Melrose, South Australia

Melrose is the oldest town in the Flinders Ranges. It is in the shadow of Mount Remarkable, 265 km north of Adelaide, and the town was once named "Mount Remarkable".[3] At the 2011 census, Melrose had a population of 406.[1]

Melrose
South Australia
Melrose Township with Mount Remarkable in background
Melrose
Coordinates32°49′S 138°11′E
Population406 (2011 census)[1]
Established1840
Postcode(s)5483
Location265 km (165 mi) N of Adelaide city centre
LGA(s)District Council of Mount Remarkable
State electorate(s)Stuart
Federal Division(s)Grey
WebsiteMelrose
Mean max temp Mean min temp Annual rainfall
? ? 550 mm
21.7 in
Localities around Melrose:
Wilmington Wilmington Willowie
Wilmington
Baroota		 Melrose Booleroo Centre
Baroota Bangor
Murray Town		 Murray Town
FootnotesAdjoining localities[2]

History

The Adnyamathanha people lived in the northern Flinders Ranges area for many millennia.

The first European explorer in the area was Edward John Eyre in 1840; pastoralists settled in the area about a decade later. Copper was discovered and mining started in 1846, but it was not economically viable, and ceased in 1851. The mine was opened again three more times, with the latest closure in 1917.

In 1893 at a time of high unemployment, Wilton Hack founded a communal settlement in the area. At its peak, some 130 settlers were working 1,000 acres (400 ha) of land. By the end of 1895 after a succession of poor seasons around half the settlers had left, and in 1896 the village was closed by the Government.[4]

When it was opened in 1848, the police station in Melrose was not only the first permanent police station in the region, but the base of the largest police district in the world. A constable, two troopers and an Aboriginal tracker were responsible for an area extending to the Timor Sea.

The Wilmington railway line from Gladstone opened near Melrose in 1915 and closed in 1969. The station was almost 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) north of the town. Melrose is also on the Horrocks Highway, formerly known as Main North Road.

Heritage listings

Melrose has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:

  • 3 Brewery Street: Keating Cottage [5]
  • Melrose to Orroroo Road: Mount Remarkable Woolshed [6]
  • Melrose to Orroroo Road: Mount Remarkable Station [7]
  • Mount Street: Jacka's Brewery and Yard Walls [8]
  • near Melrose: Rankine's Hut [9]
  • Lot 2 Spratt Street: Timber Slab Dwelling [10]
  • Stuart Street: Melrose Post Office [11]
  • Stuart Street: Melrose Courthouse and Police Station [12]
  • Stuart Street: Mount Remarkable Inn [13]
  • 30 Stuart Street: Blacksmith Shop and Dwelling [14]
  • 13 Whitby Street: Timber Slab Dwelling [15]

Tourism

Today, Melrose is the base for visitors to the Mount Remarkable National Park and a centre for the local farmers.

In June, Melrose is home to the Fat Tyre Festival, an off-road bike celebration exploring local bike trails and crowding parades of freak bikes.

In August, Melrose is also home to the King of the Mount [16] trail race. This is a race to the summit of Mt Remarkable, during which runners and walkers ascend over 600 metres (2,000 ft) along a 7.7 kilometres (4.8 mi) trail.

Melrose is home to a caravan park visited by 100,000 tourists every year.

Notes and references
  1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Melrose (SA) (State Suburb)". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 29 April 2014.
  2. "Search result for "Melrose(Locality Bounded)" (Record no SASA0002178) with the following layers selected - "Suburbs and Localities" and "Place names (gazetteer)"". Property Location Browser. Government of South Australia. Archived from the original on 12 October 2016. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
  3. "A Man's Duty is to Serve His Country". The Mail. Adelaide: National Library of Australia. 13 September 1913. p. 2 Section: Second Section. Retrieved 14 September 2012.
  4. "MOUNT REMARKABLE VILLAGE SETTLEMENT". The Advertiser. Adelaide: National Library of Australia. 20 August 1896. p. 4. Retrieved 22 November 2014.
  5. "Dwelling ('Keating Cottage')". South Australian Heritage Register. Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources. Retrieved 11 February 2016.
  6. "Mount Remarkable Woolshed". South Australian Heritage Register. Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources. Retrieved 11 February 2016.
  7. "Gumville Station (former Mount Remarkable [originally Willowie] Homestead) Complex, which includes Mount Remarkable Training Farm structures". South Australian Heritage Register. Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources. Retrieved 11 February 2016.
  8. "Former Jacka's Brewery & Yard Walls (former Marshall's Flour Mill)". South Australian Heritage Register. Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources. Retrieved 11 February 2016.
  9. "Rankine's Hut". South Australian Heritage Register. Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources. Archived from the original on 15 February 2016. Retrieved 11 February 2016.
  10. "Timber Slab Dwelling". South Australian Heritage Register. Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources. Retrieved 11 February 2016.
  11. "Melrose Post Office (former Post and Telegraph Office)". South Australian Heritage Register. Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources. Archived from the original on 15 February 2016. Retrieved 11 February 2016.
  12. "Former Melrose Courthouse & Police Station". South Australian Heritage Register. Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources. Archived from the original on 15 February 2016. Retrieved 11 February 2016.
  13. "Mount Remarkable Inn". South Australian Heritage Register. Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources. Retrieved 11 February 2016.
  14. "Former Blacksmith Shop & Dwelling". South Australian Heritage Register. Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources. Archived from the original on 15 February 2016. Retrieved 11 February 2016.
  15. "Timber Slab Dwelling". South Australian Heritage Register. Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources. Archived from the original on 15 February 2016. Retrieved 11 February 2016.
  16. King of the Mount

Further reading
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