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Tarcoola
South Australia
Tarcoola, South Australia, 2012.jpg
Tarcoola, South Australia, 2012.
Tarcoola is located in South Australia
Tarcoola
Tarcoola
Location in South Australia
Population 0 (2016 census)
Established 21 February 1901 (town)
29 July 2004 (locality)
Postcode(s) 5710
Elevation 123 m (404 ft)(airport)
Time zone ACST (UTC+9:30)
 • Summer (DST) ACST (UTC+10:30)
Location
  • 602 km (374 mi) NW of Adelaide city centre
  • 416 km (258 mi) NNW of Port Augusta
LGA(s) Pastoral Unincorporated Area
Region Far North
State electorate(s) Giles
Federal Division(s) Grey
Mean max temp Mean min temp Annual rainfall
27.5 °C
82 °F
12.0 °C
54 °F
182.7 mm
7.2 in
Localities around Tarcoola:
Wilgena Wilgena Wilgena
Wilgena
Mulgathing
Tarcoola Wilgena
Mulgathing Mulgathing Wilgena
Footnotes Adjoining localities

Tarcoola is a town in the Far North of South Australia 416 kilometres (258 mi) north-northwest of Port Augusta. At the 2016 census, Tarcoola had no people living within its boundaries.

Tarcoola was named after Tarcoola the winner of the 1893 Melbourne Cup horse race. The horse Tarcoola had been raised on Tarcoola Station on the Darling River in New South Wales. It means river bend in the aboriginal language of the area around that Tarcoola Station.

History

Tarcoola station building, 1926-1940
Tarcoola railway station, between 1926 and 1940.

The Tarcoola Goldfield was discovered in 1893, but it was in an isolated arid area, and there was little development until 1900. A Post Office opened on 18 August 1900 and the town was proclaimed on 21 February 1901. It was named after Tarcoola the winner of the 1893 Melbourne Cup horse race. The horse Tarcoola had been raised on Tarcoola Station on the Darling River.

The goldfield's heyday was from about 1901 to 1918. A government battery was built to process ore from small mines. Between 1901 and 1954 the field produced about 77,000oz (2.4 tonnes) of gold, most of it from the Tarcoola Blocks mine.

The Trans-Australian Railway was built through Tarcoola in 1915, and in 2004 the Adelaide–Darwin railway diverged from Tarcoola to Darwin.

The town is almost completely deserted today except for transient railway maintenance staff and geological exploration teams. The original Tarcoola goldfields are long closed. However, there is now new exploration for minerals in the wider area, including the Challenger Mine.

The Tarcoola Goldfield, Battery and Township is listed on the South Australian Heritage Register as a designated place of archaeological significance.

Transport

Rail

Tarcoola is now best known as the northern junction of the Sydney-Perth and Adelaide-Darwin railways, which share approximately 530 kilometres (329 mi) of track between Tarcoola and Crystal Brook. There is a triangular junction at Tarcoola which joins Crystal Brook, Darwin and Perth. Another triangular junction at Crystal Brook joins Tarcoola, Adelaide and Sydney.

The Ghan and the Indian Pacific passenger services through Tarcoola both run once per week in each direction all year round, and twice per week at various times. The mail for Tarcoola arrives by train.

Climate

Tarcoola has a desert climate with hot, dry summers and mild winters and sparse rainfall throughout the year.

Climate data for Tarcoola Airport
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 48.9
(120.0)
47.4
(117.3)
43.0
(109.4)
39.5
(103.1)
32.0
(89.6)
28.7
(83.7)
28.0
(82.4)
33.5
(92.3)
39.0
(102.2)
42.9
(109.2)
46.5
(115.7)
47.0
(116.6)
48.9
(120.0)
Average high °C (°F) 36.9
(98.4)
35.1
(95.2)
31.4
(88.5)
27.2
(81.0)
22.5
(72.5)
18.8
(65.8)
18.8
(65.8)
21.2
(70.2)
25.3
(77.5)
27.9
(82.2)
31.6
(88.9)
33.8
(92.8)
27.5
(81.5)
Average low °C (°F) 19.7
(67.5)
19.3
(66.7)
16.1
(61.0)
12.1
(53.8)
8.2
(46.8)
5.1
(41.2)
4.6
(40.3)
5.5
(41.9)
9.0
(48.2)
11.7
(53.1)
15.6
(60.1)
17.4
(63.3)
12.0
(53.6)
Record low °C (°F) 5.6
(42.1)
10.0
(50.0)
6.1
(43.0)
1.3
(34.3)
0.0
(32.0)
−3.8
(25.2)
−2.7
(27.1)
−3.1
(26.4)
0.5
(32.9)
1.0
(33.8)
5.0
(41.0)
8.4
(47.1)
−3.8
(25.2)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 11.6
(0.46)
26.4
(1.04)
15.0
(0.59)
10.2
(0.40)
11.4
(0.45)
13.5
(0.53)
12.9
(0.51)
11.4
(0.45)
9.8
(0.39)
16.8
(0.66)
18.8
(0.74)
22.4
(0.88)
181.0
(7.13)
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