80-734: Moonta Mines is a locality at the northern end of the Yorke Peninsula , adjoining the town of Moonta . It is located in the Copper Coast Council . From 1861 to 1923, it was the centre of a copper mining industry that formed colonial South Australia's largest mining enterprise. A substantial portion of the locality is listed on the South Australian Heritage Register as the Moonta Mines State Heritage Area and on
160-668: A Learning City . The number of international students studying in Adelaide has increased rapidly in recent years to 30,726 in 2015, of which 1,824 were secondary school students. Foreign institutions have been attracted to set up campuses to increase its attractiveness as an education hub. Adelaide is the birthplace of three Nobel laureates, more than any other Australian city : physicist William Lawrence Bragg and pathologists Howard Florey and Robin Warren , all of whom completed secondary and tertiary education at St Peter's College and
240-413: A four-yearly basis, are responsible for local roads and stormwater management, waste collection, planning and development, fire prevention and hazard management, dog and cat management and control, parking control, public health and food inspections, and other services for their local communities. Councils have the power to raise revenue for their activities, which is mostly achieved through "council rates",
320-490: A long history of human occupation by numerous tribes and languages. The South Australian Company established a temporary settlement at Kingscote , Kangaroo Island , on 26 July 1836, five months before Adelaide was founded. The guiding principle behind settlement was that of systematic colonisation , a theory espoused by Edward Gibbon Wakefield that was later employed by the New Zealand Company . The goal
400-735: A tax based on property valuations. Council rates make up about 70% of council revenue, but account for less than 4% of total taxes paid by Australians. As at December 2021 the population of South Australia was 1,806,599. A majority of the state's population lives within Greater Adelaide 's metropolitan area which had an estimated population of 1,333,927 in June 2017. Other significant population centres include Mount Gambier (29,505), Victor Harbor - Goolwa (26,334), Whyalla (21,976), Murray Bridge (18,452), Port Lincoln (16,281), Port Pirie (14,267), and Port Augusta (13,957). At
480-424: Is a hive of agricultural activity every 2 years, at the end of September. Access from Adelaide is by road, and a regular bus service operates from the capital to main towns on the peninsula and between some of the towns. It takes an estimated two and a half hours to drive from end to end, and about 30–40 minutes across the peninsula. There are no traffic lights on the peninsula. In December 2006, Sea SA operated
560-609: Is also known as the Yorke Horst , which is distinct physiographic section of the larger South Australian Shatter Belt province, which in turn is part of the larger West Australian Shield , a physiographic division describing a geological feature known as a shield . Along with Cape Eyre the peninsula is also part of the Eyre Yorke Block bioregion . Most of Yorke Peninsula is prime agricultural land, with mostly small rolling hills and flat plains. The southern end of
640-478: Is also the world's fourth-largest remaining copper deposit, and the world's fifth largest gold deposit. There was a proposal to vastly expand the operations of the mine, making it the largest open-cut mine in the world, but in 2012 the BHP Billiton board decided not to go ahead with it at that time due to then lower commodity prices. The remote town of Coober Pedy produces more opal than anywhere else in
720-602: Is flanked by the Southern Ocean , but official international consensus defines the Southern Ocean as extending north from the pole only to 60°S or 55°S, at least 17 degrees of latitude further south than the most southern point of South Australia. Thus the south coast is officially adjacent to the south-most portion of the Indian Ocean. See Southern Ocean: Existence and definitions . The southern part of
800-560: Is the Mount Lofty - Flinders Ranges system, which extends north about 800 kilometres (500 mi) from Cape Jervis to the northern end of Lake Torrens . The highest point in the state is not in those ranges; Mount Woodroffe (1,435 metres (4,708 ft)) is in the Musgrave Ranges in the extreme northwest of the state. The south-western portion of the state consists of the sparsely inhabited Nullarbor Plain , fronted by
880-425: Is the fifth-largest of the states and territories by population. This population is the second-most highly centralised in the nation after Western Australia , with more than 77% of South Australians living in the capital Adelaide or its environs. Other population centres in the state are relatively small; Mount Gambier , the second-largest centre, has a population of 26,878. South Australia shares borders with all
