Chain of Ponds, South Australia

Chain of Ponds is a locality and former town near Adelaide, South Australia. It is located in the Adelaide Hills Council local government area.

Chain of Ponds South Australia
Winery at Chain of Ponds
Chain of Ponds Location in South Australia
Coordinates	34°49′26″S 138°49′56″E[1]
Population	22 (2016 census)[2]
Established	25 October 2001 (locality)[3]
Postcode(s)	5231[1]
Time zone	ACST (UTC+9:30)
• Summer (DST)	ACST (UTC+10:30)
Location	29 km (18 mi) from Adelaide
LGA(s)	Adelaide Hills Council[1]
Region	Adelaide Hills[1]
County	Adelaide[1]
State electorate(s)	Newland[4]
Federal Division(s)	Mayo[5]
Mean max temp[6] Mean min temp[6] Annual rainfall[6] 19.0 °C ^66 °F 9.8 °C ^50 °F 656.0 mm ^25.8 in
Suburbs around Chain of Ponds: Kersbrook Kersbrook Kersbrook Millbrook Chain of Ponds Gumeracha Cudlee Creek Paracombe Cudlee Creek Cudlee Creek
Footnotes	Adjoining localities[1]

History

The settlement was established by the South Australia Company, and was originally called Philptown after founding publican Oliver Philp. First settled early in the 1840s, the township was laid out after the opening of the North East Road in the 1850s. By this time, the town was reported to include two post office buildings, institute, church, service station, a handful of cottages and the old Morning Star Hotel.[7] In 1864, the town was renamed Chain of Ponds, after a series of nearby ponds which were connected underground.[8]

There was also a nearby township at Millbrook, but it was demolished to make way for the Millbrook Reservoir, which was constructed between 1914 and 1918 to control the flow of the upper Torrens River and supply the eastern suburbs of Adelaide from an appropriate elevation. In the 1970s, Chain of Ponds was also demolished to safeguard against water pollution in the reservoir.[9] Little more than a cemetery exists as a reminder of Chain of Ponds, though it appears on maps as a navigation point.[8]

Geography

Chain of Ponds is located between Inglewood and Gumeracha along the Adelaide-Mannum Road, and south of Kersbrook along the Little Para Road.

Water pipeline in Cudlee Creek.

Facilities

The few remaining residents (22 people according to the 2016 Australian census) are served by facilities in Inglewood. The Millbrook reservoir has a capacity of 16,500 megalitres.

Transport

The area is not serviced by Adelaide public transport. A coach is operated from Tea Tree Plaza Interchange to Gumeracha and Mount Pleasant by Affordable Coachlines.[10]

References

1. "Search results for 'Chain of Ponds, LOCB' with the following datasets selected - 'Suburbs and localities', 'Counties', 'Government Towns', 'Local Government Areas', 'postcodes', 'SA Government Regions' and 'Gazetteer'". Location SA Map Viewer. South Australian Government. Retrieved 20 April 2019.
2. Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Chain of Ponds (State Suburb)". 2016 Census QuickStats.
3. Lawson, Robert (25 October 2001). "GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES ACT 1991 Notice to Assign Names and Boundaries to Places (within the Adelaide Hills Council)" (PDF). The South Australian Government Gazette. Government of South Australia. p. 4691. Retrieved 19 April 2019.
4. "Newland (Electoral district profile)". ELECTORAL COMMISSION SA. Retrieved 19 April 2019.
5. "Profile of the electoral division of Mayo". Australian Electoral Commission. Retrieved 19 April 2019.
6. "Monthly climate statistics: Summary statistics MOUNT CRAWFORD AWS (nearest weather station)". Commonwealth of Australia , Bureau of Meteorology. Retrieved 20 April 2019.
7. Adelaide Hills Council - Historical Town Information Archived 25 June 2006 at the Wayback Machine
8. Crouch, Brad (7 November 2010). "The town they killed with a pen". Sunday Mail. Retrieved 6 March 2018.
9. SA Water – Millbrook Reservoir Archived 25 June 2006 at the Wayback Machine
10. Timetable Accessed 15 June 2006