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Yorke Peninsula

Coordinates:34°21′0″S137°37′0″E/ 34.35000°S 137.61667°E/-34.35000; 137.61667
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Not to be confused with theCape York PeninsulainQueensland.
For other uses, seeYorke Peninsula.

Yorke Peninsula
South Australia
The town ofArdrossan,located in Yorke Peninsula
Yorke Peninsula is located in South Australia
Yorke Peninsula
Yorke Peninsula
Coordinates34°21′0″S137°37′0″E/ 34.35000°S 137.61667°E/-34.35000; 137.61667
Population25,143 (2005)[1]
Established1840s
LGA(s)
State electorate(s)Frome[2]
Narungga[3]
Federal division(s)Grey[4]
WebsiteYorke Peninsula

TheYorke Peninsula,known asGuurandaby the original inhabitants, theNarungga people,is apeninsulalocated northwest and west ofAdelaideinSouth Australia,betweenSpencer Gulfon the west andGulf St Vincenton the east. The peninsula is separated fromKangaroo Islandto the south byInvestigator Strait.

The most populous town in the region isKadina;Maitlandis the most central town; and the south-western tip is occupied byDhilba Guuranda-Innes National Park.

History[edit]

Yorke Peninsula is the central, boot-shaped peninsula above the island and between the two inlets

Prior to European settlement of the area commencing around 1840, following theBritish colonisation of South Australia,Yorke Peninsula was the home to theNarunggapeople. ThisAboriginal Australiannation are thetraditional ownersof the land, and comprised fourclanssharing the peninsula, known as Guuranda: Kurnara in the north, Dilpa in the south, Wari in the west, and Windarra in the east.[5][6]The Narungga people also had names for the locations of many towns on the peninsula, such as Maggiwarda forMaitland.[7][8]Today the descendants of these people still live on Yorke Peninsula, supported by the Narungga Aboriginal Progress Association inMaitland,and in the community atPoint Pearce.

It was named "Yorke's Peninsula"[9]by CaptainMatthew Flinders,afterCharles Philip Yorke(later Lord Hardwicke), narrowly beating French navigator CaptainNicolas Baudin,who preferred the name "Cambaceres Peninsula".[10]

Geography[edit]

Physiography[edit]

Aerial view of Yorke Peninsula, looking south from around Ardrossan. Gulf St Vincent is in the foreground, Spencer Gulf in the background. The "foot" of the "boot" can be discerned near the horizon

The area is also known as theYorke Horst,which is distinctphysiographicsection of the largerSouth Australian Shatter Beltprovince, which in turn is part of the largerWest Australian Shield,a physiographic division describing a geological feature known as ashield.Along with Cape Eyre the peninsula is also part of theEyre Yorke Blockbioregion.[citation needed]

Topography[edit]

Most of Yorke Peninsula is prime agricultural land, with mostly small rolling hills and flat plains. The southern end of theHummocks Rangepartially extends down the top of the Peninsula, flattening out nearClinton.The highest point[quantify]on the Peninsula is 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) north-east ofMaitland,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.[citation needed]

A series of shallow valleys line the interior of the Peninsula, with the main one called the Yorke Valley extending roughly from Sunnyvale, south ofPaskevillethrough to Ramsey, betweenMinlatonandStansbury.The predominant Yorke Valley area lies roughly in the area betweenArthurton,Maitland,ArdrossanandCurramulka.[citation needed]

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.[11]

Towns[edit]

Principal towns include theCopper Coasttowns ofKadina,MoontaandWallaroo;farmingcentres ofMaitland,MinlatonandYorketown;and the port ofArdrossan.A number of smaller coastal towns are popular destinations for fishing and holidays, particularly for people fromAdelaide.

The south-western tip is occupied byDhilba Guuranda-Innes National Park.

Climate[edit]

Typical of the southern coastal areas of the state and influenced by the surrounding bodies of water, Yorke Peninsula has aMediterranean climate,(Koppen:borderline Csa/Csb), with some areas bordering asemi-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.[citation needed]

Due to the surrounding bodies of water, winter temperatures are moderated and milder than most of the state, with overnight temperatures rarely falling below zero, makingfrostrelatively uncommon in the region. Northerly winds from thedesertcan 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,monsoonallows from the north occasionally bring heavy storm events during spring and summer; rainfall is otherwise light and unreliable due tohigh pressure systemsdominating the area.[citation needed]

Agriculture[edit]

Yorke Peninsula is a major producer of grain, particularlybarley.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 byketches,schooners,and latersteamships,to collect 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 atPort Gilesto 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 the north-western side, and Ardrossan at the top ofGulf St Vincent,also used to shipdolomitefrom a nearby mine forOneSteel.Maitland has a grain-receiving depot operated byAWB,serviced only by road.[citation needed]

Wine production commenced on the Peninsula during the 1990s, taking advantage of the rich grey,limestone-based soil.[12]

Yorke Peninsula Field Days[edit]

Further information:Yorke Peninsula Field Days

Acknowledged as Australia's oldest Field Days, the Yorke Peninsula Field Days have been held since 1894. The Field Days site just outsidePaskevilleis a hive of agricultural activity every 2 years, at the end of September.[13]

Transport[edit]

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 notraffic lightson the peninsula.[14]

In December 2006, Sea SA operated the firstferryservice across the Spencer Gulf, between Wallaroo andLucky Bay,nearCowellonEyre Peninsula,and this service continued until at least late 2015.[15]As of 2021a daily ferry service is operated by Spencer Gulf Searoad.[16]

TheBalaklava-Moonta railway lineran across the upper Yorke Peninsula from 1878 until the 1980s.