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#1732798226410960-738: The Adelaide Hills . Tomatoes , capsicums , cucumbers , brassicas , lettuce and carrots are grown on the Northern Adelaide Plains at Virginia . Almonds , citrus and stone fruit are grown in the Riverland . Potatoes , onions and carrots are grown in the Murray Mallee region. Potatoes are grown on Kangaroo Island . South Australia produces more than half of all Australian wine, including almost 80% of Australia's premium wines. South Australia has
1040-582: The British Parliament passed the South Australia Act 1834 ( Foundation Act ), which empowered His Majesty to erect and establish a province or provinces in southern Australia. The act stated that the land between 132° and 141° east longitude and from 26° south latitude to the southern ocean would be allotted to the intended colony, and it would be convict-free. In contrast to the rest of Australia, terra nullius did not apply to
1120-459: The Copper Coast towns of Kadina , Moonta and Wallaroo ; farming centres of Maitland , Minlaton and Yorketown ; and the port of Ardrossan . A number of smaller coastal towns are popular destinations for fishing and holidays, particularly for people from Adelaide . The south-western tip is occupied by Dhilba Guuranda-Innes National Park . Typical of the southern coastal areas of
1200-766: The Councillors of India . The coastline of South Australia was first mapped by Matthew Flinders and Nicolas Baudin in 1802, excepting the inlet later named the Port Adelaide River which was first discovered in 1831 by Captain Collet Barker and later accurately charted in 1836–37 by Colonel William Light , leader of the South Australian Colonization Commissioners' 'First Expedition' and first Surveyor-General of South Australia. The land which now forms
1280-680: The Governor of South Australia as his representative. It is a state of the Commonwealth of Australia . The bicameral Parliament of South Australia consists of the lower house known as the House of Assembly and the upper house known as the Legislative Council . General elections are held every four years, the last being the 2022 election . Initially, the Governor of South Australia held almost total power, derived from
1360-701: The Gulf St Vincent Important Bird Area and the Southern Yorke Peninsula Important Bird Area . The Gulf St Vincent IBA covers a strip of intertidal land from Ardrossan to the head of Gulf St Vincent and onto the east coast of the gulf. The Southern Yorke Peninsula IBA covers most of the southern western tip of the Peninsula and overlaps Dhilba Guuranda-Innes National Park and Warrenben Conservation Park. Marna Banggara, formerly known as
1440-643: The Hornsdale Wind Farm in South Australia's Mid-North region. At the time of construction in late 2017, it was billed as the largest lithium-ion battery in the world. The Olympic Dam mine near Roxby Downs in northern South Australia is the largest deposit of uranium in the world, possessing more than a third of the world's low-cost recoverable reserves and 70% of Australia's. The mine, owned and operated by BHP , presently accounts for 9% of global uranium production. The Olympic Dam mine
1520-523: The Hummocks Range partially extends down the top of the Peninsula, flattening out near Clinton . The highest point on the Peninsula is 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) north-east of Maitland , although there is some debate as to where the Peninsula borders the Mid-North, and part of the steep Hummocks terrain may be considered part of the Peninsula. A series of shallow valleys line the interior of
1600-613: The Koonalda Cave on the Nullarbor Plain . In addition wooden spears and tools were made in an area now covered in peat bog in the South East. Kangaroo Island was inhabited long before the island was cut off by rising sea levels . According to mitochondrial DNA research, Aboriginal people reached Eyre Peninsula 49,000-45,000 years ago from both the east (clockwise, along the coast, from northern Australia) and
1680-618: The Monarto Zoo temporarily housed 85 mainland tammar wallaby from New Zealand, awaiting reintroduction to the Dhilba Guuranda-Innes National Park , after they had been locally extinct there for some time. By 2012, four releases had been made, and the population increased to 100–120 animals. The following statutory reserves are located within the peninsula or immediately adjoin its coastline: Yorke Peninsula also hosts two Important Bird Areas (IBA):
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#17327982264101760-695: The National Heritage List as the Australian Cornish Mining Heritage Site, Moonta Mines. Patrick " Paddy " Ryan, a shepherd for pastoralist Sir Walter Hughes , discovered copper on Hughes' property at Moonta in May 1861. The Tiparra Mining Association (later the Moonta Mining Company) commenced operations in 1862 after a legal battle over title to the claim. It proved extremely successful, with
1840-744: The Riverland and the Adelaide Hills . See South Australian wine . South Australia has boundaries with every other Australian mainland state and territory except the Australian Capital Territory and the Jervis Bay Territory . The Western Australia border has a history involving the South Australian government astronomer, G.F. Dodwell, and the Western Australian Government Astronomer , H.B. Curlewis , marking
