Lyndhurst is a town in north-east

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 ...

which is at the crossroads of the

Strzelecki Track Strzelecki Track is a mostly unsealed outback track in South Australia, linking Innamincka, South Australia, Innamincka to Lyndhurst, South Australia, Lyndhurst. History In 1870, the track was pioneered by Stockman (Australia), stockman, D ...

and the

Oodnadatta Track __NOTOC__ The Oodnadatta Track is an unsealed outback road in the Australian state of South Australia, connecting Marla in the north-west via Oodnadatta to Marree in the south-east. Along the way, the track passes the settlements of Oodnadatt ...

. It began as a

railway siding In rail terminology, a siding is a low-speed track section distinct from a running line or through route such as a main line, branch line, or spur. It may connect to through track or to other sidings at either end. Sidings often have lighter r ...

in 1878.

History

The original inhabitants of the area were the Aboriginal nation of the Kuyani people. The town is at the southern end of the

, whose northern end is at Innamincka. It was once a station on the original train route north known as the Great Northern Railway that was planned to reach Darwin, but only ever made it to

Alice Springs Alice Springs () is a town in the Northern Territory, Australia; it is the third-largest settlement after Darwin, Northern Territory, Darwin and Palmerston, Northern Territory, Palmerston. The name Alice Springs was given by surveyor William ...

. This railway line became known as

the Ghan ''The Ghan'' () is an experiential tourism-oriented passenger train service that operates between the northern and southern coasts of Australia, through the cities of Adelaide, Alice Springs and Darwin on the Adelaide–Darwin rail corridor ...

, and the last train ran along it in 1980. The route was always subject to the weather and wash outs, and a more permanent route has been constructed some to the west, and subsequently extended to Darwin in 2003. 80 km to the north is Marree, a small town that is at the junction of the

Oodnadatta Oodnadatta is a small, remote outback town and locality in the Australian state of South Australia, located north-north-west of the state capital of Adelaide city centre, Adelaide by road or direct, at an altitude of . The unsealed Oodnadatta ...

and

Birdsville Birdsville is a rural town and locality in the Shire of Diamantina, Queensland, Australia. The locality is on the Queensland border with both the Northern Territory and South Australia. The town is situated north of the South Australian bord ...

Tracks. Lyndhurst was gazetted as a town in 1896, and initially served as a freight centre for the railways that were connected in 1882. Mount Lyndhurst, east, was named after the British

Lord Chancellor The Lord Chancellor, formally titled Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, is a senior minister of the Crown within the Government of the United Kingdom. The lord chancellor is the minister of justice for England and Wales and the highest-ra ...

by the government surveyor Samuel Perry. In the 1860s,

Thomas Elder Sir Thomas Elder (5 August 1818 – 6 March 1897) was a Scottish-Australian Pastoral farming, pastoralist, highly successful businessman, philanthropist, politician, race-horse owner and breeder, and public figure. Amongst many other things, h ...

took up vast areas in the northern

Flinders Ranges The Flinders Ranges are the largest mountain ranges in South Australia, which starts about north of Adelaide. The ranges stretch for over from Port Pirie to Lake Callabonna. The Adnyamathanha people are the Aboriginal group who have inhab ...

region and called the property Mount Lyndhurst.

Visitor attractions

*Ochre Cliffs, approximately 2 km north of the town, is the site of an aboriginal mine that provided colours to be used in dyes and paints. *Murtee Johnny's grave – he was the last full blood Yantruwanta/Yandruwandha Aboriginal man. He was born c.1888 and died in Adelaide in 1979. He was an accomplished stockman, working on the Mount Hopeless in the

.* * Mount Lyndhurst Important Bird Area, lying about 30 km east of the town on Mount Lyndhurst Station, is a well-known

birdwatching Birdwatching, or birding, is the observing of birds, either as a recreational activity or as a form of citizen science. A birdwatcher may observe by using their naked eye, by using a visual enhancement device such as binoculars or a telescop ...

site for

chestnut-breasted whiteface The chestnut-breasted whiteface (''Aphelocephala pectoralis'') is a species of bird in the family Acanthizidae. It is endemic to Australia. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry shrubland. It is threatened by habitat loss. Referenc ...

s. *Talc Alf, the Talc Mine, and Alf's art.

Notable people

*"Dollar Mick" Smith (died 1969), an Aboriginal stockman who taught R. M. Williams his

leatherwork Leather crafting or simply leathercraft is the practice of making leather into craft objects or works of art, using shaping techniques, coloring techniques or both. Techniques Dyeing The application of pigments carried by solvents or water i ...

skills when he set up his first factory at

Nepabunna Nepabunna, also spelt Nipapanha, is a small community in the northern Flinders Ranges in north-eastern South Australia, about north of Adelaide. It is located just west of the Gammon Ranges, and the traditional owners are the Adnyamathanha peopl ...

in 1932, leading to the establishment of the highly successful RM Williams Company, which still produces a distinctive style of boot today.

References

External links

smh
*
Ochre Cliffs (5 km north of Lyndhurst)Lyndhurst Talc Alf CarvingsLyndhurst Hotel-Motel and Caravan park
{{authority control Towns in South Australia Far North (South Australia) Places in the unincorporated areas of South Australia

History

Visitor attractions

Notable people

See also

References

Further reading

External links