Yorke Peninsula facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Yorke PeninsulaSouth Australia |
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The town of Ardrossan, located in Yorke Peninsula
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 Yorke Peninsula
Location in South Australia
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| Population | 25,143 (2005) |
| Established | 1840s |
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| State electorate(s) | Frome Goyder |
| Federal Division(s) | Grey |
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| Website | Yorke Peninsula |
The Yorke Peninsula is a piece of land in South Australia. It is surrounded by water on three sides, like a big finger pointing south. To its west is Spencer Gulf and to its east is Gulf St Vincent. This area is north-west of Adelaide.
South of the peninsula, Investigator Strait separates it from Kangaroo Island. The biggest town in the region is Kadina.
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Discovering Yorke Peninsula's History and Towns
Long before Europeans arrived around 1840, the Narungga people lived on Yorke Peninsula. Their descendants still live there today. The Narungga Aboriginal Progress Association in Maitland supports them. There is also a community at Point Pearce.
Captain Matthew Flinders named Yorke Peninsula. He named it after Charles Philip Yorke. Another explorer, Captain Nicolas Baudin, wanted to call it 'Cambaceres Peninsula'. But Flinders' name was chosen.
Main Towns to Explore
The main towns on the peninsula include:
- The Copper Coast towns: Kadina, Moonta, and Wallaroo.
- Farming towns: Maitland, Minlaton, and Yorketown.
- The port town of Ardrossan.
Many smaller towns along the coast are popular for fishing and holidays. People from Adelaide especially love to visit them. The very southern tip of the peninsula is home to Innes National Park.
Farming and Food Production
Yorke Peninsula is a major area for growing grain. It produces a lot of barley. The crops grown here are worth more than $290 million each year!
In the past, grain was sent by sea. There were no train services. Most coastal towns had large jetties. Small boats like ketches and schooners used these jetties. They would collect bags of grain. They also delivered fertiliser and other supplies.
As roads got better, and grain was handled in bulk, this changed. A deep-water port opened in 1970 at Port Giles. This port exports grain in bulk. Most other ports stopped being used for freight in the 1950s and 1960s.
Today, only Wallaroo and Ardrossan have bulk-handling facilities. Ardrossan also ships dolomite from a nearby mine. Maitland has a grain depot run by AWB. It is only reached by road.
Since the 1990s, people have also started making wine here. The soil is rich and good for grapes.
Yorke Peninsula Field Days: A Big Event
The Yorke Peninsula Field Days are Australia's oldest Field Days. They have been held since 1894. Every two years, at the end of September, the Field Days site near Paskeville becomes a busy hub. It showcases all sorts of agricultural activities and new farming ideas.
Geography and Weather
Most of Yorke Peninsula is excellent farmland. It has gentle rolling hills and flat plains. The southern part of the Hummocks Range extends into the top of the peninsula. It flattens out near Clinton.
The highest point on the peninsula is near Maitland. There are also shallow valleys inland. The main one is called the Yorke Valley. It stretches from Sunnyvale, south of Paskeville, to Ramsey. This is between Minlaton and Stansbury. The main Yorke Valley area is roughly between Arthurton, Maitland, Ardrossan, and Curramulka.
Yorke Peninsula's Climate
Yorke Peninsula has a Mediterranean climate. This means it has hot, dry summers and cool, wet winters. This is typical for southern coastal areas. It is also affected by the surrounding water.
In summer, the highest temperatures are around 30 degrees Celsius. In winter, they are around 12-15 degrees Celsius. Because of the water, winter temperatures are milder than in most of South Australia. It rarely drops below freezing, so frost is uncommon.
Winds from the desert can bring very hot days in summer, sometimes over 40 degrees. They can also bring warm winter days, sometimes over 20 degrees. The area gets 400-600 mm of rain each year. Most of this rain falls from mid-April to September. However, the total rainfall can change a lot from year to year.
Sometimes, big storms from the north bring heavy rain in spring and summer. Otherwise, rain is usually light and not very reliable.
Travel and Transport
A daily ferry service used to run between Wallaroo and Lucky Bay. Lucky Bay is near Cowell on Eyre Peninsula. This ferry service is no longer running.
Famous People from Yorke Peninsula
Many interesting people have come from Yorke Peninsula.
Politicians
- Harry Bartlett (1835–1915): He was a member of parliament for Yorke Peninsula. People called him "Father of the West Coast."
- Cecil Hincks: He was also a member of parliament for Yorke Peninsula.
- John Olsen: He used to be the Premier of South Australia.
Sports Stars
- Hannah Button: An Adelaide footballer.
- Richard Champion: A former AFL footballer.
- Adam Goodes: A former AFL footballer and a two-time winner of the Brownlow Medal.
- George Hewett: A Sydney footballer.
- Cameron Hewett: A Port Adelaide footballer.
- Malcolm Karpany: A West Coast Eagles footballer.
- Sarah Klau: An Adelaide Thunderbirds netballer.
- Sam Jacobs: An Adelaide footballer.
- Scott McMahon: A North Melbourne footballer.
- Fiona Pointon: A former Adelaide Thunderbirds netballer.
- Jarrad Redden: A former AFL footballer.
- Jamie Tape: A former AFL footballer.
- Jay Schulz: A former AFL footballer.
- Bernie Vince: A Melbourne footballer.
Other Notable People
- Alby Mangels: An adventurer and documentary maker.
- Fiona O'Loughlin: A comedian.
- Emily Taheny: An actress.
- Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Williams: He is known as the "Father of the RAAF" (Royal Australian Air Force). He was born at Moonta Mines.
Special Protected Areas
Yorke Peninsula has many areas set aside to protect nature.
National and Conservation Parks
These are special places protected by law:
- National parks: Innes National Park.
- Conservation parks: Althorpe Islands, Bird Islands, Carribie, Clinton, Leven Beach, Minlacowie, Point Davenport, Ramsay, Thidna, Troubridge Island, Warrenben, and Wills Creek.
- Aquatic reserves: Coobowie Aquatic Reserve.
Important Bird Areas
Yorke Peninsula also has two areas important for birds. These are called Important Bird Areas (IBAs):
- The Gulf St Vincent Important Bird Area: This covers a strip of land along the coast from Ardrossan.
- The Southern Yorke Peninsula Important Bird Area: This covers most of the southern western tip of the peninsula. It includes Innes National Park and Warrenben Conservation Park.
Images for kids
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Stenhouse Bay Jetty
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Moonta Mines
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School of Mines, Moonta
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Wattle Point Wind Farm, near Edithburgh
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Ardrossan Jetty
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Black Point beach at dusk