Flora and fauna[edit]

A programme, "Baiting forbiodiversity",involving making discounted fox baits available to landowners, in order to reduce 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 thewestern pygmy possum,tammar wallabyincludingthreatened speciessuch as thehooded plover,mallee fowlandfairy tern.Bush stone-curlewshad returned to the peninsula after not being seen there for 40 years.[17][18]

In 2003, theMonarto Zootemporarily housed 85 mainland tammar wallaby from New Zealand, awaiting reintroduction to theDhilba Guuranda-Innes National Park,[19]after they had beenlocally extinctthere for some time.[18]By 2012, four releases had been made, and the population increased to 100–120 animals.[20]

Protected areas[edit]

The following statutory reserves are located within the peninsula or immediately adjoin its coastline:

Yorke Peninsula also hosts twoImportant Bird Areas(IBA): theGulf St Vincent Important Bird Areaand theSouthern 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.[25][26]

Marna Banggara[edit]

Marna Banggara, formerly known as the Great Southern Ark,[27]is a grand project starting in 2019 to restore the landscape andecologyof the southern Yorke Peninsula, by reintroducing around twentylocally extinctspecies. 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 byferal catsandred foxes.Some work on controlling foxes had been carried out around 2006, in preparation for the return oftammar wallabiesto Dhilba Guuranda-Innes National Park, but the fence will expand the area of control.[11][28][29]

The geography of the southern tip of the peninsula makes it an excellent location forspecies 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, the federal government’sNational Landcare Program,the South AustralianDepartment for Environment and Water,WWF-Australiaand theFoundation for National Parks and Wildlife,and many organisations have been actively involved in developing the project.[11]

Twentywoylies,or brush-tailed bettongs, were the first species reintroduced in the area, translocated fromWedge Islandin June 2021,[30][11][31]with another 80 to follow over time. The woylies will be the first of about 20locally extinctspecies which will be moved there by around 2040.[30]Other species to be reintroduced as part of the project includewestern quollsandsouthern brown bandicoots,as well as native predators including thebarn owl,red-tailed phascogale.[18]

Notable residents[edit]

Politics
Sports
Other

Gallery[edit]

  • Stenhouse Bay Jetty
    Stenhouse Bay Jetty
  • Moonta Mines
    Moonta Mines
  • School of Mines, Moonta
    School of Mines, Moonta
  • Wattle Point Wind Farm, near Edithburgh
    Wattle Point Wind Farm, near Edithburgh
  • Ardrossan Jetty
    Ardrossan Jetty
  • Black Point beach at dusk
    Black Point beach atdusk

See also[edit]

Copper Coast[edit]

Further information:Copper Coast

Since the discovery of Copper on Yorke Peninsula over 150 years ago, the towns ofKadina,MoontaandWallaroohave been collectively known as the Copper Coast.

Kernewek Lowender[edit]

Further information:Kernewek Lowender

The world's largest Cornish Festival takes place every 2 years (in odd-numbered years) in the Copper Coast towns ofKadina,MoontaandWallaroo.

References[edit]