1920-525: The University of Adelaide . Adelaide is home to research institutes, including the Royal Institution of Australia , established in 2009 as a counterpart to the two-hundred-year-old Royal Institution of Great Britain. Most of the research organisations are clustered in the Adelaide metropolitan area: South Australia is a constitutional monarchy with King Charles III as sovereign, and
2000-595: The 1880s, and in 1889 forced the Moonta Mining Company to merge with the owners of Wallaroo Mines to form the Wallaroo and Moonta Mining and Smelting Co. Ltd. The mine finally closed in 1923, after which the Moonta Mines locality sharply declined, although the cementation works continued in use until 1943. The Moonta Mines State Heritage Area was declared in 1984. The modern locality of Moonta Mines
2080-534: The 2016 census, 78.2% of the population spoke only English at home. The other languages most commonly spoken at home were Italian (1.7%), Standard Mandarin (1.7%), Greek (1.4%), Vietnamese (1.1%), and Cantonese (0.6%). At the 2016 census , overall 53.9% of responses identified some variant of Christianity . 9% of respondents chose not to state a religion. The most commonly nominated responses were 'No Religion' (35.4%), Catholicism (18%), Anglicanism (10%) and Uniting Church (7.1%). South Australia
2160-417: The 2016 census, the most commonly nominated ancestries were: 28.9% of the population was born overseas at the 2016 census. The five largest groups of overseas-born were from England (5.8%), India (1.6%), China (1.5%), Italy (1.1%) and Vietnam (0.9%). 2% of the population, or 34,184 people, identified as Indigenous Australians ( Aboriginal Australians and Torres Strait Islanders ) in 2016. At
2240-580: The 2020–21 financial year. This was the first time since the Australian Bureau of Statistics began collecting data in 1990 that South Australia had outperformed the other states. The recovery was driven in part by growth in the agricultural sector, which increased its production by almost 24% thanks to the end of a drought. Wheat , barley , oats , rye , peas , beans , chickpeas , lentils and canola are grown in South Australia. Apples , pears , cherries and strawberries are grown in
2320-471: The 2024 Adelaide Festival . The work, which comprises three sections, each relating to a local creation story, includes dance, puppetry, and songs. Since the discovery of Copper on Yorke Peninsula over 150 years ago, the towns of Kadina , Moonta and Wallaroo have been collectively known as the Copper Coast. The world's largest Cornish Festival takes place every 2 years (in odd-numbered years) in
2400-600: The City of Adelaide is currently located. The first immigrants arrived at Holdfast Bay (near the present day Glenelg ) in November 1836. The commencement of colonial government was proclaimed on 28 December 1836, now known as Proclamation Day . South Australia is the only Australian state to have never received British convicts. Another free settlement, Swan River colony was established in 1829 but Western Australia later sought convict labour, and in 1849 Western Australia
2480-446: The Copper Coast towns of Kadina , Moonta and Wallaroo . South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA ) is a state in the southern central part of Australia . With a total land area of 984,321 square kilometres (380,048 sq mi), it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which includes some of the most arid parts of the continent, and with 1.8 million people it
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2560-569: The Great Southern Ark, is a grand project starting in 2019 to restore the landscape and ecology of the southern Yorke Peninsula, by reintroducing around twenty locally extinct species. The 25-kilometre (16 mi) fence across the peninsula, isolating a 170,000-hectare (420,000-acre) "mainland island", will limit predation of both native species and livestock such as lambs by feral cats and red foxes . Some work on controlling foxes had been carried out around 2006, in preparation for
2640-597: The Imperial Parliament enacted the Australian Colonies Government Act , which allowed for the election of representatives to each of the colonial legislatures and the drafting of a constitution to properly create representative and responsible government in South Australia. Later that year, propertied male colonists were allowed to vote for 16 members on a new 24 seat Legislative Council. Eight members continued to be appointed by
2720-817: The Moonta Mines Tourist Railway offering 50-minute guided tours of the former mining works, the Moonta Mines Sweet Shop in the former Moonta Mines Post Office building (1946-1970s), a former miners' cottage and garden in Verco Street, the Hughes Enginehouse (1865-1923), Richmans Enginehouse (1869-1923) and the Family History and Resource Centre in the former School of Mines. The historic Moonta Mines Uniting Church , which dates from 1865 when it opened as
