Pekina is a town and locality in the Mid North region of South Australia. The town is located in the

District Council of Orroroo Carrieton The District Council of Orroroo Carrieton is a local government area in the Yorke and Mid North region of South Australia. The principal towns are Orroroo and Carrieton; it also includes the localities of Belton, Black Rock, Coomooroo, Erski ...

local government area, north of the state capital, Adelaide. At the , Pekina and the surrounding area had a population of 172. The name of the town is thought to derive from the Aboriginal word for "creek water". European settlement in the Pekina district began in earnest in 1846 when Price Maurice brought 3000 sheep to the district. The Pekina

Station Station may refer to: Agriculture * Station (Australian agriculture), a large Australian landholding used for livestock production * Station (New Zealand agriculture), a large New Zealand farm used for grazing by sheep and cattle ** Cattle statio ...

, "one of the most profitable sheep runs" in South Australia, became a stopping-point for coaches on the run between

Blinman Blinman is a locality incorporating two towns located in the Australian state of South Australia within the Flinders Ranges about north of the state capital of Adelaide. It is very small but has the claim of being the highest surveyed town in S ...

and Burra. In 1871, Pekina Station was resumed and broken up for closer settlement. The region was settled by German and especially Irish migrant farmers. Problems with drought, rust and

locusts Locusts (derived from the Vulgar Latin ''locusta'', meaning grasshopper) are various species of short-horned grasshoppers in the family Acrididae that have a swarming phase. These insects are usually solitary, but under certain circumst ...

in the 1880s meant the town grew slowly with only around 75 residents at the beginning of the 20th century. Pekina's Irish Roman Catholic heritage has seen the district nicknamed "Vatican Valley". The historic former

Pekina Animal Pound Pekina is a town and locality in the Mid North region of South Australia. The town is located in the District Council of Orroroo Carrieton local government area, north of the state capital, Adelaide. At the , Pekina and the surrounding area had ...

is listed on the South Australian Heritage Register.

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Further reading