Point Sturt

Point Sturt is a locality in the Australian state of South Australia located on the Sturt Peninsula on the west side of Lake Alexandrina about 71 kilometres (44 mi) south-east of the state capital of Adelaide and about 17 kilometres (11 mi) east of the municipal seat of Goolwa.[1][3]

Point Sturt
South Australia
Original stone settlers cottage at Nanda Farm, Point Sturt (circa1855)
Point Sturt
Coordinates35°29′32″S 138°58′07″E[1]
Population69 (shared with part of Milang) (2016 census)[2][lower-alpha 1]
Established1850s (private sub-division)
31 August 2000 (locality)[1]
Postcode(s)5256[3]
Time zoneACST (UTC+9:30)
 • Summer (DST)ACDT (UTC+10:30)
Location
LGA(s)Alexandrina Council[1]
RegionFleurieu and Kangaroo Island[4]
CountyHindmarsh[1]
State electorate(s)Hammond[5]
Federal Division(s)Mayo[6]
Localities around Point Sturt:
Milang Lake Alexandrina Lake Alexandrina
Clayton Bay Point Sturt Lake Alexandrina
Clayton Bay Hindmarsh Island
Mundoo Island		 Lake Alexandrina
FootnotesLocations[1][3]
Adjoining localities[1]

It is made up of rural living land holdings, primary production and grazing land. The beginning of Point Sturt Road is about 4 km from Clayton Bay and 9 km south of Milang, South Australia. At the end of Point Sturt road there are views across Lake Alexandrina to Raukkan.[7]

History

Original People

The area was originally inhabited by the Ngarrindjeri nation which consisted of 18 Lakinyeri (tribes or clans). Although the population of the Ngarrindjeri nation is unknown, it is believed to have been substantial, as the lake and surrounds provided plenty of food and water. The Ngarrindjeri name for the end of Sturt Peninsula was "Tipping", which meant "the lips".[8] Contact with Europeans and subsequent exposure to various diseases in the early 1800s had a devastating effect on the Ngarrindjeri population, and many people died. Many others were displaced as Europeans took over the land for farming.

European settlement

The Sturt Peninsula was discovered in December 1837 by a team of European explorers led by Thomas Bewes Strangways and Young Bingham Hutchinson who travelled by water from Currency Creek to Lake Alexandrina to ascertain its extent and outflows. Point Sturt was the name they gave to their landing place at the end of the Peninsula.[1][9][10]

By the early 1850s the land on the Sturt Peninsula was divided into sections and sold to settlers.

Early European settlers include dairy cattle breeder John H. Yelland, sheepfarmers George and William Pearce and Thomas Oakley, and pastoralist and politician John Howard Angas.[11][8] In 1855 Thomas Oakley purchased a 96 acre parcel of land at Section 13 for 96 Pounds Sterling. This property was called Nanda Farm. On the day of Thomas' death, 1st December 1880, he transferred the property to his young grandson James Albert Oakley. James owned Nanda Farm until his death in 1951 when the property then transferred to James' nephews, Albert Charles (Charlie) Oakley and Stanley Thomas Oakley. The property finally left the Oakley family after 112 years, when it was sold in 1967.[12]

Most of the native vegetation including dense woodlands of Mallee, Pink Gum, She-oak and native pines were harvested for fuel for paddle steamers. The peninsula comprises a sand dune capped with secondary limestone, which provided many challenges to farmers trying to plough their fields. However, the stones were a very useful resource for building houses and fences. Many of the original buildings and stone fences are still standing and are a distinctive feature of what is now Point Sturt. A good example of this architectural element can be seen today in its original form at Nanda Farm (see photo).

Establishment of the locality

Boundaries were created on 31 August 2000 for the locality which was given the " long established local name" which is derived from the point at the east end of the Sturt Peninsula.[1]

Natural history

Fauna

Point Sturt is home to the Eastern Grey Kangaroo and Echidna. The lake provides good breeding zones for the abundant bird life and is a natural habitat for the Australian Pelican, Black Swan, Kite, Cape Barren Goose, Galah, Ibis and many other birds at various times of the year. Reptiles include Turtles, Blue Tongue Lizards, Shingleback Lizards, Eastern Brown, Red Bellied Black and Tiger Snake.

Current use
Pelicans flying over the Lake Alexandrina.
  • Most of the land at Point Sturt is used for cattle and sheep grazing.
  • A good portion of Point Sturt is a designated conservation area and is part of a Ramsar site.[13]
  • Free camping is available at the end of Point Sturt Road. The area is completely natural, and there are no facilities, so vehicles must be self-contained. Please take all rubbish away and leave the environment as you found it.
  • Lake activities - sailing, kayaking, windsurfing, jetskiing, fishing and swimming.
  • On the Australia Day long weekend the Milang-Goolwa Freshwater Classic yacht race sails around Point Sturt.
  • Westminster School owns a 68 hectare outdoor education site at Point Sturt, conducting a 2-week program at the site for Year 10 students each year.
  • Over recent years, revegetation of various land holdings has been undertaken by Point Sturt and Districts Landcare Group.

Governance

Point Sturt is located within the federal division of Mayo, the state electoral district of Hammond and the local government area of the Alexandrina Council.[6][1][5]

References
Notes
  1. For the 2016 census, the State Suburb of Point Sturt consisted of the locality of Point Sturt and the southern part of the locality of Milang south of Landseer Road.[2][1]
Citations
  1. "Search result for "Point Sturt, LOCB" with the following datasets selected - "Suburbs and Localities", "Counties", "Local Government Areas", "SA Government Regions" and "Gazetteer"". Location SA Map Viewer. South Australian government. Retrieved 16 September 2018.
  2. Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Point Sturt (state suburb)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 17 September 2018.
  3. "Postcode for Point Sturt, South Australia". postcodes-australia.com. Retrieved 17 September 2018.
  4. "Fleurieu Kangaroo Island SA Government region" (PDF). The Government of South Australia. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
  5. Hammond (Map). Electoral District Boundaries Commission. 2016. Retrieved 17 September 2018.
  6. "Federal electoral division of Mayo, boundary gazetted 16 December 2011" (PDF). Australian Electoral Commission. Retrieved 25 January 2018.
  7. Google (22 December 2018). "Streetview from the end of Point Sturt" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  8. King and Allnut, Alan and Bruce (2017). The Hundred of Alexandrina "A History". The Point Sturt and Districts Landcare Group Inc. p. 22. ISBN 978-0-646-97029-5.
  9. "To His Excellency". South Australian Gazette And Colonial Register. I (10). South Australia. 20 January 1838. p. 3. Retrieved 17 September 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
  10. "Search result for "Sturt Peninsula, PEN" with the following datasets selected - "Suburbs and Localities" and "Gazetteer"". Location SA Map Viewer. South Australian government. Retrieved 17 September 2018.
  11. "Manning index of South Australian placenames". State Library of South Australia. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
  12. "https://sailis.lssa.com.au/products/imageDelivery/iydnwtQBhcdPqNOoFmgeIcrdduhejrpSqTFmMWouyRJpfYelLK/pdf". SAILIS. 7 August 2020. External link in |title= (help)
  13. "Australian Wetlands Database". 21 July 2020.
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