Coomooroo 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 ...

, approximately 3 hours' drive north 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 ...

. With a population of 13 as of 2021, Coomooroo is now considered a

ghost town A ghost town, deserted city, extinct town, or abandoned city is an abandoned settlement, usually one that contains substantial visible remaining buildings and infrastructure such as roads. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economi ...

. Most of Coomooroo lies within the District Council of Orroroo Carrieton. However, a small section on its western end lies within 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 por ...

. The Orroroo Carrieton section consists of a diagonal rural strip of the cadastral Hundred of Coomooroo separating the towns of Morchard and Walloway, with narrow strips of the Hundreds of Eurelia and Pinda at its north-western end.

History

Coomooroo is situated 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 have been largely overlooked in the histories of colonization and the subsequent dispossession from their traditional lands. The locality derives its name from the Hundred of Coomooroo, which Governor

Anthony Musgrave Sir Anthony Musgrave (31 August 1828 – 9 October 1888) was a Secretary of State for the Colonies, colonial administrator and governor. He died in office as Governor of Queensland in 1888. Early life He was born at St John's, Antigua, the t ...

named in 1875 after a word meaning "small food seeds" in an unknown Aboriginal language. While the area was informally known as Poverty Corner, it was formally named Coomooroo at the request of the District Council of Mount Remarkable. In 1882, newly-opened Hundreds, including portions of the Hundred of Coomooroo, were put up for sale. The settlement process in the Upper North of South Australia is an intriguing case study of the economic and social changes brought about by land reform legislation in the 1860s. Within a decade, an extensive area of pastoral land was transformed into agricultural use, making it one of the most remarkable instances of its kind in Australia. Coomooroo lies just north of Goyder's Line, which marks the boundary of land suitable for cropping due to rainfall levels. North of Goyder's Line, the annual rainfall is generally insufficient to support crops, limiting the land to grazing purposes. Despite some development efforts in the region, adverse conditions repeatedly hindered progress. As early as 1876, the

South Australian Register ''The Register'', originally the ''South Australian Gazette and Colonial Register'', and later ''South Australian Register,'' was South Australia's first newspaper. It was first published in London in June 1836, moved to Adelaide in 1837, and ...

reported on the challenges faced by settlers in Coomooroo due to unfavorable weather conditions. Morchard and Coomooroo 125 Year Plaque

The Coomooroo School opened its doors in 1881 and remained in operation until its closure in 1917. The residents petitioned for a post office, but ultimately one was established in nearby Morchard instead. At different points in the town history, Coomoroo had community organisations such as an Agricultural Board, a dog coursing club, cricket club, and tennis club. Notably, one Coomooroo resident, Robert Wilfred Robertson, was killed in action in World War 1 and is commemorated at the Australian War Memorial. In 1976, a book titled "Reflections: The story of the Morchard District and the Hundred of Coomooroo" was compiled in conjunction with the centenary celebrations of Morchard and Coomooroo. Additionally, in 2001, a plaque commemorating 125 years of European settlement in Morchard and Coomooroo was erected in nearby Morchard.

Landmarks

The historic Pekina Run Ruins, located at the south-eastern tip of Coomooroo, 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 Pekina Run ruins are significant as the relatively well-preserved remains of an early and large homestead complex of the 1840s, completely abandoned and allowed to fall into ruin after the Strangways land resumptions of the 1870s.

References

{{authority control Towns in South Australia