Peake is a town and locality in the Australian state 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 ...

situated along the

Mallee Highway Mallee Highway (formerly Ouyen Highway in Victoria) is a highway in south-eastern South Australia and north-western Victoria, Australia, Victoria, running mostly across the Mallee plains. It forms part of the shortest route between Adelaide, Sou ...

(B12), approximately east of the state capital of

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

. At the , Peake had a population of 117.

History

The town of Peake was proclaimed on 8 August 1907. It was surveyed during May 1907 and its name is derived from the cadastral unit of the

Hundred of Peake The County of Buccleuch is one of the Lands administrative divisions of South Australia, 49 cadastral counties of South Australia. It was proclaimed in 1893 and named for the sixth Duke of Buccleuch, William Montagu Douglas Scott, 6th Duke of Bu ...

which itself is derived from Archibald Henry Peake, a South Australian politician who served three terms as the

Premier of South Australia The premier of South Australia is the head of government in the state of South Australia, Australia. The Government of South Australia follows the Westminster system, with a Parliament of South Australia acting as the legislature. The premier is ...

. Along one of the major railway lines of the time, many settlers and travelers passed along the route. The town of Peak was the seat for the District Council of Peake which was established on 16 November 1911. In 1997, the district council was amalgamated with the

District Council of Coonalpyn Downs The District Council of Coonalpyn Downs was a local government area in the Australian state of South Australia that existed from 1957 to 1997 on land in the state’s south-east. It was established on 30 May 1957 with its seat being located i ...

and the

District Council of Meningie The District Council of Meningie was a local government area in the colony and then the Australian state of South Australia that existed from 1888 to 1997 on land in the state’s south-east. It was proclaimed on 5 January 1888 under the ''Di ...

to form the

Coorong District Council Coorong District Council is a local government area in South Australia located between the River Murray and the Limestone Coast region. The district cover mostly rural areas with small townships, as well as part of the Coorong National Park. ...

. Boundaries for the locality of Peake were created on 24 August 2000.

Peake Historical Walk

A walk established for visitors to show the historic landmarks of Peake. The relatively short walk takes highlights all of the first facilities built when the town was settled in the 1900s. The first historical landmark is Polly's Well which is located next to the rest stop. Polly's Well was sunk in 1877 and supplied the whole town with water. The next stop on the walk is the old Station Masters house which was built in 1912. The last station master died in the house and was found weeks later. Next there is the Peake store (built 1937) which is now used as the Tavern. The other historic facilities that are still being used to this day are the Post Office (1912) and the Bakehouse/Church (1908). The final landmarks include Peake School (1929), Butcher Shop (1900s), Saddlery (1912) and the town Garage which was used from 1956 to 1974. Pamphlets are available at the rest stop opposite the town oval.

Events

A Christian youth music festival, ''Silos 07'', organised by former residents of Peake and the local

Baptist church Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compete ...

, was held in early March 2007 at the local football ground. Following the success of this event, Silos 08 was held on 11 October 2008, featuring

Matt Corby Matthew John Corby (born 7 November 1990) is an Australian singer-songwriter. He achieved his commercial breakthrough with his fourth EP, ''Into the Flame'' (2011), which peaked at No. 3 on the ARIA Singles Chart, and by April 2012, was cer ...

and Fatis Valor as the headline artists. The town population grows by 10 fold during the festival.

References

External links

Mallee Bound, Murraylands South Australia

Silo's Music Festival
{{authority control Towns in South Australia