2800-520: The Moonta deposits resulting in high yields. It saw a particular influx of miners from Cornwall in England . The government town of Moonta was surveyed in 1863, which resulted in a division between the professional classes in Moonta and a more informal township dominated by mining workers at Moonta Mines. The Moonta miners' undertook a major strike in 1864 over concerns about mining practices. By 1875,
2880-589: The Peninsula, with the main one called the Yorke Valley extending roughly from Sunnyvale, south of Paskeville through to Ramsey, between Minlaton and Stansbury . The predominant Yorke Valley area lies roughly in the area between Arthurton , Maitland, Ardrossan and Curramulka . The southern tip, sometimes termed the "foot", is surrounded on three sides by the ocean, and forms a 170,000-hectare (420,000-acre) isolated "mainland island", with large tracts of excellent native vegetation. Principal towns include
2960-660: The Wesleyan Methodist church, remains in operation with weekly services. It also has open days during the week or on weekends, depending upon the time of year. Moonta Mines contains a number of individually heritage-listed sites, including: Yorke Peninsula The Yorke Peninsula , known as Guuranda by the original inhabitants, the Narungga people , is a peninsula located northwest and west of Adelaide in South Australia , between Spencer Gulf on
3040-509: The border on the ground in the 1920s. In 1863, that part of New South Wales to the north of South Australia was annexed to South Australia, by letters patent, as the "Northern Territory of South Australia", which became shortened to the Northern Territory on 6 July 1863 . The Northern Territory was handed to the federal government in 1911 and became a separate territory. According to Australian maps, South Australia's south coast
3120-618: The cliffs of the Great Australian Bight . Features of the coast include Spencer Gulf and the Eyre and Yorke Peninsulas that surround it. The Temperate Grassland of South Australia is situated to the east of Gulf St Vincent . The principal industries and exports of South Australia are wheat, wine and wool. More than half of Australia's wines are produced in the South Australian wine regions which principally include Barossa Valley , Clare Valley , McLaren Vale , Coonawarra ,
3200-581: The community and enforce government regulations. Their principal role was to run the first temporary gaol, a two-room hut. The current flag of South Australia was adopted on 13 January 1904, and is a British blue ensign defaced with the state badge. The badge is described as a piping shrike with wings outstretched on a yellow disc. The state badge is believed to have been designed by Robert Craig of Adelaide's School of Design . The terrain consists largely of arid and semi-arid rangelands, with several low mountain ranges . The most important (but not tallest)
3280-698: The descendants of these people still live on Yorke Peninsula, supported by the Narungga Aboriginal Progress Association in Maitland , and in the community at Point Pearce . It was named "Yorke's Peninsula" by Captain Matthew Flinders , after Charles Philip Yorke (later Lord Hardwicke), narrowly beating French navigator Captain Nicolas Baudin , who preferred the name "Cambaceres Peninsula". The area
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3360-573: The establishment of their whale and seal fisheries, the South Australian Company sought, and obtained, the Commissioners' permission to send Company ships to South Australia, in advance of the surveys and ahead of the Commissioners' colonists. The company's settlement of seven vessels and 636 people was temporarily made at Kingscote on Kangaroo Island, until the official site of the capital was selected by William Light, where
3440-605: The federal government’s National Landcare Program , the South Australian Department for Environment and Water , WWF-Australia and the Foundation for National Parks and Wildlife , and many organisations have been actively involved in developing the project. Twenty woylies , or brush-tailed bettongs, were the first species reintroduced in the area, translocated from Wedge Island in June 2021, with another 80 to follow over time. The woylies will be
3520-535: The first ferry service across the Spencer Gulf, between Wallaroo and Lucky Bay , near Cowell on Eyre Peninsula , and this service continued until at least late 2015. As of 2021 a daily ferry service is operated by Spencer Gulf Searoad. The Balaklava-Moonta railway line ran across the upper Yorke Peninsula from 1878 until the 1980s. A programme, "Baiting for biodiversity ", involving making discounted fox baits available to landowners, in order to reduce
3600-542: The first in the world to allow women to stand for election. In 1897 Catherine Helen Spence was the first woman in Australia to be a candidate for political office when she was nominated to be one of South Australia's delegates to the conventions that drafted the constitution. South Australia became an original state of the Commonwealth of Australia on 1 January 1901. Although the lower house had universal suffrage,
3680-416: The first of about 20 locally extinct species which will be moved there by around 2040. Other species to be reintroduced as part of the project include western quolls and southern brown bandicoots , as well as native predators including the barn owl , red-tailed phascogale . The work Guuranda , directed by Narungga / Kaurna man Jacob Boehme, premiered at Her Majesty's Theatre, Adelaide , as part of
