Stirling North (known by locals as Catninga) is a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

located east of

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 ...

in the

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

n state 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 ...

. Its origin was as a reliable watering point in low-rainfall country, used by

Aboriginal people There is no generally accepted definition of Indigenous peoples, although in the 21st century the focus has been on self-identification, cultural difference from other groups in a state, a special relationship with their traditional territ ...

since time immemorial, and by settlers since the 1850s. Few people lived there until about 100 houses were built in the 1980s for railway employees and their families – Stirling North railway station has been an important railway junction for up to four main lines. Subsequent residential development was substantial; now the town serves essentially as a

satellite A satellite or an artificial satellite is an object, typically a spacecraft, placed into orbit around a celestial body. They have a variety of uses, including communication relay, weather forecasting, navigation ( GPS), broadcasting, scient ...

. From a population of 350 in 2008, Stirling North had a population of 2793 at the .

History

The locality that became Stirling North was originally known by settlers as Minchin Well, named after Henry Paul Minchin, the Sub-protector of Aborigines, who is known to have visited

at their camp next to a spring they had used for millennia. In 1854 he organised a well to be dug. Later, a standpipe was constructed to provide water for

livestock Livestock are the Domestication, domesticated animals that are raised in an Agriculture, agricultural setting to provide labour and produce diversified products for consumption such as meat, Egg as food, eggs, milk, fur, leather, and wool. The t ...

and people. In 1859

Robert Barr Smith Robert Barr Smith (4 February 1824 – 20 November 1915) was an Australian businessman and philanthropist in Adelaide, South Australia. He was a partner in Elder Smith and Company from 1863 (now Elders Limited). Early life and education Smith w ...

laid out a township and named it Stirling after Edward Stirling, his business partner in Elder Smith & Co. Ltd, the firm that became the large

agribusiness Agribusiness is the industry, enterprises, and the field of study of value chains in agriculture and in the bio-economy, in which case it is also called bio-business or bio-enterprise. The primary goal of agribusiness is to maximize profit ...

company, Elders Limited. Lands Department plans, however, show two towns, as laid out by R.B. Smith in 1859: Stirling North on section 10 and Stirling South on section 870,

Hundred of Davenport The Hundred of Davenport is a cadastral hundred within the County of Frome in South Australia, proclaimed in 1860. Within its bounds are the rural city of Port Augusta, the township of Stirling North and the localities of Davenport, Winninow ...

. In 1871, it was reported that "The Stirling North Pound was opened ... and a lot of goats were among the first inmates". In 1916, the state's Nomenclature Committee proposed a change to "Catninga", the name of a creek flowing in the area. Later in the year, however, the official name became Stirling North. Only in 1994 were suburban boundaries assigned.

Facilities

Stirling North is situated at the base of the Southern

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 ...

. A junction of the northbound

Augusta Highway Augusta Highway is the part of Australia's ring route (Highway 1 (Australia), Highway 1) located in South Australia between Port Wakefield, South Australia, Port Wakefield and Port Augusta, South Australia, Port Augusta. Route Augusta Highway ...

and the eastbound Flinders Ranges Way adjoins the town, so it is commonly visited by travellers needing a service stop but who have no need to travel the extra into Port Augusta. The town has a few services including hotel accommodation, food shops, general store, fuel outlets, a

post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letter (message), letters and parcel (package), parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post o ...

and public

telephones A telephone, colloquially referred to as a phone, is a telecommunications device that enables two or more users to conduct a conversation when they are too far apart to be easily heard directly. A telephone converts sound, typically and most ...

. Sporting venues include a golf course and tennis court, bike track and public park. A weekday local bus service operates between the Port Augusta city centre and Stirling North. The town's historic Davenport Reservoir and Storage Tank is 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'' ...

Notes

References

External links

Town information, including facilities

Port Augusta City Council site
{{authority control Towns in South Australia Far North (South Australia) Suburbs of Port Augusta