District Council of Yankalilla | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Location of the District Council of Yankalilla | |||||||||||||
 | |||||||||||||
| Country | Australia | ||||||||||||
| State | South Australia | ||||||||||||
| Region | Fleurieu and Kangaroo Island[1] | ||||||||||||
| Established | 1856 | ||||||||||||
| Council seat | Yankalilla | ||||||||||||
| Government | |||||||||||||
| • Mayor | Darryl Houston | ||||||||||||
| • State electorates | |||||||||||||
| • Federal division | |||||||||||||
| Area | |||||||||||||
• Total | 750.6 km2 (289.8 sq mi) | ||||||||||||
| Population | |||||||||||||
| • Total | 5,834 (LGA2021)[6] | ||||||||||||
| • Density | 7,77/km2 (2,010/sq mi) | ||||||||||||
| Website | District Council of Yankalilla | ||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
TheDistrict Council of Yankalilla is alocal government area centred on the town ofYankalilla on theFleurieu Peninsula inSouth Australia.
It was created on 23 October 1856, when theDistrict Council of Yankalilla and Myponga was divided into two. It later absorbed two other councils: theDistrict Council of Myponga on 5 January 1888, one of a number of amalgamations mandated under theDistrict Councils Act 1887, and later theDistrict Council of Rapid Bay on 12 May 1932.[7]
The district has a rich history, as one of the earliest South Australian coastal settlements, and a wide range of agricultural activities having taken place. Today the district remains agricultural in nature, supplemented by tourism andforestry.
The Fleurieu Peninsula was originally inhabited by theIndigenousKaurna people, who openly met with theRamindjeri and other peoples for trade and exchanges.[8] Aboriginal myth credits the formation of the land forms of the Fleurieu Peninsula to the travels ofTjilbruke as he grieved carrying the body of his nephew from theSturt River toCape Jervis.[9]
Evidence ofMegafauna, including bones attributed toDiprotodon,Maesopus – the giantkangaroo andThylacoleo – a marsupial lion, was discovered in the 1890s. A Diprotodon leg bone was found in aswamp in the 1890s and conjecture surrounds the possibility that the animals were hunted by local aboriginal groups.[10]
TheFleurieu Peninsula was first mapped byEuropeans in 1802 with both the FrenchNicholas Baudin and the EnglishMatthew Flinders travelling thecoastline, with Baudin givingFleurieu Peninsula its name.
William Light was the first to land on the mainland, atRapid Bay in 1836, and declared the area "rich beyond expectation". His report resulted in the early intensive settlement of the area and the district was considered for the site of the new settlement of South Australia, before further surveying showed the site ofAdelaide to be superior.[11]
Governor Hindmarsh recorded the aboriginal pronunciation of "Yoongalilla", as applied to the district and noted this in dispatches of 1837. Other legends as to the origin of the name exist, with some claims that the area was named after an American "Yankie" whaler, whose kind frequented the area at the time. There is little evidence for most of these theories however. In 1911, the town was officially proclaimed Yankalilla, which was to later become the name of the district.[12]
Whalers andsealers became the first Europeans to establish semi-permanently in the district in the early 19th century, with a whaling station established at Fisheries Beach, but a combination ofshipwrecks, decreasing whale numbers and thepetroleum industry forced its closure in 1855.[13]
Farming land in the district was also surveyed for purchase in 1838, with land released in 1840 and communities established atMyponga,Second Valley,Rapid Bay and later atYankalilla. Sheep, potatoes and wheat were the first produce, with a variety of other crops grown later, includingmilling and the extraction oftannins fromwattle bark prevalent in the district. Second Valley, Normanville and Yankalilla all had jetties constructed to serve the increasing demand for export.[11]
In 1852 theSouth Australian Government proclaimed an Act of Parliament appointingDistrict Councils to administer local affairs. The District Council of Yankalilla was constituted on 5 April 1854.
The district has remained an important one to the State, transforming from the early days of European settlement as a vital connection for resources, to an integral part of South Australia's tourism interests and links between the mainland and Kangaroo Island.
A number of industries has come and gone in the district, including whaling and sealing, but agriculture now remains the staple source of the areas economy.
In the past, a number of products was farmed, including sheep, potatoes, wheat,beans,flax, tobacco,oats, maize andbarley, as well as the aforementioned flour milling, timber milling and mining.[11]
Dairy farming has become a major part of the districts economy, and along withcereal crops and sheep, is the district's main source of economy. More recent developments include the trials ofvineyards in the district, as well as land basedaquaculture and sustainableforestry.[14]
Tourism also plays a major role in the area, with its close proximity to Adelaide drawing large crowds to the seaside towns, especially during summer.
The District Council includes the following localities -Back Valley (part),Bald Hills,Cape Jervis,Carrickalinga,Deep Creek,Delamere,Hay Flat,Inman Valley,Mount Compass,Myponga,Myponga Beach,Normanville,Pages Flat (part),Parawa,Rapid Bay,Second Valley,Sellicks Hill,Silverton,Torrens Vale,Tunkalilla,Waitpinga,Wattle Flat,Willow Creek,Wirrina Cove andYankalilla.[15]
Mount Hayfield is in Hay Flat.[16] Mount Hayfield is asignificant Aboriginal site, known asWateira nengal,[17] due to its connection with the KaurnaDreaming story of the heroTjilbruke. Tjilbruke, thecreator being of theKaurna people, is said to have createdyellow ochre at this site.[18]
There is a strenuousbush walk starting at theIngalalla Waterfall and tracking through parts of the Second Valley Forest.[19]
Mayor: Darryl Houston[when?]
CEO: Nathan Cunningham[when?]
Councillors:[when?] Tim Moffat,Simon Rothwell,Wayne Gibbs,David Olsson,Bill Verwey,Glenn Rowlands,Lawrie Polomka
Council currently meets once a month on the third Tuesday of the month, commencing at 4.00pm
35°27′18″S138°20′08″E / 35.455°S 138.335555556°E /-35.455; 138.335555556