Wanbi, South Australia facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Wanbi South Australia
Wanbi Location in South Australia
Established	9 July 1914 (town) 11 November 1999 (locality)
Postcode(s)	5310
Time zone	ACST (UTC+9:30)
• Summer (DST)	ACDT (UTC+10:30)
Location	157 km (98 mi) E of Adelaide 56 km (35 mi) NE of Karoonda
LGA(s)	District Council of Karoonda East Murray
Region	Murray and Mallee
County	Albert
State electorate(s)	Hammond
Federal Division(s)	Barker
Mean max temp Mean min temp Annual rainfall 23.6 °C 74 °F 8.7 °C 48 °F 271.1 mm 10.7 in
Localities around Wanbi: Caliph Caliph Veitch Halidon Mindarie Wanbi Alawoona Schell Well Halidon Sandalwood Sandalwood
Footnotes	Locations Adjoining localities

Wanbi is a small township in the Australian state of South Australia. It is located on the Karoonda Highway, about 160 kilometers (100 miles) east of Adelaide, the state capital. Wanbi is also about 56 kilometers (35 miles) north-east of Karoonda.

The town is built on a ridge covered by mallee trees. It has a simple layout with just one main street. In 1932, a hotel was built in Wanbi. At that time, the town was growing. It had a general store, a cream depot, and several homes. Many of these homes were for people who worked for the South Australian Railways.

The Story of Wanbi's Railway

The land around Wanbi has sandy soil. This soil was not good for farming. Because of this, people were not very interested in settling there. The state government had a plan. They decided to build a railway first to help open up the Mallee area for settlement.

Early Railway Days

The Wanbi railway station was built in 1912. It was part of a wide railway line that went to Paringa. About 13 years later, Wanbi became a junction. This happened when the Yinkanie branchline was opened.

With the new branch line, Wanbi became a busier place. It helped serve the communities along the branch line. It also supported the railway workers.

Changes and Closures

In the mid-1960s, things started to change. Companies in Moorook stopped sending their citrus fruit by train from Yinkanie. This meant a lot less freight was moved through Wanbi.

Trains still carried grain, fertilizer, and some other goods until 1971. That year, the branch line finally closed. In 1996, the main railway line through Wanbi was changed. It was updated to a standard gauge line, which is a different width. This line went towards Loxton. However, in 2015, this main line also closed down.

Wanbi Hotel in 1972. It displays items from the old railway station and the South Australian Railways.