Gumeracha ( ) is a town in the Adelaide Hills,

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 ...

, located on the Adelaide-Mannum Road. It is located in the

Adelaide Hills Council Adelaide Hills Council is a local government area in the Adelaide Hills of South Australia. It is in the hills east of Adelaide, the capital of South Australia, and extends from the South Para Reservoir in the north to the Mount Bold Reservoir ...

local government area on the south bank of the upper

River Torrens The River Torrens , (Karrawirra Parri / Karrawirraparri) is the most significant river of the Adelaide Plains. It was one of the main reasons for the siting of the city of Adelaide, capital of South Australia. It flows from its source in the ...

. At the

2006 census 6 (six) is the natural number following 5 and preceding 7. It is a composite number and the smallest perfect number. In mathematics Six is the smallest positive integer which is neither a square number nor a prime number; it is the second small ...

, Gumeracha had a population of 731. The region relies heavily on grazing, dairying, grape growing, orchards and market gardening.

History

The original inhabitants of the area were the

Peramangk The Peramangk are an Aboriginal Australian people whose lands traditionally comprise the Adelaide Hills, as well as lands to the west of the Murray River in mid Murraylands and through to the northern part of the Fleurieu Peninsula in the Au ...

people, and the name "Gumeracha" derives from an Aboriginal word meaning "fine waterhole". The area was one of the earliest settled by Europeans in South Australia. First to explore the district were Dr George Imlay and

John Hill John Hill may refer to: Business * John Henry Hill (1791–1882), American businessman, educator and missionary * John Hill (planter) (1824–1910), Scottish-born American industrialist and planter * John Hill (businessman) (1847–1926), Austral ...

, on 24 January 1838. In 1839, the

South Australia Company The South Australian Company, also referred to as the South Australia Company, was formed in London on 9 October 1835, after the '' South Australia (Foundation) Act 1834'' had established the new British Province of South Australia, with the Sou ...

took up a parcel of land, on which the settlements of Gumeracha, Kenton Valley and Forreston developed. The company established a district headquarters and opened it up for sheep grazing. In 1841, The South Australian Company built a home for the first manager of the station known as Timnath, William Beavis Randell, the house was known as 'Ludlow House', and built a flour mill in the 1840s. The estate housed his large family, his workforce and their families. In 1846, Randell donated land and funds for a church, and the Salem Baptist Church was built – the oldest Baptist church still in use in South Australia. The surrounding area, meanwhile, had become an agricultural centre, and the Gumeracha Farmers' Society held annual shows. In 1853, the District Council of Talunga was established to administer the

Hundred of Talunga The Hundred of Talunga is a cadastral hundred of the County of Adelaide, South Australia, spanning the Torrens Valley in the Adelaide Hills.

, including in large part the early Adelaide Hills pioneering community that would become Gumeracha. In 1855, Randell allocated land for a township and by 1860 the town was laid out. Commercial businesses sprang up on the main street (Albert Street), and many fine buildings were erected, including the post office, police station and courthouse (1864), Gumeracha Institute, l ibrary and town hall (1909), a butter factory (1889), a school, a hospital, a coach-house, hotels, churches and business houses. Most of the buildings in use at that time still stand. William Beavis Randell's son,

William Richard Randell William Richard Randell "Captain Randell" (2 May 1824 – 4 March 1911), was an Australian politician and pioneer born in Devon, England, who emigrated to the newly founded colony of South Australia in 1837 with his family. He was a pioneer ...

, built the first

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 ...

paddlesteamer in Gumeracha in 1852. In 1935, the

District Council of Gumeracha The District Council of Gumeracha was a local government area of South Australia from 1935 to 1997, seated at Gumeracha. History The council was established in 1935 out of the abolished District Council of Talunga, much of the abolished Dist ...

replaced Talunga council to administer a broader area around the town, centred at Gumeracha, the main point of population in that part of the Adelaide Hills.

Geography

Gumeracha is located between Inglewood and Birdwood along the Adelaide-Mannum Road, and north of

Lobethal Lobethal is a town in the Adelaide Hills area of South Australia. It is located in the Adelaide Hills Council local government area, and is nestled on the banks of a creek between the hills and up the sides of the valley. It was once the centr ...

along the Gumeracha-Lobethal Road. At the ABS 2016 census, Gumeracha had a population of 701 people.

Facilities

Gumeracha is the regional centre for the area. It contains a primary school, hospital, community centre, sports

(the main office is at Woodside). There is also a golf course in Kenton Valley south of the town. Several wineries, includin
Guthrie WinesUnico Zelo
an

operate in Gumeracha and in nearby areas. The most notable attraction of Gumeracha is the " biggest rocking horse in the world" – standing at (approximately the height of a six-storey building), it is just east of the town on Main Road and serves to advertise th
toy factory
and wildlife park. Gumeracha is also home t
Applewood Distillery
Australia's highest altitude distillery, specialising in Gin and Amaro showcasing native Australian botanicals like finger limes and strawberry gum.

Transport

The area is not served by Adelaide's public transport system.

LinkSA Keolis Downer is a joint venture between Keolis, the largest private sector French transport group, and Downer Rail, an Australian railway engineering company, that operates bus and tram services in Australia. History In June 2009, the Victor ...

operates a coach service from

Tea Tree Plaza Interchange Tea Tree Plaza Interchange (previously known as Modbury Interchange) is a bus interchange operated by Adelaide Metro in Modbury, South Australia as part of the O-Bahn Busway. It is a central public transport hub for the north eastern suburbs o ...

Modbury Modbury is a large village, ecclesiastical parish, civil parish and former manor situated in the South Hams district of the county of Devon in England. Today due to its large size it is generally referred to as a "town" although the parish co ...

to Gumeracha and Mount Pleasant.

References

External links

* {{authority control Towns in South Australia