Australia Plains is a rural locality in the

Mid North The Mid North is a region of South Australia, north of the Adelaide Plains and south of the Far North and the outback. It is generally accepted to extend from Spencer Gulf east to the Barrier Highway, including the coastal plain, the souther ...

region of

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...

, situated 127 km northeast of

Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

in the

Regional Council of Goyder The Regional Council of Goyder is a local government area located in the Mid North region of South Australia. The council area is reliant on agriculture as a mainstay of its economy, with manufacturing and tourism also becoming prominent. The co ...

. As of 2021, the population of Australia Plains was 41.

Name

The locality drew its name from "Australia Huts" which appeared on old pastoral lease plans of the area. Australia huts were pine and daub huts used by drovers and shepherds.

History

Australia Plains is located on the traditional lands of the

Ngadjuri The Ngadjuri people are a group of Aboriginal Australian people whose traditional lands lie in the mid north of South Australia with a territory extending from Gawler in the south to Orroroo in the Flinders Ranges in the north. Name Their ethn ...

people. The Ngadjuri people have been largely overlooked in the histories of colonisation and the subsequent dispossession from their traditional lands. In the 1850s, pastoralists, including the Duttons of

Anlaby Anlaby is a village forming part of the western suburbs of Kingston upon Hull, in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It forms part of the civil parish of Anlaby with Anlaby Common. History Anlaby is recorded in the ''Domesday Book'' as " ...

, took up leasehold lands in Australia Plains. While farmers hesitated to occupy these less favourable lands situated beyond Goyder’s Line, the settlement of Australia Plains gradually came into existence during the early 1880s. A general store and saddlery opened in 1876. Australia Plains Post Office operated from 1 April 1882 to 31 May 1971. In 1883, a German Lutheran church and

school A school is the educational institution (and, in the case of in-person learning, the Educational architecture, building) designed to provide learning environments for the teaching of students, usually under the direction of teachers. Most co ...

were established. Later, in 1894, the church was replaced by St Johannis Lutheran Church. During

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, the school had to close down due to the prevailing

anti-German sentiment Anti-German sentiment (also known as anti-Germanism, Germanophobia or Teutophobia) is fear or dislike of Germany, its Germans, people, and its Culture of Germany, culture. Its opposite is Germanophile, Germanophilia. Anti-German sentiment main ...

at the time. It was replaced by a public school which operated from 1917 until 1956. St Johannis Lutheran Church closed in the 1970s, and is now a private residence.

Demographics

In the 2021 Census, Australia Plains recorded a population of 41 people, with 60.5% being male and 39.5% female. The median age in this area was 40. There were 13 families and a total of 16 private dwellings. On average, each household consisted of 2.7 people. The median weekly household income was $850, while the median monthly mortgage repayments were $1,280. The median weekly rent was $233. Additionally, there was an average of 2.5 motor vehicles per dwelling in this region.

Today

As of 2023, Australia Plains no longer has any amenities. The Australia Plains Solar Project is an ongoing initiative that involves the installation of ground-mounted

solar panels A solar panel is a device that converts sunlight into electricity by using photovoltaic (PV) cells. PV cells are made of materials that produce excited electrons when exposed to light. These electrons flow through a circuit and produce direct ...

covering an area of 340 hectares. Located in Australia Plains, this project aims to harness solar energy and generate electricity. It is currently in progress and is scheduled to be completed in 2023.

References

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