Wonuarra, South Australia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids WonuarraSouth Australia |
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 Wonuarra
Location in South Australia
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| Postcode(s) | 5340 | ||||||||||||||
| Location | 10 km (6 mi) south of Paringa | ||||||||||||||
| LGA(s) | Renmark Paringa Council | ||||||||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Chaffey | ||||||||||||||
| Federal Division(s) | Barker | ||||||||||||||
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Wonuarra is a small area, or locality, located in the eastern part of the Riverland region in South Australia. It sits southeast of a town called Paringa.
This area is found just east of the Sturt Highway. This highway connects Paringa and Yamba. Wonuarra stretches from the highway all the way to the border of the state.
A Railway Story
Wonuarra was once an important stop on the Barmera railway line. It was the next stop after Paringa. This stop was called a siding. A siding is a short track next to the main railway line. It allows trains to load or unload goods.
Farmers would bring their wheat to Wonuarra. The wheat was put into bags. Then, it was loaded onto trains. This helped transport the wheat out of the area.
Why the Name Changed
The railway siding was first named Koora. However, this name caused confusion. It sounded too much like another place called Noora, which was further south along the same railway line. To avoid mix-ups, the name was changed to Wonuarra.
The Unused Railway Line
In the 1960s, a new railway track was built. This was a branch line. It connected to the main line just north of Wonuarra. This new track was about 27.3 kilometers (17 miles) long. It went northeast towards Murtho.
The branch line reached the south bank of the Murray River. It was built to help with a big project. There were plans to build a large dam called the Chowilla Dam. This railway would have moved materials for the dam's construction.
However, the Chowilla Dam was never built. The government of South Australia worked out a deal. They arranged to get a guaranteed supply of water from another dam, the Dartmouth Dam. Because the Chowilla Dam project was cancelled, the railway line was never used. It was later removed.