3760-501: The government is the party or coalition that exerts a majority in the House of Assembly. The Legislative Council remained a predominantly conservative chamber elected by property owners. Women's suffrage in Australia took a leap forward – enacted in 1895 and taking effect from the 1896 colonial election , South Australia was the first government in Australia and only the second in the world after New Zealand to allow women to vote, and
3840-539: The governor. The main responsibility of this body was to draft a constitution for South Australia. The body drafted the most democratic constitution ever seen in the British Empire and provided for universal manhood suffrage . It created the bicameral Parliament of South Australia . For the first time in the colony, the executive was elected by the people, and the colony used the Westminster system , where
3920-432: The grain in bags, and deliver fertiliser and other supplies. As roads in the region improved, and freight-handling techniques changed from bags to bulk, this became obsolete. A deep-water port was opened in 1970 near the south-eastern tip at Port Giles to export grain in bulk, and almost all the other ports ceased to be used for freight in the 1950s and 1960s. The only other ports with bulk-handling facilities are Wallaroo at
4000-403: The lead over other Australian states for its commercialisation and commitment to renewable energy . It is now the leading producer of wind power in Australia. Renewable energy is a growing source of electricity in South Australia, and there is potential for growth from this particular industry of the state's economy. The Hornsdale Power Reserve is a bank of grid-connected batteries adjacent to
4080-461: The least amount of federal funding for its local road network of all states on a per capita and a per kilometre basis. During 2019-20: South Australia's gross state product (GSP) fell 1.4% in chain volume (real) terms (nationally, gross domestic product (GDP) fell 0.3%). South Australia came out of the COVID-19 recession better than the other Australian states, with the economy growing by 3.9% in
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#17327982264104160-683: The letters patent of the imperial government to create the colony. He was accountable only to the British Colonial Office , and thus democracy did not exist in the colony. A new body was created to advise the governor on the administration of South Australia in 1843 called the Legislative Council. It consisted of three representatives of the British Government and four colonists appointed by the governor. The governor retained total executive power. In 1851,
4240-482: The mines' railway system. It was sold about 1911 to Henry & Sons, sawmillers of Forrest, Victoria via Cameron & Sutherland, Melbourne dealers. The National Trust of South Australia has a substantial presence at Moonta Mines, operating seven properties as tourist attractions through its Moonta branch. These include the National Trust Museum in the former Moonta Mines Model School (1878-1968),
4320-676: The new province. The Letters Patent , which used the enabling provisions of the South Australia Act 1834 to fix the boundaries of the Province of South Australia, provided that "nothing in those our Letters Patent shall affect or be construed to affect the rights of any Aboriginal Natives of the said Province to the actual occupation and enjoyment in their own Persons or in the Persons of their Descendants of any Lands therein now actually occupied or enjoyed by such Natives." Although
4400-471: The north occasionally bring heavy storm events during spring and summer; rainfall is otherwise light and unreliable due to high pressure systems dominating the area. Yorke Peninsula is a major producer of grain, particularly barley . Historically this has been sent out by sea because there are no rail services. Most coastal towns on the peninsula have substantial jetties. In the past these were used by ketches , schooners , and later steamships , to collect
4480-490: The north-western side, and Ardrossan at the top of Gulf St Vincent , also used to ship dolomite from a nearby mine for OneSteel . Maitland has a grain-receiving depot operated by AWB , serviced only by road. Wine production commenced on the Peninsula during the 1990s, taking advantage of the rich grey, limestone -based soil. Acknowledged as Australia's oldest Field Days, the Yorke Peninsula Field Days have been held since 1894. The Field Days site just outside Paskeville
4560-482: The other mainland states. It is bordered to the west by Western Australia , to the north by the Northern Territory , to the north-east by Queensland , to the east by New South Wales , to the south-east by Victoria , and to the south by the Great Australian Bight . The state comprises less than 8% of the Australian population and ranks fifth in population among the six states and two territories. The majority of its people reside in greater Metropolitan Adelaide. Most of
