Barunga Gap is a

locality Locality may refer to: * Locality, a historical named location or place in Canada * Locality (association), an association of community regeneration organizations in England * Locality (linguistics) * Locality (settlement) * Suburbs and localitie ...

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 ...

about south west of

Snowtown Snowtown is a town located in the Mid North of South Australia 145 km (90 miles) north of Adelaide and lies on the main road and rail routes between Adelaide and Perth, Western Australia, Perth – the Augusta Highway and Adelaide-Port ...

. Barunga Gap was named in reference to the co-located pass between the

Barunga Range The Barunga Range is a range of hills in the northern Mount Lofty Ranges#Northern ranges, Mount Lofty Ranges starting near Clements Gap, South Australia, Clements Gap and Merriton, South Australia, Merriton in South Australia's Mid North. At the ...

to the north and

Hummock Range The Hummocks or Hummock Range is a range of hills in the northern Mount Lofty Ranges extending north from the eastern edge of Yorke Peninsula in South Australia. It is traversed by the Copper Coast Highway immediately west of where it passes aro ...

to the south. The word 'Barunga' derives from an indigenous term meaning "gap in the range". ''See Barunga Range § Etymology'' Barunga Gap was a station between

Bute Bute or BUTE may refer to: People * Marquess of Bute, a title in the Peerage of Great Britain; includes lists of baronets, earls and marquesses of Bute * Lord of Bute, a title in medieval Scotland, including a list of lords * Lucian Bute (born ...

and Snowtown on the Kadina-Brinkworth railway line from 1879 until it closed in 1993.

History

Robert Barr Smith Robert Barr Smith (4 February 1824 – 20 November 1915) was an Australian businessman and philanthropist in Adelaide, South Australia. He was a partner in Elder Smith and Company from 1863 (now Elders Limited). Early life and education Smith w ...

, the rich and influential new owner of the Hummocks Run, arrived in the locality accompanied by surveyors in February 1870. The first paved road to Kadina was completed at Barunga Gap in 1874, and a railway was connected from Kadina in 1878. The railway line from Kadina to Barunga Gap was begun in approximately August 1877 by day labour and piecework, to afford employment for the miners thrown out of work on the (Yorke) Peninsula. The completion of this contract was expected by December 31,1878. The railway allowed Barr Smith to ship his massive wool exports directly to the Elders & Fyffes cargo ships at

Wallaroo Wallaroo is a common name for several species of moderately large macropods, intermediate in size between the kangaroos and the wallabies, that are native to Australia and Papua New Guinea. The word "wallaroo" is from the Dharug ''walaru'' wi ...

for auction in England, and surrounding farmers and graziers to use the port at

instead of Port Wakefield, which was shallow and required transshipment to waiting shipping using small boats. A government town was surveyed in 1879 at Barunga Gap and proclaimed as Percyton in 1880. Later the name was changed to the current designation.

References

Towns in South Australia {{SouthAustralia-geo-stub

History

See also

References