Dawson, South Australia facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Dawson South Australia
Dawson Location in South Australia
Established	19 May 1881 (town) 31 August 2000 (locality)
Postcode(s)	5720
Location	25 km (16 mi) NE of Peterborough
LGA(s)	District Council of Peterborough
Region	Yorke and Mid North
County	Herbert
State electorate(s)	Stuart
Federal Division(s)	Grey
Localities around Dawson: Erskine Cavenagh Paratoo Erskine Minvalara Dawson Nackara Minvalara Ucolta Parnaroo Oodla Wirra
Footnotes	Adjoining localities

Dawson is a rural area in the Mid North region of South Australia. It is located within the District Council of Peterborough. This area includes most of the historic Hundred of Coglin, except for the small town of Oodla Wirra.

The boundaries for the modern locality of Dawson were set on August 31, 2000. It was given the name "Dawson" because of the old government town of Dawson, which was located within these new boundaries.

History of Dawson

The government town of Dawson was planned out in February 1881. In its early days, people often called it Coglin. The town was started as an attempt to grow wheat north of Goyder's Line. This line is an imaginary boundary that shows where farming is usually possible in South Australia. However, growing wheat here did not work out well in the long run.

The main railway line, which connected Crystal Brook to Broken Hill, did not pass through Dawson. Instead, it went further south through Oodla Wirra and Peterborough. The post office in Dawson opened in 1881 as 'Coglin'. It was renamed Dawson Post Office in April 1882 and closed on August 14, 1971.

In the 1880s, several churches were built in Dawson, including Primitive Methodist, Anglican, and Catholic ones. The former Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church, built in 1886, is still standing today and is listed on the South Australian Heritage Register as a protected site. The Dawson Hotel was built in 1883. A public school opened in 1885 after local residents asked for one for several years.

Local government for the area began in 1888 with the District Council of Coglin. This council met sometimes in Dawson and sometimes in Lancelot. After 1899, the council meetings moved to Penn, which is now known as Oodla Wirra. At its busiest time, Dawson also had several stores, an institute (a community learning center), an agricultural bureau, and a blacksmith. The Dawson School, which opened in 1885, closed in 1964. The town even had a football team in the 20th century.

By the mid-20th century, the town of Dawson began to shrink. In 1954, the government started to buy back town blocks that had never been sold or whose owners could not be found. By 1960, this process was complete, and the town was officially stopped from being a town.

Today, very little of the original town remains. You can still see the historic former Catholic church, the Dawson Hall, and the old school building, which is now a private home. The Dawson Cemetery on Dawson Gorge Road and the Dawson War Memorial on Dawson-Peterborough Road also remain. The Dawson Hotel closed in 1961, and its substantial ruins can still be seen at Dawson's main crossroads.

How Dawson Got Its Name

People have wondered where the name Dawson came from. There are a few ideas about who it might have been named after:

• The most likely person is Robert Kearsley Dawson (1798-1861). He was a Lieutenant-Colonel in the Royal Engineers and a friend of Governor Jervois. Colonel Dawson studied at the Royal Military Academy at Woolwich.
• Another possibility is Robert Dawson (1776-1860). He taught young officers of the Royal Engineers how to draw maps and was also connected to Governor Jervois.
• A third idea is Henry Dawson. He was the first person to carry mail between Burra and Outalpa. Dawson Dam in the Hundred of Rees is named after him.