4640-402: The patent guaranteed land rights under force of law for the indigenous inhabitants, it was ignored by the South Australian Company authorities and squatters. Despite strong reference to the rights of the native population in the initial proclamation by the Governor, there were many conflicts and deaths in the Australian Frontier Wars in South Australia. Survey was required before settlement of
4720-401: The province, and the Colonization Commissioners for South Australia appointed William Light as the leader of its 'First Expedition', tasked with examining 1500 miles of the South Australian coastline and selecting the best site for the capital, and with then planning and surveying the site of the city into one-acre Town Sections and its surrounds into 134-acre Country Sections. Eager to commence
4800-409: The remainder are settled in fertile areas along the south-eastern coast and River Murray . The state's colonial origins are unique in Australia as a freely settled, planned British province , rather than as a convict settlement. Colonial government commenced on 28 December 1836, when the members of the council were sworn in near the Old Gum Tree . As with the rest of the continent, the region has
4880-435: The return of tammar wallabies to Dhilba Guuranda-Innes National Park, but the fence will expand the area of control. The geography of the southern tip of the peninsula makes it an excellent location for species reintroduction , as it is surrounded by the ocean on three sides. The area already possesses good native vegetation, and the area is isolated. Marna Banggara is funded through the Northern and Yorke Landscape Board,
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#17327982264104960-430: The state and influenced by the surrounding bodies of water, Yorke Peninsula has a Mediterranean climate , ( Koppen : borderline Csa/Csb), with some areas bordering a semi-arid climate , with hot, dry summer and cool, wet winter seasons. Maximum temperatures in summer average around 30°C and in winter average around 12–15°C. Due to the surrounding bodies of water, winter temperatures are moderated and milder than most of
5040-441: The state has a Mediterranean climate , while the rest of the state has either an arid or semi-arid climate . South Australia's main temperature range is 29 °C (84 °F) in January and 15 °C (59 °F) in July. The highest maximum temperature ever recorded was 50.7 °C (123.3 °F) at Oodnadatta on 2 January 1960, which is the highest official temperature recorded in Australia. The lowest minimum temperature
5120-449: The state of South Australia was claimed for Britain in 1788 as part of the colony of New South Wales . Although the new colony included almost two-thirds of the continent, early settlements were all on the eastern coast and only a few intrepid explorers ventured this far west. It took more than forty years before any serious proposal to establish settlements in the south-western portion of New South Wales were put forward. On 15 August 1834,
5200-400: The state's upper house with the balance of power controlled by a variety of minor parties and independents. Local government in South Australia is established by the Constitution Act 1934 (SA), the Local Government Act 1999 (SA), and the Local Government (Elections) Act 1999 (SA). South Australia contains 68 councils and 6 Aboriginal and outback communities . Local councils, elected on
5280-486: The state, with overnight temperatures rarely falling below zero, making frost relatively uncommon in the region. Northerly winds from the desert can bring temperatures above 40°C in summer and occasionally bring very warm winter days well into the 20s. Average precipitation is 4–600 mm, most of which falls from mid-April through to September, though total and seasonal rainfall can vary greatly from year to year. Along with most of southern Australia, monsoonal lows from
5360-483: The success of the Moonta Mines and those in the surrounding area had made Moonta the second largest town in South Australia and the largest copper region in the British Empire; Moonta Mines itself had a population of 5,000 residents. In 1876, the Moonta Mining Company became the first mining company in Australia to pay out one million pounds in dividends. However, living conditions were poor and many people died to disease during this time. Copper prices had begun to decline by
5440-455: The threat of introduced foxes to native fauna, has been running across 170,000 hectares (420,000 acres) of the peninsula since 2014. The programme has been successful in helping to protect native species, such as the western pygmy possum , tammar wallaby including threatened species such as the hooded plover , mallee fowl and fairy tern . Bush stone-curlews had returned to the peninsula after not being seen there for 40 years. In 2003,
5520-423: The upper house, the Legislative Council, remained the exclusive domain of property owners until the Labor government of Don Dunstan managed to achieve reform of the chamber in 1973. Property qualifications were removed and the Council became a body elected via proportional representation by a single state-wide electorate. Since the following 1975 South Australian state election , no one party has had control of
