Watervale is a town on the
Horrocks Highway
Main North Road is the major north-south arterial route through the suburbs north of the Adelaide City Centre in the city of Adelaide, South Australia. It continues north through the settled areas of South Australia and is a total of long, fro ...
in the
Clare Valley
The Clare Valley is a valley located in South Australia about north of Adelaide in the Clare and Gilbert Valleys council area. It is the river valley formed by the Hutt River but is also strongly associated with the roughly parallel Hill Riv ...
,
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 ...
, approximately 9 kilometres north of
Auburn and 15 kilometres south of
Clare. It is surrounded by a number of small wineries and several
B&Bs. The ''
Riesling Trail
The Riesling Trail is a long walking and cycling track located in the Clare Valley, South Australia. Established for recreational purposes, it runs between Auburn and Clare, passing through several towns and villages along the way, including ...
'' runs past the town to the west, between the Highway and the
Skilly Hills
The Skilly Hills are a range of hills which make up part of the Mount Lofty Ranges in South Australia's Mid North region.
They comprise several long parallel ridges of low hills which run generally north south, parallel to the Horrocks Highwa ...
. The town has a number of 19th-century heritage buildings, including the former
Stanley Grammar School, which now provides private bed and breakfast accommodation.
History
Watervale is located on Eyre Creek, which is a tributary of the
Wakefield River
The Wakefield River is an ephemeral river that flows to an estuary in the Australian state of South Australia.
Course and features
The river rises above , flowing southward, passing the towns of Watervale and Auburn, where it is fed by seve ...
. The area on which the town was settled was originally granted to a pioneer named David Davies in 1847 by
Governor Robe, and he named this section of land ''Watervale''.
The area was settled by a number of Protestant families who founded a Bible Methodist Church in the township. The current Uniting Church and accompanying hall are examples of such colonial constructions in the area.
The second vineyard in the Clare Valley was planted by Valentine Mayr, who planted four acres at 'Pomona', Watervale in 1852, and made his first wine in 1856. He had thirty acres planted with shiraz and verdelho, which is now the site of Crabtree Watervale Wines, located on Main North Road north of Watervale.
The heritage listed Quelltaler Estate dates back to 1865. Francis Treloar, formerly a miner at
Burra, bought 117 acres of land near Watervale in 1851, for a winery which he named Spring Vale. Treloar established the Springvale wine cellars in 1868: sections of these stone cellars, dug into the hillside (as was typical of cellars at that time) survive.
In 1890 T. G. H. Buring and Carl Sobels joined forces and purchased the Spring Vale vineyard and plant. This winery subsequently was developed as Quelltaler, known more recently, as Annie's Lane. In 2017 this winery and vineyards were bought by
Seppeltsfield.
Hughes Park Estate, extending over 3,000 hectares, is three km from Watervale in the
Skilly valley, where the first stone homestead was completed in 1860. It was built by Sir Walter Watson Hughes, who owned the Walleroo and Moonta copper mines and founded Adelaide University from his profits. Still owned by the Duncan family, over the years many Watervale residents have found work there. At present the restored two-story homestead caters for weddings and the restored 1845 worker’s cottages are now rented as a B&B.
The town today
The township boasts a general store and Post Office, Hotel, Primary School,
CFS unit,
Anglican and
Uniting churches, a garage, a small number of local businesses, wineries, and a variety of recreational facilities at the "Watervale Soldiers' Memorial Park" (tennis club, tennis courts and a bowling green). Several Bed and Breakfast and Holiday Cottages are available for rent, including Watervale Retreat, Battunga B&B, Quince Cottage. The town can be readily accessed from the Riesling Trail. The historic Grandstand overlooking the town oval was renovated in 2010.
As part of the Clare Valley, the area is known for Riesling. Cabernet and Shiraz wines are also produced. Local wineries include Crabtree Watervale Wines, Stephen John Wines and Annie's Lane.
A local artist of note is Harry Sherwin.
Watervale hosts an annual 'Day on the Green' concert at Annie's Lane, attracting up to 6,000 concert-goers.
The Watervale Foresters Hall, which in more recent years had been used by the community for meetings, art classes and a children's playgroup, had by 2009 fallen into disrepair. It was subsequently sold by the Watervale Community Association following considerable controversy and is now in private ownership.
Governance
Watervale is in the
District Council of Clare and Gilbert Valleys
The Clare and Gilbert Valleys Council is a local government area located in the Yorke and Mid North region of South Australia. The council was founded on 1 July 1997 with the amalgamation of the District Council of Clare, the District Council of ...
, the
state
State may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Literature
* ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State
* ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States
* ''Our S ...
electoral district of Frome, and the
Australian House of Representatives
The House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of Australia, the upper house being the Senate. Its composition and powers are established in Chapter I of the Constitution of Australia.
The term of members o ...
Division of Grey.
[
]
See also
* Stanley Football Association
References
{{Authority control
Towns in South Australia
Mid North (South Australia)