Wilmington is a town and locality in the
Yorke and Mid North
In South Australia, one of the states of Australia, there are many areas which are commonly known by regional names. Regions are areas that share similar characteristics. These characteristics may be natural such as the Murray River, the coast ...
region 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 ...
.The town is located in the
District Council of Mount Remarkable
The Mount Remarkable District Council is a local government area located between the top of the Spencer Gulf and the base of the Southern Flinders Ranges in South Australia. The district encompasses a wide variety of towns, including coastal p ...
local government area
A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a State (administrative division), state, province, divi ...
, north of the state capital,
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
2016 census, the locality had a population of 581 of which 419 lived in its town centre.
[
Originally named "Beautiful Valley", Wilmington is a farming community, known for sheep, wheat and barley, but more recently the temperature conditions and rainfall have contributed to the increasing popularity of the planting of olive groves.
The town has a post office, hotel, two caravan parks, take-away shop, two service stations, primary school, kindergarten, museum and op shop.
It borders the ]Mount Remarkable National Park
Mount Remarkable National Park is a protected area in the Australian state of South Australia located about north of the state capital of Adelaide and east of Port Augusta. It is also the name of the highest peak in the park, with a height of ...
and the Alligator Gorge is a 10-minute drive from Wilmington.
Wilmington is a popular place to stay due to its proximity to the tourist areas of the Flinders Ranges
The Flinders Ranges are the largest mountain range in South Australia, which starts about north of Adelaide. The ranges stretch for over from Port Pirie to Lake Callabonna.
The Adnyamathanha people are the Aboriginal group who have inhabi ...
, most notably Wilpena Pound
Wilpena Pound – also known by its Adnyamathanha language, Adnyamathanha name of Ikara, meaning "meeting place" – is a natural amphitheatre of mountains located north of Adelaide, South Australia, Australia in the heart of the Ikara-Flinders ...
.
Wilmington was established as a stop over route for grain and wool being delivered by horse and cart from Port Augusta
Port Augusta is a small city in South Australia. Formerly a port, seaport, it is now a road traffic and Junction (rail), railway junction city mainly located on the east coast of the Spencer Gulf immediately south of the gulf's head and about ...
on its way to 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 ...
. The historic Wilmington Coaching Stables on Fourth Street survive and are listed on the South Australian Heritage Register
The South Australian Heritage Register, also known as the SA Heritage Register, is a statutory register of historic places in South Australia. It extends legal protection regarding demolition and development under the ''Heritage Places Act 1993'' ...
.
The town and surrounding areas formerly had their own municipality, the District Council of Wilmington
The District Council of Wilmington was a local government area in South Australia, centred on the town of Wilmington from 1888 to 1980.
History
The council was gazetted on 5 January 1888 under the provisions of the ''District Councils Act 1887 ...
, which merged into the current District Council of Mount Remarkable in 1980.
Transport
Wilmington was the northern terminus of the Wilmington railway line from 1915 when the line was built until it closed in 1969.
Wilmington is 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 ...
at the junction where Main North Road turns west to pass through Horrocks Pass
Horrocks Pass is a geographical location in the Australian state of South Australia in the localities of Nectar Brook, South Australia, Nectar Brook and Woolundunga, South Australia, Woolundunga in the southern Flinders Ranges, about west of ...
, and Horrocks Highway continues north to Quorn, South Australia
Quorn is a small town and railhead in the Flinders Ranges in the north of South Australia, northeast of Port Augusta. At the , the locality had a population of 1,230, of which 1,131 lived in its town centre.
Quorn is the home of the Flinders R ...
. South of Wilmington, the same road carries both names to Gawler
Gawler is the oldest country town on the Australian mainland in the state of South Australia. It was named after the second Governor (British Vice-Regal representative) of the colony of South Australia, George Gawler. It is about north of the ...
on the northern outskirts 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 ...
.
Terka
A town was surveyed in 1924 adjacent to the Terka railway siding six kilometres south of Wilmington, which was named from a nearby homestead. The town was "declared ceased to exist" in 1983 and is now considered to be part of the area of Wilmington.
References
Towns in South Australia
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