5600-427: The west (anti-clockwise). The first recorded European sighting of the South Australian coast was in 1627 when the Dutch ship the Gulden Zeepaert , captained by François Thijssen , examined and mapped a section of the coastline as far east as the Nuyts Archipelago . Thijssen named the whole of the country eastward of the Leeuwin "Nuyts Land", after a distinguished passenger on board; the Hon. Pieter Nuyts , one of
5680-442: The west and Gulf St Vincent on the east. The peninsula is separated from Kangaroo Island to the south by Investigator Strait . The most populous town in the region is Kadina ; Maitland is the most central town; and the south-western tip is occupied by Dhilba Guuranda-Innes National Park . Prior to European settlement of the area commencing around 1840, following the British colonisation of South Australia , Yorke Peninsula
5760-447: The world. Opal was first discovered near the town in 1915, and the town became the site of an opal rush, enticing immigrants from southern and eastern Europe in the aftermath of World War II . Higher education and research in Adelaide forms an important part of South Australia's economy. The South Australian Government and educational institutions have attempted to position Adelaide as Australia's education hub and have marketed it as
5840-569: Was established in January 1999, when boundaries were formalised for the long established name. A narrow gauge steam locomotive was used at the Moonta Mines on the 2 ft 9 in ( 838 mm ) gauge line between Taylor's Shaft and Richman's Plant. Built in 1889 in Manchester , England by Beyer, Peacock & Company it was works number 3057 and was later converted to 3 ft 6 in ( 1,067 mm ) gauge for operation on
5920-497: Was formally constituted as a penal colony. Although South Australia was constituted such that convicts could never be transported to the Province, some emancipated or escaped convicts or expirees made their own way there, both prior to 1836, or later, and may have constituted 1–2% of the early population. The plan for the province was that it would be an experiment in reform, addressing the problems perceived in British society. There
6000-468: Was the first Australian colony not to have an official state religion, and the colony became attractive to people who had experienced religious discrimination, including Methodists and Unitarians . South Australia also had thousands of Prussian Old Lutheran immigrants, some of whom established their own form of Lutheranism. As a result, the Lutheran Church of Australia remains separate from
6080-401: Was the home to the Narungga people. This Aboriginal Australian nation are the traditional owners of the land, and comprised four clans sharing the peninsula, known as Guuranda: Kurnara in the north, Dilpa in the south, Wari in the west, and Windarra in the east. The Narungga people also had names for the locations of many towns on the peninsula, such as Maggiwarda for Maitland . Today
6160-474: Was to be religious freedom and no established religion. Sales of land to colonists created an Emigration Fund to pay the costs of transferring a poor young labouring population to South Australia. In early 1838 the colonists became concerned after it was reported that convicts who had escaped from the eastern states may make their way to South Australia. The South Australia Police was formed in April 1838 to protect
6240-564: Was to establish the province as a centre of civilisation for free immigrants, promising civil liberties and religious tolerance. Although its history has been marked by periods of economic hardship, South Australia has remained politically innovative and culturally vibrant. Today, it is known for its fine wine and numerous cultural festivals. The state's economy is dominated by the agricultural, manufacturing and mining industries. Evidence of human activity in South Australia dates back as far as 20,000 years, with flint mining activity and rock art in
6320-570: Was upgraded to AAA by Standard & Poor's in September 2004 and to AAA by Moody's in November 2004, the highest credit ratings achievable by any company or sovereign. The state had previously lost these ratings in the State Bank collapse. However, in 2012 Standard & Poor's downgraded the state's credit rating to AA+ due to declining revenues, new spending initiatives and a weaker than expected budgetary outlook. South Australia receives
6400-786: Was −8.2 °C (17.2 °F) at Yongala on 20 July 1976. The region's overall dry weather is owed to the Australian High on the Great Australian Bight. As of 2016, South Australia had 746,105 people employed out of a total workforce of 806,593, giving an unemployment rate of 7.5%. South Australia's largest employment sector is health care and social assistance, making up 14.8% of the state's total employment, followed by retail (10.7%), education and training (8.6%), manufacturing (8%), and construction (7.6%). South Australia's economy relies on exports more than any other state in Australia. South Australia's credit rating
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