Colton, South Australia facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Colton South Australia
Colton Location in South Australia
Established	1999
Postcode(s)	5670
Time zone	ACST (UTC+9:30)
• Summer (DST)	ACST (UTC+10:30)
Location	374 km (232 mi) north-west of Adelaide 19 km (12 mi) north of Elliston
LGA(s)	District Council of Elliston
Region	Eyre Western
County	Musgrave
State electorate(s)	Flinders
Federal Division(s)	Grey
Mean max temp Mean min temp Annual rainfall 21.4 °C 71 °F 11.8 °C 53 °F 426.3 mm 16.8 in
Suburbs around Colton: Ocean Talia Mount Wedge Ocean Colton Mount Wedge Mount Joy Ocean Elliston Mount Joy
Footnotes	Location Coordinates Climate Adjoining localities

Colton is a small place in South Australia. It's on the west coast of the Eyre Peninsula. This area looks out over the big ocean, called the Great Australian Bight. Colton is about 374 kilometers (232 miles) north-west of Adelaide. That's the capital city of South Australia. It's also about 19 kilometers (12 miles) north of a town called Elliston.

About Colton

The name Colton was officially set in November 1999. It's an old name for the area. It comes from Sir John Colton. He was a very important person. He used to be the Premier of South Australia. That's like the leader of the state government.

Where is Colton?

Colton is right on the coast. It's near the southern part of Anxious Bay. This bay is a smaller part of the huge Great Australian Bight. The main road, Flinders Highway, goes right through Colton. It runs from north to south.

How Colton Started

Long ago, in 1880, a man named Daniel Thomas Kenny bought some land here. He wanted to build a hotel. This hotel would help travelers in the area. His brother, Michael S.W. Kenny, took over the land later.

Michael helped the area grow. He gave land for a showground in 1894. He also helped build a hall in 1903. The hotel opened in 1884. There was also a school nearby. It opened in 1885 and closed in 1956. These early buildings helped create the community of Colton.

Protecting the Environment

Most of the land in Colton is used for farming. This is called 'primary production'. But a lot of the coastline is also protected. This is for 'conservation'. It means keeping nature safe. The Lake Newland Conservation Park is an example of this.

Some land on the eastern side of Colton is a 'water protection zone'. This is a special rule. It helps control building in the area. This is important because it protects the underground water supply. This water is refilled naturally.

Government and Community

Colton is part of different government areas. It's in the federal Division of Grey. This is for national elections. For state elections, it's in the Flinders district. It's also part of the local government area. This is the District Council of Elliston. Colton is also in the state's Eyre and Western region.