburb of Port Augusta. A proposal to create a new local government area consisting of suburbs "an ...

, a separate municipality. The principal township was

Stirling North Stirling North is a town located east of Port Augusta in the Australian state of South Australia. The now abandoned Marree railway line forms the official border line separating the two towns. Primarily, Stirling North is a satellite town to Po ...

. The council constructed purpose-built chambers at

in 1894, and operated out of them for the remainder of their existence. At its creation, the council area was more than , including all the formerly unincorporated parts of the

County of Newcastle The County of Newcastle is one of the 49 counties of South Australia spanning the central Flinders Ranges. It was named in 1876 for Francis Pelham-Clinton-Hope, the eighth Duke of Newcastle. Local government Local government was initiated with ...

west of the Dutchmans Range and Middle Range ridge line ( Kanyaka council west border) as well as the Hundred of Winninowie and parts of the hundreds of Davenport and Woolundunga remaining unincorporated in the County of Frome. By 1923, the council controlled an area of approximately 212,000 acres in 1923, with 32 miles of main roads. It had an estimated 472 persons in 200 dwellings, with the capital value of ratable property in that year being £142,280. In the ten years prior, the area had transitioned "almost entirely" from wheat to sheep farming. It was reported to have retained a similar population in 1936. On 28 April 1932, part of Woolundunga, along with the Corporate Town of Davenport and the

Corporate Town of Port Augusta West The Corporate Town of Port Augusta West was a local government area in South Australia centred on the suburb of Port Augusta West. It was gazetted on 6 October 1887. They met in council chambers in Loudon Road, which ceased to be used by its ...

, merged into the existing

Corporate Town of Port Augusta The City of Port Augusta is a local government area located at the northern end of Spencer Gulf in South Australia. It is centred on the town of Port Augusta. The city was the site of South Australia's main power supplier, the Port Augusta p ...

. Most of the remaining sections of the municipality merged with the District Council of Hammond and part of the

District Council of Port Germein The District Council of Port Germein was a local government area in South Australia, centred on the town of Port Germein. It was gazetted on 5 January 1888 under the provisions of the ''District Councils Act 1887'' and encompassed the hundreds of ...

as the recreated

District Council of Wilmington The District Council of Wilmington was a local government area in South Australia, centred on the town of Wilmington from 1888 to 1980. History The council was gazetted on 5 January 1888 under the provisions of the ''District Councils Act 1887 ...

on 16 February 1933; a section of Woolundunga was also merged into the

District Council of Kanyaka The District Council of Kanyaka was a local government area in South Australia that existed from 1888 to 1969. History The council was established on 5 January 1888 under the provisions of the ''District Councils Act 1887''. On creation, the co ...

as its Mundallio Ward.

Chairmen

* W. G. Pryor (1911–1916) * W. Drennan (1916–1918) * F. H. Lehmann (1918–1921) * J. H. Prosser (1921–1922) * F. H. Lehmann (1922–1923)

References

{{Former local government areas in South Australia Woolundunga, District Council of 1888 establishments in Australia 1933 disestablishments in Australia