Lyndhurst, South Australia facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lyndhurst South Australia
Location of Lyndhurst in South Australia (red)
Established	20 February 1896 (town) 8 February 2001 (locality)
Postcode(s)	5731
Time zone	ACST (UTC+9:30)
• Summer (DST)	ACDT (UTC+10:30)
LGA(s)	Outback Communities Authority
Region	Far North
State electorate(s)	Stuart
Federal Division(s)	Grey
Localities around Lyndhurst: Myrtle Springs Farina Station Mount Lyndhurst Myrtle Springs Lyndhurst Leigh Creek Station Myrtle Springs Leigh Creek Station Leigh Creek Station
Footnotes	Adjoining localities

Lyndhurst is a small town in the north-east part of South Australia. It's like a meeting point for two famous outback roads: the Strzelecki Track and the Oodnadatta Track. This town started way back in 1878 as a simple stop for trains.

History of Lyndhurst

Long ago, the land around Lyndhurst was home to the Kuyani people. They are an Aboriginal nation who lived here for thousands of years.

The Great Northern Railway

Lyndhurst was once a stop on a very important train line. This line was called the Great Northern Railway. It was planned to go all the way to Darwin, but it only reached Alice Springs. People later started calling this railway line "the Ghan". The last train ran on this old track in 1980.

The old train route often had problems because of bad weather. Floods could wash out parts of the track. So, a new, stronger railway line was built about 200 kilometers to the west. This new line was finished in 2003 and finally connected Adelaide to Darwin.

Town's Beginnings

Lyndhurst officially became a town in 1896. It was an important place for moving goods by train. The town is also near Mount Lyndhurst, which is about 30 kilometers to the east. A government surveyor named Samuel Perry named the mountain after a British judge.

In the 1860s, a person named Thomas Elder bought huge areas of land in this northern region. He named his property Mount Lyndhurst.

Fun Places to Visit

Lyndhurst and the areas nearby have some interesting spots to explore.

• Ochre Cliffs: About 2 kilometers north of town, you can find the Ochre Cliffs. This was a special place where Aboriginal people mined different colored ochre. They used these natural colors for dyes and paints.
• Murtee Johnny's Grave: This is the grave of Murtee Johnny. He was a Yandruwandha Aboriginal man born around 1888. He was a very skilled stockman, which means he was good at working with cattle. He worked on a place called Mount Hopeless.
• Mount Lyndhurst Important Bird Area: If you love birds, this is a great spot! It's about 30 kilometers east of Lyndhurst. Many people go there to see special birds, especially the chestnut-breasted whiteface.
• Talc Alf and the Talc Mine: You can also visit the Talc Mine and see art by a local artist known as Talc Alf.

Interesting People from Lyndhurst

• "Dollar Mick" Smith: He was an Aboriginal stockman who passed away in 1969. He taught a famous person named R. M. Williams how to work with leather. This happened in 1932 when R. M. Williams started his first factory. This led to the creation of the very successful RM Williams Company, which is still famous for its unique boots today.