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 peninsula located north-west and west of Adelaide in South Australia, between Spencer Gulf on the west and Gulf St Vincent on the east. The peninsula is separated from Kangaroo Island to the south by Investigator Strait. The most populous town in the region is Kadina.
Contents
Overview
Prior to European settlement, which commenced around 1840, Yorke Peninsula was the home to the Narungga people. Today the descendants of these people still live on Yorke Peninsula, supported by the Narungga Aboriginal Progress Association in Maitland, and in the community at Point Pearce. Yorke Peninsula was named by Captain Matthew Flinders, R.N., after the Right Honourable Charles Philip Yorke (1764–1834) (later Lord Hardwicke), narrowly beating French navigator Captain Nicolas Baudin (who preferred the name 'Cambaceres Peninsula').
Principal towns include the Copper Coast towns of Kadina, Moonta and Wallaroo; farming centres of Maitland, Minlaton and Yorketown; and the port of Ardrossan. A number of smaller coastal towns are popular destinations for fishing and holidays, particularly for people from Adelaide. The south-western tip is occupied by Innes National Park.
Agriculture
Yorke Peninsula is a major producer of grain, particularly barley and the Peninsula's grain crops are worth more than $290 million annually. Historically this has been sent out by sea because there are no rail services. Most coastal towns on the peninsula have substantial jetties. In the past these were used by ketches, schooners, and later steamships, to collect the grain in bags, and deliver fertiliser and other supplies. As roads in the region improved, and freight-handling techniques changed from bags to bulk, this became obsolete. A deep-water port was opened in 1970 near the south-eastern tip at Port Giles to export grain in bulk, and almost all the other ports ceased to be used for freight in the 1950s and 1960s. The only other ports with bulk-handling facilities are Wallaroo at the north-western side, and Ardrossan at the top of Gulf St Vincent, also used to ship dolomite from a nearby mine for OneSteel. Maitland has a grain-receiving depot operated by AWB, serviced only by road.
Wine production commenced on the Peninsula during the 1990s taking advantage of the rich grey, limestone-based soil.
Yorke Peninsula Field Days
Acknowledged as Australia's oldest Field Days, the Yorke Peninsula Field Days have been held since 1894. The Field Days site just outside Paskeville is a hive of agricultural activity every 2 years, at the end of September.
Physiography
The area is also known as the Yorke Horst, which is distinct physiographic section of the larger South Australian Shatter Belt province, which in turn is part of the larger West Australian Shield physiographic division. Along with Cape Eyre the peninsula is also part of the Eyre Yorke Block bioregion.
Geography and Climate
Most of Yorke Peninsula is prime agricultural land, with mostly small rolling hills and flat plains. The southern end of the Hummocks Range partially extends down the top of the Peninsula, flattening out near Clinton. The highest point [how high?] on the Peninsula is 5km north-east of Maitland, although there is some debate as to where the Peninsula borders the Mid North, part of the steep Hummocks terrain may be considered part of the Peninsula. A series of shallow valleys line the interior of the Peninsula, with the main one called the Yorke Valley extending roughly from Sunnyvale, south of Paskeville through to Ramsey, between Minlaton and Stansbury. The predominant Yorke Valley area lies roughly in the area between Arthurton, Maitland, Ardrossan and Curramulka.
Typical of the southern coastal areas of the state and influenced by the surrounding bodies of water, Yorke Peninsula has a Mediterranean climate, (Koppen: borderline Csa/Csb) with some areas bordering a Semi Arid Climate, with hot, dry summer and cool, wet winter seasons. Maximum temperatures in summer average around 30 degrees and in winter average around 12-15. Due to surrounding bodies of water, winter temperatures are moderated and milder than most of the state, with overnight temperatures rarely falling below 0, making frost relatively uncommon in the region but not unheard of. Northerly winds from the desert can bring temperatures well upwards of 40 degrees in summer and occasionally bring very warm winter days well into the 20s. Average precipitation is 4-600 mm, most of which falls from mid April through to September, though total and seasonal rainfall can vary greatly from year to year. Along with most of southern Australia, monsoonal lows from the north occasionally bring heavy storm events during spring and summer, rainfall is otherwise light and unreliable due to high pressure systems dominating the area.
Transport
As of 2015, a daily ferry service operates between Wallaroo and Lucky Bay, near Cowell on Eyre Peninsula. This does not exist now.
Notable residents
- Politics
- Harry Bartlett (1835–1915) MHA for Yorke Peninsula 1887–1896, dubbed "Father of the West Coast".
- Cecil Hincks - MHA for the Electoral district of Yorke Peninsula 1941-63
- John Olsen - former Premier of South Australia
- Sports
- Hannah Button - Adelaide footballer
- Richard Champion - former AFL footballer
- Adam Goodes - former AFL footballer and dual Brownlow Medal winner
- George Hewett - Sydney footballer
- Cameron Hewett - Port Adelaide footballer
- Malcolm Karpany - West Coast Eagles footballer
- Sarah Klau - Adelaide Thunderbirds netballer
- Sam Jacobs - Adelaide footballer
- Scott McMahon - North Melbourne footballer
- Fiona Pointon - former Adelaide Thunderbirds netballer
- Jarrad Redden - former AFL footballer
- Jamie Tape - former AFL footballer
- Jay Schulz - former AFL footballer
- Bernie Vince - Melbourne footballer
- Other
- Alby Mangels - adventurer and documentary-maker
- Fiona O'Loughlin - Comedian
- Emily Taheny - actress
- Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Williams, commonly referred to as "Father of the RAAF" was born at Moonta Mines
Protected areas
Statutory reserves
The following reserves are located within the peninsula or immediately adjoin its coastline:
- National parks - Innes.
- 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
Non-statutory arrangements
Yorke Peninsula hosts two Important Bird Areas (IBA): the Gulf St Vincent Important Bird Area and the Southern Yorke Peninsula Important Bird Area. The Gulf St Vincent IBA covers a strip of intertidal land from Ardrossan to the head of Gulf St Vincent and onto the east coast of the gulf. The Southern Yorke Peninsula IBA covers most of the southern western tip of the Peninsula and overlaps 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
