Sedan is a rural town in

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 ...

. It is located about 100 kilometres east 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 ...

and about 20 kilometres west of the

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 ...

. It is located on the dry eastern side of the

Mount Lofty Ranges The Mount Lofty Ranges are a range of mountains in the Australian state of South Australia which for a small part of its length borders the east of Adelaide. The part of the range in the vicinity of Adelaide is called the Adelaide Hills and d ...

Overview

Sedan used to be the terminus of the

South Australian Railways South Australian Railways (SAR) was the organisation through which the Government of South Australia built and operated railways in South Australia from 1854 until March 1978, when its non-urban railways were incorporated into Australian Natio ...

' Sedan line, which opened on 13 October 1919, and was curtailed to

Cambrai Cambrai (, ; ; ), formerly Cambray and historically in English Camerick or Camericke, is a city in the Nord department and in the Hauts-de-France region of France on the Scheldt river, which is known locally as the Escaut river. A sub-pref ...

in 1964. Sedan is at the junction of the

Stott Highway Stott Highway is a state-controlled highway in South Australia, linking Angaston in the Barossa Valley, through Sedan and Swan Reach, to Pyap in the Riverland region. It was named after Tom Stott, a member of the South Australian state pa ...

which connects the Barossa Valley on the west to the

River Murray The Murray River (in South Australia: River Murray; Ngarrindjeri: ''Millewa'', Yorta Yorta: ''Dhungala'' or ''Tongala'') is a river in Southeastern Australia. It is Australia's longest river at extent. Its tributaries include five of the n ...

and

Riverland The Riverland is a region of South Australia. It covers an area of along the Murray River, River Murray from where it flows into South Australia from New South Wales and Victoria (Australia), Victoria downstream to Blanchetown, South Australia ...

on the east, and Halfway House Road which provides a north–south heavy vehicle route between the

Sturt Highway Sturt Highway is an Australian national highway in New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia. It is an important road link for the transport of passengers and freight between Sydney and Adelaide and the regions along the route. Initiall ...

and

Princes Highway Princes Highway is a major road in Australia, extending from Sydney via Melbourne to Adelaide through the states of New South Wales, Victoria (Australia), Victoria and South Australia. It has a length of (along Highway 1) or via the former ...

on the plains to the east of the

. Surrounded by dry-stone walls built by early settlers, the historic town of Sedan is home to many 19th century buildings that are in excellent condition. SedanBuilding

The Sedan Heritage Trail – available from the Sedan Hotel – is a good way to discover the town. Once a busy

railway town A railway town, or railroad town, is a settlement that originated, or was expanded, as a result of a railway line being constructed there. North America During the construction of the First transcontinental railroad in the 1860s, temporary, ...

, complete with steam flour mill and agricultural machinery factory, Sedan was settled in the 1850s by Lutheranism, Lutheran
Old High
German settlement in Australia, German settlers which fled Europe from religiou
persecution
The town was originally a private subdivision of Section 52. Some speculate the town is named for the

Battle of Sedan The Battle of Sedan was fought during the Franco-Prussian War from 1 to 2 September 1870. Resulting in the capture of Napoleon III, Emperor Napoleon III and over a hundred thousand troops, it effectively decided the war in favour of Prussia and ...

in the

Franco-Prussian War The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the War of 1870, was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the North German Confederation led by the Kingdom of Prussia. Lasting from 19 July 1870 to 28 Janua ...

. 1870? This war took place after the building of the township and due to the persecution of Lutherans by the Prussian Emperor of the time; Given that the early German settlers came to Australia to be free from war and live peacefully, it is most likely the town was named after the settlers' ancestral homeland or a place of Asylum for religious refugees. Sedan in Europe, once German Lutheran was founded in 1424 and in the sixteenth century, became an official asylum for the Protestant émigrés (Lutheran Refugees) from the religious wars, annexed to France in 1642. These refugees were known a
Huguenots
The Lutheran church at the center of the town opened in 1873. Due to speculations surrounding their German heritage. The founding father of the town donated their buildings to the Lutheran church and community. When the amalgamated District Council of Keyneton and Swan Reach was established in 1933, Sedan was chosen to be the seat of council. Later the council name was changed to reflect the seat, becoming the District Council of Sedan.

Pine Hut Creek

Pine Hut Creek and Pine Hut Plain are historic names for areas to the south of the township in the locality of Sedan. The creek flows from the eastern side of the

to the

. There was once a Congregational Church school which closed in 1880 and government school from 1900 to 1910. There is a small cemetery no longer used.

References

External links

Towns in South Australia {{SouthAustralia-geo-stub