  1. ^"Population health profile of the Yorke Peninsula"(PDF).Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 17 March 2012.Retrieved29 May2012.
  2. ^"District of Frome Background Profile".ELECTORAL COMMISSION SA.Archivedfrom the original on 3 November 2014.Retrieved3 November2014.
  3. ^"District of Goyder Background Profile".ELECTORAL COMMISSION SA.Archivedfrom the original on 3 November 2014.Retrieved3 November2014.
  4. ^"Federal electoral division of Grey"(PDF).Australian Electoral Commission.Archived(PDF)from the original on 26 March 2015.Retrieved24 July2015.
  5. ^"Windara reef".Yorke Peninsula Visitor Information.Archived fromthe originalon 28 February 2021.Retrieved28 February2021.
  6. ^"South Australian Reef Reviving the Gulf".The Nature Conservancy Australia.20 November 2020.Archivedfrom the original on 29 February 2024.Retrieved29 February2024.
  7. ^Liebelt, Belinda; Roberts, Amy; O'Loughlin, Clem; Milera, Doug (6 December 2016)."'We had to be off by sundown': Narungga contributions to farming industries on Yorke Peninsula (Guuranda), South Australia ".Aboriginal History.40.ANU Press.doi:10.22459/ah.40.2016.04.ISSN0314-8769.PDFArchived14 February 2022 at theWayback Machine
  8. ^"Figure 1: Yorke Peninsula (Guuranda) and relevant placenames".ResearchGate.1 June 2019.Retrieved29 February2024.
  9. ^"Plan of Yorke's Peninsula showing mineral claims, townships, runs, etc.;cartographic material&;/ by J.B. Poole C.E., Licensed Surveyor".State Library of South Australia.Archivedfrom the original on 30 October 2022.Retrieved28 February2021.
  10. ^"History of Yorke Peninsula"... Yorke Peninsula: Past and Present..28 April 1923.Archivedfrom the original on 19 October 2018.Retrieved29 February2024.
  11. ^abcd"Marna Banggara: Creating a safe haven for native species".Landscape South Australia.Northern and Yorke. 24 December 2020. Archived fromthe originalon 18 April 2021.Retrieved6 April2021.
  12. ^"Barley Stacks Wines".Barley Stacks Wines. Archived fromthe originalon 30 November 2014.Retrieved31 October2014.
  13. ^Yorke Peninsula Field Days websiteArchived4 June 2010 at theWayback Machine,The Yorke Peninsula Field Days are acknowledged as the oldest in Australia with the first trial held near Bute, SA, on 31 July 1895.
  14. ^"Getting Here & Around".Yorke Peninsula Tourism.Archivedfrom the original on 7 April 2021.Retrieved7 April2021.
  15. ^"About Us".Sea SA Pty Lty. Archived fromthe originalon 17 October 2015.Retrieved24 October2015.
  16. ^"Timetable".Spencer Gulf Searoad.6 April 2021.Archivedfrom the original on 7 April 2021.Retrieved7 April2021.
  17. ^"Yorke Peninsula natives thrive with fox numbers down".Environment SA.South Australia Department for Environment and Water. 14 February 2019.Archivedfrom the original on 24 February 2024.Retrieved24 February2024.
  18. ^abc"Yorke Peninsula sanctuary for iconic and threatened species".Department for Environment and Water.1 February 2019.Archivedfrom the original on 6 April 2021.Retrieved7 April2021.
  19. ^"Tamar Wallaby Reintroduction: To breed and reintroduce Tamar wallabies into their former range in Australia".World Association of Zoos and Aquariums.Archived fromthe originalon 27 October 2015.Retrieved10 January2012.
  20. ^"'Extinct' wallaby goes back on show ".ABC News. 14 February 2012.Archivedfrom the original on 14 February 2012.Retrieved14 February2012.
  21. ^"Dhilba Guuranda-Innes National Park".National Parks and Wildlife Service South Australia.Archivedfrom the original on 5 April 2021.Retrieved6 April2021.
  22. ^"Parks Guide 2013 - Yorke Peninsula and Clare Valley"(PDF).Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources. 2013. pp. 73–74.Archived(PDF)from the original on 18 April 2015.Retrieved31 October2014.
  23. ^"National Parks and Wildlife (Thidna Conservation Park) Proclamation 2017",The South Australian Government Gazette:5132, 19 December 2017,archivedfrom the original on 31 December 2017,retrieved31 December2017
  24. ^Primary Industries and Regions South Australia (PIRSA) (2007),Aquatic Reserve: Coobowie(PDF),Primary Industries and Regions South Australia, archived fromthe original(PDF)on 5 April 2015,retrieved31 October2014
  25. ^"Important Bird Areas factsheet: Gulf St Vincent".BirdLife International. 2014.Archivedfrom the original on 20 October 2014.Retrieved21 October2014.
  26. ^"Important Bird Areas factsheet: Southern Yorke Peninsula".BirdLife International. 2014.Archivedfrom the original on 30 October 2014.Retrieved30 October2014.
  27. ^"Great Southern Ark project renamed Marna Banggara".WWF-Australia.27 November 2020.Archivedfrom the original on 4 April 2021.Retrieved6 April2021.
  28. ^Kilvert, Nick (31 January 2019)."Rewilding project to create 'great southern ark' over former mine, farmland".ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation).Archivedfrom the original on 4 April 2021.Retrieved6 April2021.
  29. ^Corvo, Shannon; Radford, Luke; Lysaght, Gary-Jon (7 November 2019)."Controversial wire fence splits peninsula to keep native animals in, pests out".ABC News.Archivedfrom the original on 10 September 2020.Retrieved3 September2020.
  30. ^abStephens, Kate (4 April 2021)."Meet the woylie, an eco-engineer bringing life back to degraded ecosystems".ABC News.Australian Broadcasting Corporation.Archivedfrom the original on 4 April 2021.Retrieved6 April2021.
  31. ^Johnson, Sarah (28 July 2022)."Endangered bettongs complete 2,000km journey to new home in South Australia".Marna Banggara.Archivedfrom the original on 3 August 2022.Retrieved3 August2022.
  32. ^"AFLW: Martin joins the ranks at Adelaide".Adelaide.Telstra Media.23 October 2018.Archivedfrom the original on 31 March 2020.Retrieved11 May2020.
  33. ^abSonny Coombs (23 February 2016)."Brothers make AFL debut".Yorke Peninsula Country Times.Archivedfrom the original on 5 August 2016.Retrieved4 June2016.

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related toYorke Peninsula.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide forYorke Peninsula.
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