Wynarka is a very small town in

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 ...

southeast 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 ...

on the

Karoonda Highway Karoonda Highway is a state-controlled highway in South Australia linking the Murray River towns of Murray Bridge and Loxton. It was created after local councils called for the renaming of the B55 road route. Route Karoonda Highway begins a ...

(B55) and

Loxton railway line The Loxton railway line is a closed railway line in the northern Murray Mallee region of South Australia. It ran north-east from Tailem Bend to grain silos near Loxton. History The first stage of the Brown's Well railway line opened from Tail ...

in the

Murray Mallee The Murray Mallee is the grain-growing and sheep-farming area of South Australia bounded to the north and west by the Murray River (in South Australia, "River Murray"), to the east by the Victorian border, and extending about 50 km south ...

. Wynarka lies within the

District Council of Karoonda East Murray The District Council of Karoonda East Murray is a local government area in the Murray Mallee area of South Australia. The main council offices are in Karoonda. The council area covers 4,415 square kilometres and had a population of approximat ...

Founding

The government town of Wynarka was proclaimed on 9 January 1913 on land in the cadastral unit of the Hundred of Hooper located to the immediate south of the Wynarka Railway Station on the

Boundaries

The locality's boundaries were created on 11 November 1999 and includes the site of the government town of Wynarka which is located in its approximate centre. The current boundaries of Wynarka include the former locality of Kulde, the next railway station towards

Tailem Bend Tailem Bend (locally, "Tailem") is a rural town in South Australia, south-east of the state capital of Adelaide. It is located on the lower reaches of the River Murray, near where the river flows into Lake Alexandrina. It is linear in layout s ...

, named after the local Aboriginal word for "brothers".

Etymology

The name Wynarka is from an Aboriginal word meaning ''a strayer''.

2015 deaths

On 15 July 2015, the remains of a young child in a suitcase were discovered near the side of the Karoonda Highway near Wynarka. The child was not identified until October as having been Khandalyce Kiara Pearce who had been reported missing with her mother from extended family in

Alice Springs Alice Springs ( aer, Mparntwe) is the third-largest town in the Northern Territory of Australia. Known as Stuart until 31 August 1933, the name Alice Springs was given by surveyor William Whitfield Mills after Alice, Lady Todd (''née'' Al ...

in 2009. Her mother's body had been found but not identified in 2010 in the

Belanglo State Forest Belanglo State Forest is a planted forest, of mainly pine but some native forestry around the edges, open to the public, in the Australian state of New South Wales; its total area is about 3,800 hectares. The Belanglo State Forest is located ...

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

and is also believed to have been murdered.

Population

The

2016 Australian census The 2016 Australian census was the 17th national population census held in Australia. The census was officially conducted with effect on Tuesday, 9 August 2016. The total population of the Commonwealth of Australia was counted as – an incre ...

which was conducted in August 2016 reports that Wynarka had a population of 76 people.

References

{{authority control Towns in South Australia