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Willunga, South Australia

Coordinates: 35°16′26″S 138°33′13″E / 35.274023°S 138.553529°E / -35.274023; 138.553529
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Willunga
Adelaide, South Australia
Willunga is located in South Australia
Willunga
Willunga
Coordinates35°16′26″S 138°33′13″E / 35.274023°S 138.553529°E / -35.274023; 138.553529[1]
Population2,445 (SAL 2021)[2]
Established1840
Postcode(s)5172
Time zoneACST (UTC+9:30)
 • Summer (DST)ACST (UTC+10:30)
Location47 km (29 mi) from Adelaide
LGA(s)City of Onkaparinga[1]
RegionSouthern Adelaide[3]
CountyAdelaide[1]
State electorate(s)Mawson[4]
Federal division(s)Mayo
Mean max temp[5] Mean min temp[5] Annual rainfall[5]
19.4 °C
67 °F		 7.5 °C
46 °F		 756.3 mm
29.8 in
Suburbs around Willunga:
Tatachilla McLaren Vale The Range
Whites Valley Willunga Montarra
Pages Flat Willunga South Willunga Hill
FootnotesAdjoining suburbs[1]

Willunga is a town located to the south of Adelaide, South Australia in the City of Onkaparinga (a local government area). It is 47 km by road from the Adelaide city centre and 12 km from the coast at Aldinga Bay. Willunga is within the McLaren Vale wine-growing region. In the 2021 census, Willunga had a population of 3,604.[6]

History

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Historically, Willunga is well known for its slate industry, which began in 1840 when a farmer named Edward Loud found slate on his property and later that year opened the first slate quarry.[7] The name Willunga derives from the Aboriginal word 'willangga' meaning 'the locality of green trees'.[8] Willunga Post Office opened on 14 July 1839.[9] The Old Police Station and Court House stands proudly at 61 High Street, its foundations laid in 1855 using stone quarried nearby. Initially serving as a female immigration depot until 1872, it underwent significant expansions in 1864.[10]

Just across High Street lies the Old Post and Telegraph Station, a historical counterpart to its neighbor. Its original single-story segment, erected in 1857, housed the essential services of the Post Office, Telegraph Station, and the Postmaster's living quarters. A subsequent addition in 1864 expanded its capacity. By 1865, a two-story extension further enhanced its functionality.

In 1916, the building ceased its postal and telegraph operations, eventually finding new ownership in 1935. However, its legacy endured as it underwent meticulous restoration in 1986,[11] preserving its historical significance for future generations.

Commerce

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Being one of South Australia's earliest towns, Willunga is a small country town which attracts many visitors. Businesses in Willunga include coffee shops, eateries, a post office, a general store, three hotels, and one fuel station.

Religion

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There are four churches: Anglican, Roman Catholic, Uniting, and Pentecostal.

Tourism

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The Willunga Golf Course and Bowling Club are located on the northern side of the town. The Coast to Vines Rail Trail skirts the golf course and connects cyclists and walkers to the town of McLaren Vale. The Willunga Basin Trail is a 130 km walking route which passes through the town.[12]

Historic buildings open to the public include the Old Willunga Courthouse and Police Station complex, the Slate Museum, the Bassett Boys Schoolroom and Waverley Park Homestead.[13]

Willunga hosts a stage of the Tour Down Under cycle race every summer which often finishes at the top of Willunga Hill. The town also hosts the Almond Blossom Festival each July and the Fleurieu Folk Festival in October.[14] The Willunga Farmers Market is held every Saturday morning.[15]

Media

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Tribe FM 91.1 is an Australian community radio station which broadcasts from Willunga. It is run by volunteers and services the mid-south coast and surrounding areas.[16][17] The station live streams online and has some additional on-demand programs available on their website.[18] The station won the 2018 SACBA Bilby Award for sports broadcasting. The team responsible for the winning program includes the South Australian parliamentarian, Katrine Hildyard.[19]

Willunga was home to a short-lived publication, printed by Matthew Goode, known as the Willunga Bulletin (1907). A generic medical broadsheet, it was essentially a four-page promotion for the American-based Dr Sheldon's medicines.[20]

Sports

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Willunga has many sporting teams, including a football team (the Demons); a football team for students; a netball club, a basketball club, tennis club and a cricket club. Also, the township has a soccer club, in the NDJSA league.

