Maitland, South Australia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids MaitlandSouth Australia |
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Robert St in Maitland
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 Maitland
Location in Yorke Peninsula Council
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| Established | 1872 | ||||||||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 5573 | ||||||||||||||
| Elevation | 160 m (525 ft) | ||||||||||||||
| Location |
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| LGA(s) | Yorke Peninsula Council | ||||||||||||||
| Region | Yorke and Mid North | ||||||||||||||
| County | Fergusson | ||||||||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Narungga | ||||||||||||||
| Federal Division(s) | Grey | ||||||||||||||
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| Footnotes | Adjoining localities | ||||||||||||||
Maitland is a town located on the Yorke Peninsula in South Australia. It's about 168 kilometers (104 miles) west of Adelaide. You can also find it 164 kilometers (102 miles) south of Port Pirie. The town was built on the traditional lands of the Narungga people. They called this area Maggiwarda.
History of Maitland
Maitland was established in 1872. It was named after Lady Jean Maitland. She was the wife of the 2nd Lord of Kilkerran. She was also the great-great-grandmother of Sir James Fergusson. He was the governor of South Australia at that time.
The land where Maitland now stands was once used by the Narungga people for hunting. They are an Aboriginal Australian group who lived there for thousands of years. They called the whole peninsula Guuranda.
In 1884, a newspaper called the Adelaide Observer wrote about Maitland. It said the town was about 23 miles from Moonta. It was also about 490 feet above sea level. The newspaper noted that Maitland was growing steadily. It looked like it would become the second-largest town on the peninsula.
As farming grew, the Narungga people helped with agricultural work.
Location and What's Nearby
Maitland is close to the coast on both sides. To the west, you'll find Port Victoria. To the east, there's Ardrossan. Both are less than 25 kilometers (15 miles) away.
The town has a special place where grain is collected. This depot is run by AWB Limited. It helps farmers send their grain to other places using roads.
Maitland's Climate
Maitland has a climate often 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, the average high is around 29.3°C (84.7°F). In July, the average high drops to about 14.3°C (57.7°F). The lowest temperatures are around 7.0°C (44.6°F) in July.
Maitland gets about 502.5 millimeters (19.8 inches) of rain each year. Most of the rain falls in winter. The town has many clear, sunny days.
| Climate data for Maitland (34º22'12"S, 137º40'12"E, 185 m AMSL) (1879-2024 normals, extremes 1957-2024) | |||||||||||||
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| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 46.3 (115.3) |
43.5 (110.3) |
40.1 (104.2) |
37.0 (98.6) |
29.0 (84.2) |
25.0 (77.0) |
21.8 (71.2) |
28.0 (82.4) |
33.8 (92.8) |
37.9 (100.2) |
42.4 (108.3) |
46.0 (114.8) |
46.3 (115.3) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 29.3 (84.7) |
28.5 (83.3) |
25.9 (78.6) |
22.4 (72.3) |
18.2 (64.8) |
15.5 (59.9) |
14.3 (57.7) |
15.5 (59.9) |
18.1 (64.6) |
21.6 (70.9) |
24.9 (76.8) |
26.4 (79.5) |
21.7 (71.1) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 15.8 (60.4) |
15.9 (60.6) |
14.5 (58.1) |
12.6 (54.7) |
10.0 (50.0) |
7.9 (46.2) |
7.0 (44.6) |
7.2 (45.0) |
8.5 (47.3) |
10.1 (50.2) |
12.3 (54.1) |
13.8 (56.8) |
11.3 (52.3) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 7.7 (45.9) |
8.9 (48.0) |
7.2 (45.0) |
4.4 (39.9) |
4.0 (39.2) |
0.0 (32.0) |
0.0 (32.0) |
1.1 (34.0) |
1.1 (34.0) |
1.8 (35.2) |
4.4 (39.9) |
6.5 (43.7) |
0.0 (32.0) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 18.0 (0.71) |
21.9 (0.86) |
20.6 (0.81) |
42.3 (1.67) |
62.4 (2.46) |
68.1 (2.68) |
65.3 (2.57) |
61.5 (2.42) |
49.1 (1.93) |
41.1 (1.62) |
28.4 (1.12) |
23.9 (0.94) |
502.5 (19.78) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm) | 3.9 | 3.6 | 4.6 | 8.3 | 12.1 | 14.2 | 15.3 | 14.6 | 11.7 | 9.7 | 6.5 | 5.3 | 109.8 |
| Average afternoon relative humidity (%) | 35 | 39 | 42 | 48 | 59 | 64 | 66 | 62 | 56 | 46 | 40 | 39 | 50 |
| Average dew point °C (°F) | 9.4 (48.9) |
10.4 (50.7) |
9.6 (49.3) |
8.5 (47.3) |
8.1 (46.6) |
7.3 (45.1) |
6.7 (44.1) |
6.5 (43.7) |
6.9 (44.4) |
6.6 (43.9) |
7.1 (44.8) |
8.3 (46.9) |
7.9 (46.2) |
| Source: Bureau of Meteorology (1879-2024 normals, extremes 1957-2024) | |||||||||||||
Local Media and News
Maitland used to have its own newspaper called the Maitland Watch. It was published from 1911 to 1969. In 1969, this newspaper joined with another one from Yorketown called The Pioneer. Together, they became the Yorke Peninsula News Pictorial. This new paper didn't last long. In 1970, it became part of the Yorke Peninsula Country Times.
