Snowtown, South Australia
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Settlement
The town of Snowtown is located in the Mid North of South Australia 145 km north of Adelaide at 33°47′ S 138°12′ E (http://kvaleberg.com/extensions/mapsources/index.php?params=33_47_S_138_12_E_region:AU-SA_type:city(520)).
The town initially grew up around the railway station at what is now Snowtown.The first pioneers arrived sometime between 1867-1869 due to the rapid expansion of farming to the north of the area; at the same time the old Snowtown Pub (1868) was built.
Town Charter
The Government only started showing interest in the settlement as late as 1869 when it planned to establish various new towns throughout the district and to divide the land into much smaller holdings.
Snowtown's charter was formally proclaimed by the then Governor Sir Thomas Jervois in 1878. Jervois named the town after one of the members of the Snow family - probably Thomas who was Jervois's aide de camp, although Sebastian Snow the Governor's Private Secretary is another possibility.
The town today
The town's main street is known as "Fourth Street" which is notable for its attractive public buildings - most notably the "Snowtown Memorial Hall" (1919) which is attached to the Old Institute (1889). Nearby is the town's tribute to the original pioneers telling visitors that the town's population is 520. The town's elevation is 103 metres and on average the town receives 389 mm of rainfall per annum.
The railway line intersecting Snowtown is a less significant feature now that Australia's Highway 1 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highway_1_(Australia)) runs along the western edge of the town.
Located in what is generally described as a wheat-belt, the local economy is based on:
- Cereal crops,
- Wool and
- Livestock.
Snowtown remains a service centre today for the local area, providing various essential services for the district as well as a welcome a rest for motorists on the busy main road A87 - Stuart Highway.
Governance
The town administration now falls under the control of the Wakefield Regional Council; this body came into effect on 1st July 1997, as a result of the amalgamation of the former District Council of Blyth-Snowtown and the former District Council of Wakefield Plains. It covers covers a geographical area of 3,435 square kilometres with a population of 6,747 (estimated as at 30 June 1998 by the Australian Bureau of Statistics).
The notorious 1999 murders
Since 1999, Snowtown has become notorious for a gruesome crime when dismembered parts from eight or more bodies were discovered in the vault of a disused bank. For more information on this subject see Snowtown murders
Things to see
At Lochiel-Ninnes Rd there is a lookout which provides a fine lookout across Lake Bumbunga, a very substantial salt lake; this lookout helps the visitor to get a feeling for the nature of the area.
References
Jones, A. 1978 Snowtown, the First Century, 1878-1978, Snowtown Centenary Committee, Australia
External links
- A tourist guide to the town (http://www.walkabout.com.au/locations/SASnowtown.shtml)
- The story of the murders (http://www.crimelibrary.com/serial_killers/weird/snowtown/index_1.html?sect=11)
- Local salt mining (http://www.southaustralianhistory.com.au/salt.htm)
- Snowtown's weather - Government data (http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/dwo/IDCJDW5064.latest.shtml)
- Wakefield Regional Council (http://www.wakefieldrc.sa.gov.au/site/page.cfm)
- Town Map (http://www.wakefieldrc.sa.gov.au/webdata/resources/files/snowtownmap1.pdf)
- Satellite Picture of Snowtown (http://terraserver.com/imagery/image_gx.asp?cpx=138.20899963400001&cpy=-33.7910003662&res=30&provider_id=340)
