Willunga, South Australia

Willunga is a town south of Adelaide, South Australia in the City of Onkaparinga local government area 47 km from the Adelaide city centre. Sometimes considered a suburb of the Adelaide metropolitan area, it is located within the famous McLaren Vale wine growing region. At the 2016 census, Willunga had a population of 2,308.[6]

Willunga
Adelaide, South Australia
Willunga
Coordinates35°16′26″S 138°33′13″E[1]
Population2,308 (2016 census)[2]
Established1840
Postcode(s)5172
Time zoneACST (UTC+9:30)
 • Summer (DST)ACST (UTC+10:30)
Location47 km (29 mi) from Adelaide
LGA(s)City of Onkaparinga[1]
RegionSouthern Adelaide[3]
CountyAdelaide[1]
State electorate(s)Mawson[4]
Federal Division(s)Mayo
Mean max temp[5] Mean min temp[5] Annual rainfall[5]
19.4 °C
67 °F		 7.5 °C
46 °F		 756.3 mm
29.8 in
Suburbs around Willunga:
Tatachilla McLaren Vale The Range
Whites Valley
Willunga South		 Willunga The Range
Montarra
Hope Forest
Willunga South Willunga South
Willunga Hill		 Willunga Hill
FootnotesAdjoining suburbs[1]

Willunga is connected to the town of McLaren Vale by a cycle path running along a former railway line and is only a short distance from the beaches of Aldinga Bay. Willunga is home to many festivals, including the start and finish of the fourth leg of the Tour Down Under, the Fleurieu Folk Festival, Almond Blossom Festival and Willunga Christmas Tree Festival.

History

Willunga Post Office opened on 14 July 1839.[7] The name Willunga derives from an aboriginal word 'willangga' meaning,'the locality of green trees'.[8]

Historically, Willunga is well known for its slate industry, which began in 1840 when farmer Edward Loud found slate on his property and later that year opened the first slate quarry.[9]

Commerce

The main township of Willunga is located on Main and Aldinga Roads. Being one of South Australia's earliest towns, Willunga is a character-filled, small country town which attracts many visitors. This is reflected in its many businesses. Besides coffee shops and eateries there are the post office, general store, three hotels and one fuel station. There are four churches (an Anglican, a Catholic and a Uniting along with a Pentecostal church).

Tourism

Willunga has an eighteen-hole golf course with a restaurant open to the public. On the same property is the Willunga Bowling Club and the Waverley Homestead, home of a community arts organisation called STARS.

Most of Willunga's large events are held on the Willunga-owned Recreation Park (Willunga's halls and meeting rooms, oval and grounds), located near the town square. The Willunga National Trust, opens its old courthouse and slate museums on weekends and Tuesdays. Its grounds accommodate various events including weddings.

Willunga hosts a leg of the Tour Down Under cycle race (including King of the Mountain) every summer. Other attractions are the Willunga Farmers' Market (which won Best Farmers' Market in Australia 2008) held every Saturday morning; the Willunga Quarry Market, Willunga Artisans' Market and CWA Teas, Cake & Crafts all held second Saturday of each month; and the Willunga Lions Auction usually held the last Saturday of each month except December.

The Adelaide Hills Tarmac Rally is held annually near Willunga.

Media

Tribe FM 91.1 is an Australian community radio station which broadcasts from Willunga. It is run by volunteers and services the mid-south coast and surrounding areas.[10][11] The station live streams online and has some additional on-demand programs available on their website.[12] The station won the 2018 SACBA Bilby Award for sports broadcasting. The team responsible for the winning program includes the South Australian parliamentarian, Katrine Hildyard.[13]

Willunga was home to a short-lived publication, printed by Matthew Goode, known as the Willunga Bulletin (1907). A generic medical broadsheet, it was essentially a four-page promotion for the American-based Dr Sheldon's medicines.[14]

Sports

Willunga has many sporting teams, including a football team (the Demons); a football team for students; a netball club, a basketball club, tennis club and a cricket club. Also, the township has a soccer club, in the NDJSA league.

Walking and cycling trails

The Coast to Vines rail trail finishes at Willunga.

Education

Willunga has three schools serving the town and local area: Willunga Waldorf Steiner School (K-12),[15] Willunga Primary School and kindergarten,[16] and Willunga High School, which opened on its present site in 1960.

National Broadband Network deployment

Willunga was chosen as one of the first five release areas for the National Broadband Network. The town was chosen to demonstrate archetypal FTTH deployment in a regional area with dispersed housing, providing a live test for similar deployments across the future NBN. The construction phase occurred in early 2011 and the first customer service went live on 27 June 2011.[17]

Notable people

Notable people who are from or who have lived in Willunga include:

  • Fanny Elizabeth de Mole, author and illustrator of Wild flowers of South Australia (1861), the first book on wildflowers in that state

References
  1. "Search results for 'Willunga, LOCB' with the following datasets selected - 'Suburbs and localities', 'Counties', 'Hundreds', 'Local Government Areas', 'SA Government Regions' and 'Gazetteer'". Location SA Map Viewer. South Australian Government. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
  2. Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Willunga (State Suburb)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 5 February 2018.
  3. "Southern Adelaide SA Government region" (PDF). The Government of South Australia. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
  4. Mawson (Map). Electoral District Boundaries Commission. 2016. Retrieved 2 March 2018.
  5. "Summary (climate) statistics Myponga (nearest weather station)". Commonwealth of Australia, Bureau of Meteorology. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
  6. "2016 Census QuickStats: Willunga". quickstats.censusdata.abs.gov.au. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  7. Premier Postal History. "Post Office List". Premier Postal Auctions. Retrieved 26 May 2011.
  8. http://www.smh.com.au/news/south-australia/willunga/2005/02/17/1108500204773.html
  9. "Willunga Slate Museum". National Trust. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  10. "Tribe FM 91.1". Community Broadcasting Association of Australia. Retrieved 13 December 2018.
  11. "Member Stations". sacba.org.au. Retrieved 13 December 2018.
  12. "Home". TribeFM. Retrieved 13 December 2018.
  13. "Bilby Awards 2018". sacba.org.au. Retrieved 14 December 2018.
  14. Laube, Anthony. "LibGuides: SA Newspapers: T-Z". guides.slsa.sa.gov.au. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
  15. Willunga Waldorf Steiner School Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  16. Willunga Primary School Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  17. "NBN First Release Sites". National Broadband Network. NBN Co Limited. Retrieved 27 June 2010.
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