Marla, South Australia

Marla is a town and locality in the Australian state of South Australia located in the state's north-west about 970 kilometres (600 mi) north-west of the state capital of Adelaide and about 402 kilometres (250 mi) south of the town of Alice Springs in the Northern Territory.[5][1]

Marla South Australia
Marla
Coordinates	27°17′59″S 133°37′21″E[1]
Population	100 (2016 census)[2]
Established	21 May 1981 (town) 8 February 2001 (locality)[3][4]
Postcode(s)	5724[5]
Elevation	328 m (1,076 ft)(airport)[6]
Time zone	ACST (UTC+9:30)
• Summer (DST)	ACST (UTC+10:30)
Location	970 km (603 mi) North of Adelaide[5] 402 km (250 mi) South of Alice Springs
LGA(s)	Pastoral Unincorporated Area[1]
Region	Far North[1]
State electorate(s)	Giles[7]
Federal Division(s)	Grey[8]
Mean max temp[9] Mean min temp[9] Annual rainfall[9] 28.7 °C 84 °F 13.6 °C 56 °F 234.4 mm 9.2 in
Localities around Marla: Welbourn Hill Welbourn Hill Welbourn Hill Welbourn Hill Marla Welbourn Hill Welbourn Hill Welbourn Hill Welbourn Hill
Footnotes	Adjoining localities[1]

History

Marla was constituted as a government town under the Crown Lands Act 1929-1980 on 21 May 1981 and was gazetted as a locality under the Geographical Names Act 1991 on 8 February 2001 with the assigned boundaries being similar to that of the government town.[1][3][4] The name is derived from the Marla Bore which is located to west of Marla and whose name is reported as being ultimately "a corruption of the Aboriginal marlu - ‘a kangaroo’".[10][11]

Geoffrey H. Manning, the South Australian historian, reports that the town was proclaimed as a place for "the provision of essential services to travellers crossing the continent" and to act as an administrative centre for the north-west part of the state including the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara lands and the Mintabie Opal Field to the town's west.[11][12]

Transport

The Stuart Highway passes through the south-west side of Marla while the alignment of the Adelaide-Darwin railway is located outside of its boundaries on the south-west side of the highway. While a site is designated as a railway station with the name Marla Siding on the south side of the railway, it is not a scheduled stop for rail services such as The Ghan as of 2018 for Marla and adjoining localities.[13][14]

Facilities

The town includes a health centre operated on behalf of the state government by the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia, a regional police station and a privately-owned complex called the Marla Travellers Rest which is described as consisting of "roadhouse, hotel and motel, restaurant, service station, supermarket and much more."[15][16][17]

Population

At the 2016 census, Marla had a population of 100.[2]

Aerodrome

Marla Airport (also known as Marla Aerodrome) is located about 1.8 nautical miles (3.3 km) to the south of the town in the adjoining locality of Welbourn Hill.[6][18]

Governance

Marla is located within the federal division of Grey, the state electoral district of Giles, the Pastoral Unincorporated Area of South Australia and the state government region of the Far North.[8][7][1] As of 2018, the community within Marla received municipal services from a South Australian government agency, the Outback Communities Authority.[12]

Weather station

The Marla Police Station has been the site of an official weather station since 1985.[9]

Climate data for Marla Police Station, Marla, South Australia
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Average high °C (°F)	37.3 (99.1)	36.1 (97.0)	32.7 (90.9)	28.4 (83.1)	23.1 (73.6)	19.6 (67.3)	19.8 (67.6)	22.4 (72.3)	27.0 (80.6)	30.0 (86.0)	33.1 (91.6)	35.1 (95.2)	28.7 (83.7)
Average low °C (°F)	22.0 (71.6)	21.4 (70.5)	17.8 (64.0)	13.4 (56.1)	9.1 (48.4)	5.5 (41.9)	4.8 (40.6)	6.2 (43.2)	10.8 (51.4)	14.3 (57.7)	17.8 (64.0)	20.0 (68.0)	13.6 (56.5)
Average rainfall mm (inches)	14.1 (0.56)	30.5 (1.20)	22.5 (0.89)	12.2 (0.48)	14.3 (0.56)	13.1 (0.52)	12.4 (0.49)	7.3 (0.29)	9.8 (0.39)	19.4 (0.76)	22.7 (0.89)	38.6 (1.52)	234.4 (9.23)
Average rainy days	1.7	2.3	1.7	1.7	2.3	2.0	1.8	1.1	1.5	2.9	3.4	3.4	25.8
Source: [9]

References

1. "Search results for 'Marla, LOCB' with the following datasets selected - 'Suburbs and Localities', 'Government Towns', 'SA Government Regions', 'Local Government Areas' and 'Gazetteer'". Location SA Map Viewer. South Australian government. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
2. Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Marla (State Suburb)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
3. "CROWN LANDS ACT , 1929-1980: OUT OF HUNDREDS (WINTINNA) TOWN OF MARLA CONSTITUTED" (PDF). The South Australian Government Gazette. South Australian government. 21 May 1981. p. 1498. Retrieved 16 February 2018.
4. "GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES ACT 1991 Notice to Assign Names and Boundaries to Places" (PDF). The South Australian Government Gazette. South Australian government. 8 February 2001. p. 516. Retrieved 16 February 2018.
5. "Postcode for Marla, South Australia". Postcodes Australia. postcodes-australia.com. Retrieved 16 February 2018.
6. "MARLA (airport)" (PDF). Air Services Australia. Retrieved 17 February 2018.
7. "District of Giles Background Profile". Electoral Commission SA. Retrieved 18 July 2019.
8. "Federal electoral division of Grey" (PDF). Australian Electoral Commission. Retrieved 12 February 2018.
9. "Marla Police Station". Climate statistics for Australian locations. Bureau of Meteorology. Retrieved 15 September 2019.
10. "Search results for 'Marla Bore' with the following datasets selected - 'Suburbs and Localities' and 'Gazetteer'". Location SA Map Viewer. South Australian government. Retrieved 16 February 2018.
11. Manning, Geoffrey H. (2012). "Search result for 'Marla'" (PDF). A Compendium of the Place Names of South Australia From Aaron Creek to Zion Hill With 54 Complementary Appendices Researched and written by Geoffrey H. Manning. Geoffrey H. Manning. Retrieved 16 February 2018.
12. "Marla". Outback Communities Authority. Retrieved 16 February 2018.
13. "Search results for 'Marla Siding, RSTA' with the following datasets selected - 'Suburbs and Localities', 'Gazetteer', 'Roads' and 'Railways'". Location SA Map Viewer. South Australian government. Retrieved 16 February 2018.
14. "The Ghan". Great Southern Rail. Retrieved 16 February 2018.
15. "SECURE FUTURE FOR FAR NORTH HEALTH" (PDF). South Australian government. Retrieved 17 February 2018.
16. "Find your local police station". South Australia Police. Retrieved 17 February 2018. select 'LISTING' tab to view address et al
17. "Marla Travellers' Rest". Northern Interests. Retrieved 17 February 2018.
18. "Search results for 'Marla Aerodrome, AF' with the following datasets selected - 'Suburbs and Localities' and 'Gazetteer'". Location SA Map Viewer. South Australian government. Retrieved 17 February 2018.

Preceding station	Journey Beyond			Following station
Alice Springs towards Darwin		The Ghan towards Darwin only		Adelaide Terminus