Melrose, South Australia
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Melrose is the oldest town in the
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 ...
, South Australia. The town was once named "Mount Remarkable". The town is known for its proximity to Mount Remarkable and the surrounding
National Park A national park is a nature park designated for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes because of unparalleled national natural, historic, or cultural significance. It is an area of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that is protecte ...
, its caravan park and historical sites including Jacka's brewery and Melrose Courthouse.


History

Journalist Rodney Cockburn, in his popular book ''What's in a Name'' asserts that consensus has not yet been reached about the origins of Melrose's name. He gives the explanation that its surveyor named the town after George Melrose, of Rosebank, Mount Pleasant, who assisted him when he was ill. Another explanation suggests a land owner named Alexander Campbell settled in the area in 1844 with his family and named the region after his hometown, Melrose, in Scotland. Historian Geoff Manning found that the town was located on a property claimed by the Mount Remarkable Mining Company and in the 1850s subdivided it into 250 sections of . Townsites were surveyed at either end, Melrose to the north and Bangor at the southern end. This was in accord with Cockburn's findings, but Manning was convinced that A. L. Elder, a prominent director of the company and a proud Scotsman, named it for Melrose in
Roxburghshire Roxburghshire or the County of Roxburgh () is a historic county and registration county in the Southern Uplands of Scotland. It borders Dumfriesshire to the west, Selkirkshire and Midlothian to the northwest, and Berwickshire to the north. T ...
. The first European explorer in the area was
Edward John Eyre Edward John Eyre (5 August 181530 November 1901) was an English land explorer of the Australian continent, colonial administrator, Lieutenant-Governor of New Zealand's New Munster province, and Governor of Jamaica. Early life Eyre was born in ...
in 1840; pastoralists settled in the area about a decade later.
Copper Copper is a chemical element; it has symbol Cu (from Latin ) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkish-orang ...
was discovered and mining started in 1846, but it was not economically viable, and ceased in 1851. The mine was opened again three more times, with the latest closure in 1917. In 1893 at a time of high unemployment, Wilton Hack founded a communal settlement in the area. At its peak, some 130 settlers were working of land. By the end of 1895 after a succession of poor seasons around half the settlers had left, and in 1896 the village was closed by the Government. When it was opened in 1848, the police station in Melrose was not only the first permanent police station in the region, but the base of the largest police district in the world. A constable, two troopers and an Aboriginal tracker were responsible for an area extending to the
Timor Sea The Timor Sea (, , or ) is a relatively shallow sea in the Indian Ocean bounded to the north by the island of Timor with Timor-Leste to the north, Indonesia to the northwest, Arafura Sea to the east, and to the south by Australia. The Sunda Tr ...
. The Wilmington railway line from
Gladstone William Ewart Gladstone ( ; 29 December 1809 – 19 May 1898) was a British politican, starting as Conservative MP for Newark and later becoming the leader of the Liberal Party (UK), Liberal Party. In a career lasting over 60 years, he ...
opened near Melrose in 1915 and closed in 1990. The station was almost north of the town. Melrose is also on the Horrocks Highway, formerly known as Main North Road.


Heritage listings

Melrose has a number of heritage-listed sites, including: * 3 Brewery Street: Keating Cottage * Melrose to Orroroo Road: Mount Remarkable Woolshed * Melrose to Orroroo Road: Mount Remarkable Station * Mount Street: Jacka's Brewery and Yard Walls * near Melrose: Rankine's Hut * Lot 2 Spratt Street: Timber Slab Dwelling * Stuart Street: Melrose Post Office * Stuart Street: Melrose Courthouse and Police Station * Stuart Street: Mount Remarkable Inn * 22-24 Stuart Street: Blacksmith Shop and Dwelling * 13 Whitby Street: Timber Slab Dwelling


Jacka's Brewery

Jacka's Brewery was a family business founded by Joseph Jacka in 1877 in Melrose. Several months prior, Joseph and his brother William had leased the land the brewery still resides upon from Joseph's father-in-law. At the time, the Jacka family also owned the North Star Hotel in Melrose, and were already experienced brewers as they had previously owned a brewery in Auburn. In 1887 Joseph continued brewing in Melrose while his brother William relocated to Burra. Jacka's brewery was a great success and popular amongst the locals. Within the next decade or so, Joseph was able to buy more surrounding land and extend the breweries premises. At this point, Jacka's brewery was distributing beer to
Port Pirie Port Pirie is a small city on the east coast of the Spencer Gulf in South Australia, north of the state capital, Adelaide. Port Pirie is the largest city and the main retail centre of the Mid North region of South Australia. The city has an ex ...
and
Port Augusta Port Augusta (''Goordnada'' in the revived indigenous Barngarla language) is a coastal city in South Australia about by road from the state capital, Adelaide. Most of the city is on the eastern shores of Spencer Gulf, immediately south of the ...
using custom made wagons, wooden casks and teams of eight horses to traverse the Flinders Ranges. William returned to Jacka's Brewery in 1901 after his brother died, to assist his nephew William J.S. Jacka with running the business. The brewery ceased production in 1934 after World War I and the Great Depression rendered it economically inviable. The brewery was formerly known as T.B. Marshall's Flour Mill.


Melrose Cemetery

Melrose Cemetery was established in the 1860s. According to the Virtual War Memorial for Australia, the opening of the cemetery is referenced by local newspapers. This includes 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 ...
s account of a
whooping cough Whooping cough ( or ), also known as pertussis or the 100-day cough, is a highly contagious, Vaccine-preventable diseases, vaccine-preventable Pathogenic bacteria, bacterial disease. Initial symptoms are usually similar to those of the common c ...
epidemic creating several new graves mere months after the cemetery's opening in 1863. Almost a decade later, the ''South Australian Register'' again referred to Melrose Cemetery as being "new", as well as a "regular resort for pigs to go about rooting in", suggesting that the council take better care of the grounds.


