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Monarto, South Australia

Monarto
South Australia
Monarto is located in South Australia
Monarto
Monarto
Coordinates 35°04′S 139°07′E / 35.067°S 139.117°E / -35.067; 139.117Coordinates: 35°04′S 139°07′E / 35.067°S 139.117°E / -35.067; 139.117
Population 469 (2011 census)
Established 1908
Postcode(s) 5254
Time zone ACST (UTC+9:30)
 • Summer (DST) ACDT (UTC+10:30)
Location 63 km (39 mi) from Adelaide
LGA(s) Rural City of Murray Bridge
State electorate(s) Kavel
Federal Division(s) Barker
Localities around Monarto:
Rockleigh Rockleigh Pallamana
Callington Monarto Rocky Gully
Callington Monarto South White Hill

Monarto is a locality in South Australia 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) west of the Murray River. It is north of the South Eastern Freeway between the Callington and Murray Bridge exits 63 km from Adelaide.

Most of the residents of Monarto run small hobby-like farms, raising cows, sheep and horses. Crops in the area include wheat, oats and barley.

In the late 1970s Monarto (or "New Murray Town") was proposed to be the site of a new satellite city of Adelaide. By the turn of the century the proposal had been completely abandoned.

The locality of Monarto was originally a private subdivision of section 210 of the Hundred of Monarto, from which it took its name, the hundred having been gazetted in 1847. The township was laid out in 1908. The name of the hundred was after an aboriginal woman, "Queen Monarto", who lived in the area at the time of its proclamation.

In 1970 the Labor-led South Australian government headed by Don Dunstan was concerned that Adelaide would become overpopulated, after a rapid increase in population growth caused by high rates of birth and immigration that occurred in 1960s.

In total the population growth rate had excess of 3% per annum and the government estimated the city would reach 1.5 million by the end of the century. Further, the authorities believed that the growing population would sooner or later become a threat to the quality of urban life (social and environmental) which at the time was relatively high.

An expansion of the city would also threaten the attractive wine producing areas that could be found in the south and north of the city. To solve the problem of increasing population, the government proposed that another city should be built, about 80 km east of Adelaide. They named it Monarto and held the view that it would work as a kind of supporting city, where Adelaide residents could move.

The government had estimated that 1.3 million was the optimal size for Adelaide which meant that Monarto would have about 200,000 by the end of the century. Monarto was to become a new city that would work as a satellite city to Adelaide and since it was far enough away it was important that Monarto would have its own identity and economy. This made it difficult to define what kind of city Monarto was supposed to be.


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