Railway

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The line from Adelaide reached Willunga on 20 January 1915 operated by South Australian Railways. A station-master was appointed at the station. A 60 feet turntable was installed during construction, but was removed to Marino in 1941–2. The triangle, later in use, was built around 1930. The one train per week freight service, introduced in 1963, was scheduled so that locomotives did not stable at Willunga overnight and consequently, tenders were called for demolition of the employee's barracks and other engine facilities. The line closed in 1969 and a track-removal train dismantled the line in 1972. The corridor is now the Coast to Vines Rail Trail from Hallett Cove to Willunga.

Walking and cycling trails

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The Coast to Vines rail trail finishes at Willunga.

Education

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Willunga has three schools serving the town and local area: Willunga Waldorf Steiner School (K–12),[21] Willunga Primary School and kindergarten,[22] and Willunga High School, which opened on its present site in 1960.

Prior to 1960, tertiary education was provided at the Willunga Higher Primary School for years 8 to 11. It was situated in school buildings at the corner of Main Road and Aldinga road. It closed at the end of 1959 when the new Willunga High School was completed on Main road north of the town.

National Broadband Network deployment

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Willunga was chosen as one of the first five release areas for the National Broadband Network. The town was chosen to demonstrate archetypal FTTH deployment in a regional area with dispersed housing, providing a live test for similar deployments across the future NBN. The construction phase occurred in early 2011 and the first customer service went live on 27 June 2011.[23]

Notable people

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Notable people who are from or who have lived in Willunga include Fanny Elizabeth de Mole, author and illustrator of Wild flowers of South Australia (1861), the first book on wildflowers in the state.

The town is the setting for the 1930 radio play The Clock Strikes Twelve by Max Afford.

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Search results for 'Willunga, LOCB' with the following datasets selected - 'Suburbs and localities', 'Counties', 'Hundreds', 'Local Government Areas', 'SA Government Regions' and 'Gazetteer'". Location SA Map Viewer. South Australian Government. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
  2. ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Willunga (suburb and locality)". Australian Census 2021 QuickStats. Retrieved 28 June 2022. Edit this at Wikidata
  3. ^ "Southern Adelaide SA Government region" (PDF). The Government of South Australia. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
  4. ^ Mawson (Map). Electoral District Boundaries Commission. 2016. Retrieved 2 March 2018.
  5. ^ a b c "Summary (climate) statistics Myponga (nearest weather station)". Commonwealth of Australia, Bureau of Meteorology. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
  6. ^ "2016 Census QuickStats: Willunga". quickstats.censusdata.abs.gov.au. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  7. ^ "Willunga Slate Museum". National Trust. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  8. ^ "Willunga". 8 February 2004.
  9. ^ Premier Postal History. "Post Office List". Premier Postal Auctions. Retrieved 26 May 2011.
  10. ^ "Willunga, SA". Aussie Towns. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
  11. ^ "Willunga, SA". Aussie Towns. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
  12. ^ "Welcome". www.willungabasintrail.org.au. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
  13. ^ "About". National Trust of South Australia (Willunga Branch). Retrieved 11 February 2024.
  14. ^ "Willunga - McLaren Vale & Fleurieu Coast". www.mclarenvaleandfleurieucoast.com.au. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
  15. ^ "Willunga Farmers Market – Open Every Saturday 8am til 12 noon". willungafarmersmarket.com.au. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
  16. ^ "Tribe FM 91.1". Community Broadcasting Association of Australia. Retrieved 13 December 2018.
  17. ^ "Member Stations". sacba.org.au. Retrieved 13 December 2018.
  18. ^ "Home". TribeFM. Retrieved 13 December 2018.
  19. ^ "Bilby Awards 2018". sacba.org.au. Retrieved 14 December 2018.
  20. ^ Laube, Anthony. "LibGuides: SA Newspapers: T-Z". guides.slsa.sa.gov.au. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
  21. ^ Willunga Waldorf Steiner School. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  22. ^ Willunga Primary School. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  23. ^ "NBN First Release Sites". National Broadband Network. NBN Co Limited. Retrieved 27 June 2010.
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