Gawler

Gawler
South Australia

Gawler

Coordinates

34°35′53″S 138°44′42″E / 34.59806°S 138.74500°ECoordinates: 34°35′53″S 138°44′42″E / 34.59806°S 138.74500°E

Population

23,957 (2011 census)

Established

1836

Postcode(s)

5118

Elevation

75 m (246 ft)

Location

40 km (25 mi) N of Adelaide city centre

Mean max temp	Mean min temp	Annual rainfall
22.4 °C ^{72 °F}	10.3 °C ^{51 °F}	440.3 mm ^{17.3 in}

Localities around Gawler:
Willaston	Willaston	Willaston
Willaston	Gawler	Gawler East
Willaston	Gawler South	Gawler East

Footnotes

Adjoining localities

Gawler is the first country town in the state of South Australia, and is named after the second Governor (British Vice-Regal representative) of the colony of South Australia, George Gawler. It is about 40–44 km (25–27 mi) north of the centre of the state capital, Adelaide, and is close to the major wine producing district of the Barossa Valley. Topographically, Gawler lies at the confluence of two tributaries of the Gawler River, the North and South Para rivers, where they emerge from a range of low hills. It is now a suburb of the Greater Adelaide metropolitan area.

A British colony, South Australia was established as a commercial venture by the South Australia Company through the sale of land to free settlers at £1 per acre (£2/9/5d per hectare). Gawler was established through a 4,000-acre (1,600 ha) "special survey" applied for by Henry Dundas Murray and John Reid and a syndicate of ten other colonists.

The town plan was devised by the colonial surveyor William Light, and was the only town planned by him other than Adelaide. William Jacob used Light's plans and laid out the town.

Adelaide became a model of foresight with wide streets and ample parklands. After Light's death, it also became a model for numerous other planned towns in South Australia (many of which were never built). As the only other town planned by Light, Gawler is dissimilar to Adelaide's one square mile (2.6 km²) grid; the heart of Gawler is triangular rather than square, a form dictated by the topographical features. The parkland along the riverbanks and a Victorian preference for public squares are present, but Light was aware that he was planning a village, not a metropolis.

Gawler prospered early with the discovery of copper nearby at Kapunda and Burra, which resulted in Gawler becoming a resting stop to and from Adelaide. Later, it developed industries including flour milling by Hilfers & Co, and the engineering works of James Martin & Co manufactured agricultural machinery, mining and ore-processing machinery and smelters for the mines of Broken Hill and the Western Australian goldfields, and steam locomotives and rolling stock. May Brothers & Co. also manufactured mining and agricultural machinery.

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Wikipedia