Apoinga, South Australia facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Apoinga South Australia
Apoinga Location in South Australia
Postcode(s)	5413
Location	27 km (17 mi) S of Burra
LGA(s)	Regional Council of Goyder
State electorate(s)	Stuart
Federal Division(s)	Grey
Localities around Apoinga: Porter Lagoon Koonoona Emu Downs Black Springs Apoinga Emu Downs Waterloo Tothill Belt Brady Creek
Footnotes	Coordinates

Apoinga is a small rural area in the Mid North region of South Australia. It is part of the Regional Council of Goyder, which is like the local government for the area.

History of Apoinga

Early Days and Land Divisions

The land where Apoinga is located was originally the home of the Ngadjuri people. They lived there for many thousands of years.

In 1851, a special land area called the "Hundred of Apoinga" was created. A "hundred" was an old way of dividing up land in Australia. It was named after "appinga," which was the name of a local Aboriginal group.

From 1873 to 1932, the Hundred of Apoinga had its own local council. This was called the District Council of Apoinga. Its main office was in a place called Logan Gap.

Modern Locality and Changes

The modern area known as Apoinga was officially set up in August 2000. Its boundaries were made clear based on its long-standing local name.

In 2015, a small part of Apoinga was moved to a nearby area called Emu Downs. This change helped solve a problem with how people could access certain properties. Today, the locality of Apoinga is much smaller than the original "Hundred of Apoinga."

Apoinga Lutheran Church

The Apoinga Lutheran Church opened on July 10, 1936. It was set up in the building that used to be the Apoinga School. However, the church group later moved. In 1963, they relocated to the Black Springs Church. This new church building had once been an Anglican church.

Historic Sites

Apoinga is home to some interesting historic places. These sites are listed on the South Australian Heritage Register. This means they are important parts of history that need to be protected.

Apoinga Hotel

One of these historic places is the former Apoinga Hotel. Hotels like this were important stops for travellers in the past. They offered food, drinks, and a place to rest.

Apoinga Smelter Site

Another very important historic site is the Apoinga Smelter Site. This place was once known as Penny's Smelting Works. It was set up in 1848 by two men, Mr. Penny and Mr. Owen.

Before this smelter was built, copper ore from the mines in Burra had a long journey. It was first taken to Port Adelaide. From there, it was shipped all the way to Swansea in Wales to be melted down.

Building smelters in Australia was a big deal. It meant that copper could be made into metal right here. This would make producing copper much cheaper.

At that time, no one knew of any coal supplies in South Australia to power a smelter. But Mr. Penny had a clever idea. He thought he could melt the copper ore using charcoal. Charcoal could be made from the many trees in the area.

Apoinga was a good spot for the smelter because it was on the main road from Burra to Adelaide. The smelter successfully produced its first copper in January 1849. However, it closed down by 1852. Many miners left the area to join the Victorian gold rush, which meant less copper ore was being mined.