Gumeracha ( ) is a town in the
Adelaide Hills
The Adelaide Hills region is located in the southern Mount Lofty Ranges east of the city of Adelaide in the state of South Australia. The largest town in the area, Mount Barker, South Australia, Mount Barker, is one of Australia's fastest-growi ...
,
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 ...
, located on the
Adelaide-Mannum Road. It is located in the
Adelaide Hills Council local government area on the south bank of the upper
River Torrens
The River Torrens (Karrawirra Parri / Karrawirraparri) is the most significant river of the Adelaide Plains. It was one of the main reasons for the siting of the city of Adelaide, capital of South Australia. It flows from its source in the Ad ...
. The region relies heavily on grazing, dairying, grape growing, orchards, and market gardening. Its most prominent attraction is the
Big Rocking Horse.
History
The original inhabitants of the area were the
Peramangk people, and the name "Gumeracha" derives from an
Aboriginal word meaning "fine waterhole".
The area was one of the earliest
settled by Europeans in South Australia. First to explore the district were Dr George Imlay and
John Hill, on 24 January 1838. In 1839, the
South Australia Company took up a parcel of land, on which the settlements of Gumeracha,
Kenton Valley and
Forreston developed. The company established a district headquarters and opened it up for sheep grazing.
In 1841, The
South Australian Company
The South Australian Company, also referred to as the South Australia Company, was formed in London on 9 October 1835, after the '' South Australia (Foundation) Act 1834'' had established the new British Province of South Australia, with the So ...
built a home, known as "Ludlow House", for the first manager of the station known as "Timnath", William Beavis Randell. The company also built a
flour mill in the 1840s. The estate housed his large family, his workforce and their families. In 1846, Randell donated land and funds for a church, and the Salem Baptist Church was built – the oldest Baptist church still in use in South Australia. The surrounding area, meanwhile, had become an agricultural centre, and the Gumeracha Farmers' Society held annual shows.
In 1853, the
District Council of Talunga was established to administer the
Hundred of Talunga, including in large part the early Adelaide Hills pioneering community that would become Gumeracha. In 1855, Randell allocated land for a township and by 1860 the town was laid out.
Commercial businesses sprang up on the main street (Albert Street), and many fine buildings were erected, including the post office, police station and courthouse (1864), Gumeracha Institute, library and town hall (1909), a butter factory (1889), a school, a hospital, a coach-house, hotels, churches and business houses. Most of the buildings in use at that time still stand. William Beavis Randell's son,
William Richard Randell, built the first
Murray River
The Murray River (in South Australia: River Murray; Ngarrindjeri language, Ngarrindjeri: ''Millewa'', Yorta Yorta language, Yorta Yorta: ''Dhungala'' or ''Tongala'') is a river in Southeastern Australia. It is List of rivers of Australia, Aust ...
paddlesteamer in Gumeracha in 1852.
In 1935, the
District Council of Gumeracha replaced Talunga Council to administer a broader area around the town, centred at Gumeracha, the main point of population in that part of the Adelaide Hills.
Geography
Gumeracha is located between
Inglewood and
Birdwood along the
Adelaide-Mannum Road, and north of
Lobethal along the Gumeracha-Lobethal Road.
At the
2021 Australian census
The 2021 Australian census, simply called the 2021 Census, was the eighteenth national Census of Population and Housing in Australia. The 2021 Census took place on 10 August 2021, and was conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). ...
, Gumeracha had a population of 721 people.
Facilities

Gumeracha is the regional centre for the area. It contains a primary school, hospital, community centre, sports
Adelaide Hills Council (the main office is at
Woodside). There is also a golf course in Kenton Valley south of the town.
Several wineries operate in Gumeracha and in nearby areas.
The most notable attraction of Gumeracha is the "
biggest rocking horse in the world" – standing at (approximately the height of a six-storey building), it is just east of the town on Main Road and serves to advertise the toy factory and wildlife park.
Gumeracha is also home to Applewood Distillery, Australia's highest altitude distillery, specialising in gin and
Amaro showcasing native Australian botanicals like finger limes and strawberry gum.
Transport
The area is not served by Adelaide's public transport system.
LinkSA operates a coach service from
Tea Tree Plaza Interchange at
Modbury to Gumeracha and
Mount Pleasant.
References
External links
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Towns in South Australia