Orroroo, South Australia

Orroroo South Australia
The main street of Orroroo.
Orroroo
Coordinates
Population	543 (2006 census)
Postcode(s)	5431
Elevation	428 m (1,404 ft)
Location	270 km (168 mi) N of Adelaide 120 km (75 mi) NE of Port Pirie 100 km (62 mi) NW of Port Augusta
LGA(s)	District Council of Orroroo Carrieton
State electorate(s)	Stuart
Federal Division(s)	Grey

Orroroo is a town in the Flinders Ranges region of South Australia. At the 2006 census, Orroroo had a population of 543. The Wilmington-Ucolta Road passes through here, intersecting there with the southern stretch of the Birdsville and Oodnadatta Tracks. The narrow gauge rail line was extended to Orroroo also in 1881 and Quorn in 1882, connecting with the new line from Port Augusta. This line has now been abandoned. Orroroo is situated near Goyder's Line, a line drawn up in 1865 by Surveyor General Goyder which he believed indicated the edge of the area suitable for agriculture.

History

Prior to European settlement, Orroroo was the home of the Ngadjuri Aboriginal people whose domain was the area to the east of the Flinders Rangers. The name Orroroo is believed to have Aboriginal origins, but the true meaning of the word is uncertain. The name was first used by an early pioneer who conducted a nearby coaching house which served travellers on the Burra-Blinman track.

In 1844, the first Europeans to settle, John and James Chambers, took up the Pekina Run which covered 320 square miles. They did not receive a millimetre of rain during the 17 months that they lived there. As a result of this drought, they sold the Pekina Run for £30.

Charlie Easther settled in Orroroo during 1864 and opened up an eating house that became a popular stopping point for the drovers and bullockys who travelled through the area. The town was surveyed in 1875, when Solly's Hut, a clay-pugged log structure, was constructed as the town's first house and is now used as a museum. In September 1875, the town was officially named by George Goyder following the suggestion made by Charlie Easther (See § Origin of the name "Orroroo", below.). The first land sales were made in May 1876. The town's council offices were constructed in 1888.

On 24 August 1923, 230-volt electricity was connected to the town by Cr Martin Redden, Chairman of the District Council, in the presence of a large crowd. On 4 July 1962, the power house engines were shut down to change to AC power which gave the houses standard 240-volt power.

An early irrigation scheme was formed after damming the Pekina Creek and creating the Pekina reservoir. Water from here was supplied to over 50 dairy farms. Orroroo had its own flour mill, several bakeries, carriage manufacturer and a butter factory, which still stands.

Orroroo is the service centre for a predominantly farming community with the main products being wheat, sheep, cattle, pigs and a kangaroo processor.

A local curiosity is nearby, called "Magnetic Hill", which is a gravity hill optical illusion.

Railways

The town was connected by rail to Peterborough and Quorn by rail in September 1881, and was served by a Class 1 station and a large Goods Shed. During 1962, concrete grain silos were built in the Yard. these provided the bulk of traffic until the railway was closed in 1987

Orroroo was the last attended station on the railway; staff were withdrawn and the station operated as "unattended" from August 1981.

Passenger services were discontinued during 1969, when the South Australian Railways withdrew the railcar service.

Grain continued to be hauled by rail from Orroroo until 1987, when all rail services were withdrawn by Australian National. Steamtown, a railway preservation group based at Peterborough, operated passenger trains for tourists to Orroroo and Eurelia until 2002

The railway line was eventually removed in 2008

Road transport

Orroroo is on the south-north RM Williams Way (route B80) connecting Clare to Hawker and the west-east route B56 connecting the Port Augusta to Broken Hill.

Origin of the name "Orroroo"

"Orroroo" was officially named by a C.J. Easther, an early settler in the region. The Register of 16 November 1926 gives two still further alternatives, stating that Orroroo was the name of an Aboriginal girl who lived on nearby Pekina station, and that the town was for some reason named in honour of this girl, but also noting that others have suggested the name derivates from an Aboriginal word meaning 'dust', 'drift', or 'a windy locality'. It is true that in the Advertiser of 9 January 1903, it is said that orroroo means wind in "the native language". In the Advertiser of 15 August 1908, a still further derivation is suggested by a Gustav Degenhardt, who claims the name comes from the Aboriginal name for a nearby creek, Oorooroo. Degenhardt resided in Orroroo from at least as early as 1880 (five years after Easther named the town), so it may be that he had first-hand knowledge of Easther's reasons for so naming the town.

Orroroo Fire Service

The Orroroo Country Fire Service (CFS) is the volunteer fire service of Orroroo. They are part of the Black Rock CFS Group.

Notable residents

• Arthur Richman Addison MLC (1842–1915) and son Walter C. Addison, a champion rifle shooter, were longtime residents.
• Hooper Brewster-Jones, an Australian composer, born in Orroroo.
• Rex Ingamells, poet, and founder of the Jindyworobak Movement, born in Orroroo.
• John Mannion, historian and writer, born and resides just south of Orroroo at Pekina.
• Professor Brian Medlin, founding Professor of Philosophy at Flinders University and leader of the anti-Vietnam War movement in South Australia
• Professor Harry Medlin (1920-2013), Deputy Vice-Chancellor of University of Adelaide 1978-1997
• John O'Dea, an Australian country singer, born in Orroroo.
• Luke Tapscott, Australian rules footballer for Melbourne Demons in the Australian Football League, born in Orroroo.

External links

• Orroroo Cemetery names
• Orroroo Cemetery photos