Finnis Point (or Finniss Point) is a hill in the
Belvidere Range
The Belvidere Range is a mountain range of the Northern Mount Lofty Ranges in South Australia.
The range was named in 1840 by early geologist/explorer Johannes Menge because he thought the highest point commanded a beautiful view (Latin ''Bellu ...
and historic locality on the western side, a few kilometres south of
Riverton, west of
Hamilton Hamilton may refer to:
People
* Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname
** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland
** Lord Hamilt ...
and north of
Tarlee
Tarlee is a town in South Australia. The origin of the name is uncertain, but it is thought to be a corruption of the name Tralee in Ireland. The township of Tarlee was advertised as readied for sale by auction in 1867. Tarlee is in the lower Mid ...
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 ...
.
A small town of the same name once lay about due northwest of the peak at the north end of Finnis Point Road. A school operated there from 1864 to 1893. A
Wesleyan Methodist chapel was opened early in 1864. It was one of fourteen churches in the Kapunda Circuit listed in 1863 and the congregation held its first anniversary in October 1864. It was still operating into the early 1940s. The church was on the corner of Finnis Point Road and Leeward Road, and is now a private residence.
Frederick Hannaford
Frederick Hannaford (20 December 1829 – 16 March 1898) was a farmer and politician in the British colony of South Australia.
He was born in Devonshire, and migrated to South Australia on the ship ''Brightman'' with his mother Susannah Hannafo ...
MHA had a farm on Finnis Point Road, some south of
Riverton.
Etymology
The spelling of the town's name is problematic: "Finniss" was used for earliest land sales and should be correct if it were named for
Boyle Travers Finniss (though he was originally "Finnis"). The alternative spelling was, however, too common to be ignored, especially by the nearby ''
Kapunda Herald
''The Kapunda Herald'' was a newspaper published in Kapunda, South Australia from 29 October 1864 to 25 January 1951. From 1864 to 1878 the masthead was subtitled ''"and Northern Intelligencer"''. It was published weekly, except for the period Feb ...
'' in the 1920s, when it was the norm. As B. T. Finniss was well known in the colony and it may have been a common spelling error. Some reports use both "Finnis" and "Finniss" in the same article, as early as 1858.
References
Mountains of South Australia
Towns in South Australia
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