Cummins, South Australia facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Cummins South Australia
The Cummins Institute
Cummins Location in South Australia
Postcode(s)	5631
Elevation	60 m (197 ft)
Location	638 km (396 mi) W of Adelaide 63 km (39 mi) N of Port Lincoln 40 km (25 mi) W of Tumby Bay
LGA(s)	District Council of Lower Eyre Peninsula
Region	Eyre Western
County	Flinders
State electorate(s)	Flinders
Federal Division(s)	Grey
Mean max temp Mean min temp Annual rainfall 23.0 °C 73 °F 9.7 °C 49 °F 415.3 mm 16.4 in
Localities around Cummins: Kapinnie Yeelanna Brooker Mount Drummond Cummins Cockaleechie Coulta Edillilie Yallunda Flat

Cummins is a town located on the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia. It's about 67 kilometers (about 42 miles) north of Port Lincoln and sits 60 meters (about 197 feet) above sea level. The area around Cummins is also known as a "bounded locality," which includes places like the former railway stops of Pillana and Wildeloo.

History of Cummins

The town of Cummins was named after William Patrick Cummins. He was an important person in the government, serving in the South Australian House of Assembly (which is like a state parliament) from 1896 to 1907. The town itself started to grow in 1910. This was just a few years after the first settlers arrived in the area. A railway line connecting Cummins to Port Lincoln was built in 1907. This railway was very important for moving goods and people.

The original people of this area were the Nawu people. They are the Traditional Custodians of the land where Cummins is located.

What People Do in Cummins

The main jobs and businesses in Cummins are related to farming. People mostly focus on sheep farming and growing cereal grains like wheat and barley.

Transport and Trade

For a long time, the town had a special narrow gauge railway. This railway was part of the Eyre Peninsula Railway system. It was used to transport grain from the farms to the deep-water port at Port Lincoln. From there, the grain could be sent all over the world. However, the railway stopped running on May 21, 2019.

Today, two main roads meet in Cummins: the Tod Highway and Bratten Way. These roads help connect the town to other places. On the southern edge of town, there's a big facility for storing and moving grain. This shows how important farming still is to Cummins.

Local Government and Politics

Cummins is the main office for the District Council of Lower Eyre Peninsula. This council helps manage the local area and provides services to the community. For state elections, Cummins is part of the Electoral district of Flinders. For federal elections (national government), it's in the Division of Grey.

Sports and Famous People

The town has a bowls club with three greens. This club competes in local bowling competitions.

Cummins is also the birthplace of a famous Australian tennis player named John Fitzgerald. He played tennis from 1980 to 1997. During his career, he won seven Grand Slam Doubles titles. These are some of the biggest tennis tournaments in the world! He won at the Australian Open (in 1982), the French Open (in 1986 and 1991), Wimbledon (in 1989 and 1991), and the US Open (in 1984 and 1991).

Climate in Cummins

Cummins has a type of weather called a hot-summer Mediterranean climate. This means it has very warm and dry summers. The winters are usually mild and wetter.

Temperatures change throughout the year. In January, which is summer, the average high temperature is around 30.1 degrees Celsius (86.2°F). In July, which is winter, the average high is about 15.7 degrees Celsius (60.3°F). The lowest temperatures usually happen in August, averaging around 5.1 degrees Celsius (41.2°F).

Cummins doesn't get a lot of rain overall, with an average of about 415.1 millimeters (16.3 inches) per year. Most of the rain falls during the winter months. The hottest temperature ever recorded in Cummins was 46.5 degrees Celsius (115.7°F) on January 24, 2019. The coldest was -4.7 degrees Celsius (23.5°F) on June 4, 2017.