Mount Burr, South Australia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mount BurrSouth Australia |
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 Mount Burr
Location in Wattle Range Council
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| Established | 1844 | ||||||||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 5279 | ||||||||||||||
| Elevation | 67 m (220 ft) | ||||||||||||||
| Time zone | ACST (UTC+9:30) | ||||||||||||||
| • Summer (DST) | ACST (UTC+10:30) | ||||||||||||||
| Location | 55 km (34 mi) NE of Mount Gambier | ||||||||||||||
| LGA(s) | Wattle Range Council | ||||||||||||||
| State electorate(s) | MacKillop | ||||||||||||||
| Federal Division(s) | Barker | ||||||||||||||
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| Footnotes | Adjoining localities | ||||||||||||||
Mount Burr is a small town in the south-east of South Australia. It is about 10 kilometers east of Millicent. It is also about 55 kilometers north-west of Mount Gambier. The town is located in the beautiful Limestone Coast region. Mount Burr gets its name from a mountain nearby.
Contents
Mount Burr's Story
How Mount Burr Got Its Name
The mountain near the town was named Mount Burr by Governor George Grey in 1844. He named it after George Dominicus Burr. George D. Burr was a surveyor and a Professor of Mathematics. His son, Thomas Burr, was also a surveyor. Thomas Burr joined Governor Grey on an important trip to Mount Gambier in 1844. An artist named George French Angas was also part of this group.
Growing Forests
In 1873, a new law was made to encourage planting forests. The South Australian Department of Woods and Forests was likely the first government group for forests in the British Commonwealth. They planted native eucalypt trees. They also planted hardwood trees from Europe and conifer trees from Europe and North America. The radiata pine tree, which comes from California, grew very well here. Huge numbers of these trees were planted.
Building the Town
The town of Mount Burr was started in 1931. It became home to a big timber mill. This mill was the first of its kind in the area. The Government of South Australia built the town and all its buildings. They used mostly timber cut right there in the forest.
Sports and Television
A cricket club started in Mount Burr in 1932. A football club began in 1940.
In 1965, a television station called SES-8 was getting ready to broadcast. It was located in Mount Gambier. A large transmitter tower fell down, but luckily no one was badly hurt. The station started broadcasting in March 1966. Later, in 1999, SES-8 was sold to WIN Television. Regional TV broadcasting from Mount Gambier stopped in 2013.
Sadly, the big timber mill in Mount Burr closed in late 2000.
About Mount Burr's Location
The Mountain and Its Role
The town is named after a local mountain, also called Mount Burr. This mountain is 240 meters tall. It is a dormant volcano, meaning it's a volcano that is not active right now. Mount Burr is part of the Limestone Coast region.
The Mount Burr mountain is home to the SES-8 television transmitter. This transmitter sends out TV signals for channels like WIN Television, Seven SA, Ten SA, SBS, and ABC television. These signals reach homes across the south-east of SA and western Victoria.
Life in Mount Burr
What People Do Here
The main jobs in Mount Burr are in forestry, transport, and agriculture. A company that makes paper, Kimberly-Clark, is a big employer in the area.
Mt Burr Primary School teaches children from pre-school up to Year 7.
Mt Burr Forest Reserve
The Mt Burr Forest is a special forest reserve. It is named after Thomas Burr, the surveyor. This forest is home to many animals. You can find endangered species like the southern brown bandicoot here. Other animals include the red-necked wallaby, emus, and over 60 different kinds of birds.
Historic Places
The old Mount Graham Homestead is a historic building. It is listed on the South Australian Heritage Register. The Noolook Bark Mill, which is inside Mt Burr Forest, is also a historic site.
Mount Burr Swamp
Mount Burr Swamp used to be a large, deep freshwater marsh. Now, Nature Glenelg Trust manages it. Their goal is to bring back the 300-hectare wetlands next to The Marshes Wetland Complex.
Mount Burr Swamp has a lot of different plants and animals, which is called biodiversity. It is a home for many creatures, including:
- little galaxias (a type of fish)
- growling grass frog
- Australasian bitterns (a type of bird)
- southern brown bandicoots
- red-tailed black cockatoos
- brolgas (a type of crane)
- southern bent-wing bats
In 2021, students from the University of South Australia visited the swamp. They were part of an Aboriginal Pathways Program. They joined local Aboriginal elders for a land management course. The students learned traditional ways of looking after the land. They also experienced a deep connection to country and caring for country.