Indigenous population


Nukunu

As of 1974, there are records of the Ngaiawang Indigenous Tribe, also referred to as the
Nukunu Nukunu are an Aboriginal Australian people of South Australia, living around the Spencer Gulf area. In the years after British colonisation of South Australia, the area was developed to contain the cities of Port Pirie, South Australia, Port Piri ...
, being located east of Melrose and Mount Remarkable. The term 'Nukunu' may have been based on the term 'Nokunno' used by the
Kaurna The Kaurna people (, ; also Coorna, Kaura, Gaurna and other variations) are a group of Aboriginal people whose traditional lands include the Adelaide Plains of South Australia. They were known as the Adelaide tribe by the early settlers. Kau ...
tribe, and may refer to a metaphorical assassin that hunts at night. Variations of the name include but are not limited to: Wongaidja, Nukuna, Nookoona, and Nuguna. Furthermore, according to Tiechelmann and Schürmann's 1840 account of the tribe, the Nukunu also practiced both subincision and circumcision as male initiation rites. Efforts are currently being made to revive the Nukunu language. The presence and influence of the Nukunu people in Melrose is evident in place names. An example of this is the property of 'Bartagunyah', which, according to the Bartagunyah Estate website, means 'home of the Bardi Grubs'.


Adnyamathanha

Additionally, the Adnyamathanha people lived in the northern Flinders Ranges area for many millennia.


Tourism and landmarks

Today, Melrose is the base for visitors to the Mount Remarkable National Park and a centre for the local farmers. Melrose Tennis Club hosts a tennis tournament over the Easter weekend, with finals played on Monday morning. The tournament usually attracts around 200 participants across all the events. In June, Melrose is home to the ''Fat Tyre Festival'', an off-road bike celebration exploring local bike trails and crowding parades of freak bikes. In August, Melrose is also home to the King of the Mount trail race. This is a race to the summit of Mt Remarkable, during which runners and walkers ascend over along a trail. Melrose is home to a caravan park visited by 100,000 tourists every year. The town also has several sites and associated activities that are popular tourist attractions throughout the year.


Paradise Square

Paradise Square was the first cemetery in Melrose, situated by the Melrose Heritage Centre. According to the Virtual War Memorial for Australia, almost 128 burials took place in Paradise Square until its closure in the 1850s and prior to the establishment of Melrose Cemetery. Several Paradise Square burials were eventually relocated to the new Melrose Cemetery. In 1890 on
Arbor Day Arbor Day (or Arbour Day in some countries) is a Secularity, secular day of observance in which individuals and groups are encouraged to plant trees. Today, many countries observe such a holiday. Though usually observed in the spring, the date v ...
, 70 trees were planted on the grounds previously occupied by Paradise Square. The trees were replaced by tennis courts in 1925, which were later removed. Today, gardens provide a tribute to the remaining residents of Paradise Square.


Bartagunyah Winery and Estate

Bartagunyah Estate and Winery is located approximately 5 km from Melrose. Its close proximity to the town means the winery is considered one of Melrose's tourist attractions. The land the estate sits upon was originally named by the Nukunu people, an Indigenous Australian community native to the Melrose region. The name translates to 'home of the bardy grubs'. The property itself was originally used for livestock in the 1930s, but in 1997 it was converted to a vineyard and winery. Tourists can participate in wine tasting and several
ecotourism Ecotourism is a form of nature-oriented tourism intended to contribute to the Ecological conservation, conservation of the natural environment, generally defined as being minimally impactful, and including providing both contributions to conserv ...
activities, including but not limited to mountain biking across ridge top trials, camping with a view of the Willochra Plain, and 4WD tours.


Old Emu Foot

Old Emu Foot has been identified by arborists at the National Register of Big Trees as the largest tree in South Australia, more so for its width than its height. It has also been identified as the largest River Red Gum (
Eucalyptus camaldulensis ''Eucalyptus camaldulensis'', commonly known as river red gum, is a flowering plant in the family Myrtaceae, and is Endemism, endemic to Australia. It is a tree with smooth white or cream-coloured bark, lance-shaped or curved adult leaves, flow ...
) in Australia. Its size was compared with several contenders throughout NSW, Victoria and Western Australia using the American Forests formula. The tree was nominated as the largest River Red Gum in Australia and largest tree in South Australia by the director of Arbortech, Kym Knight. Knight has estimated the tree's age to be around 400 years. Old Emu Foot is not considered a tourist attraction as it resides on private property and isn't easily accessible for the general public. It sits roughly 1.2 km from the Melrose Showgrounds in a sheep paddock owned by farmer David McCallum. It is 35 metres tall, its circumference is 14.82 metres, and its crown is 29 metres. These dimensions afford Old Emu Foot a score of 722 points according to the American Forests formula.


Creek

On the West side of the Melrose Township, flows the Wilochra Creek heading Northwards. The creek is freshwater and is home to freshwater leeches, ducks, frogs and water insects. In some parts of the creek, depths can reach a maximum of two metres. Bike trails cross the creek several times and follow the creek adjacent to its course.


Education

Melrose has several educational institutions, including but not limited to: * Melrose primary school * Melrose kindergarten * Terka township * Wilmington Primary School * Wilmington Kindergarten * Booleroo Centre District School


Notes and references


Further reading


South Australian History – Melrose


External links


Melrose community website
{{authority control Flinders Ranges Towns in South Australia