Clare, South Australia

For other uses, see Clare.
Clare
South Australia

Main North Road, looking north (Note the former town hall on the right side of main street)
Clare
Coordinates 33°50′0″S 138°36′0″E / 33.83333°S 138.60000°E / -33.83333; 138.60000Coordinates: 33°50′0″S 138°36′0″E / 33.83333°S 138.60000°E / -33.83333; 138.60000
Population 3,278 (2011 census)[1] (2011 Census)
Established 1842
Postcode(s) 5453
Elevation 392 m (1,286 ft)
Location
LGA(s) District Council of Clare and Gilbert Valleys
Region Yorke and Mid North [2]
State electorate(s) Frome
Federal Division(s) Wakefield
Localities around Clare:
Benbournie
Bungaree
Stanley Flat
Barinia
Hill Town
Armagh
Boconnoc Park
Blyth
Clare Spring Farm
Hill River
Farrell Flat
Emu Flat
Spring Gully
Kybunga
Gillentown
Sevenhill
Penwortham
Polish Hill River
Mintaro

The town of Clare (postcode 5453) is located in South Australia in the Mid North region, 136 km north of Adelaide. It gives its name to the Clare Valley wine and tourist region.

History

Clare Girls Band 1914

The first European to explore the district was John Hill, who in April 1839 discovered and named the Wakefield River and Hutt River. In early 1840 the first European settlers arrived in the district, led by John Horrocks. The town itself was established in 1842 by Edward Burton Gleeson, and named after his ancestral home of County Clare in Ireland.[3]

The town was first named Inchiquin, which this was later changed. Lake Inchiquin is now the name of a reservoir located to the north of the town, near the golf club.

A railway line was built from Riverton to Clare in 1919 and on to Spalding in 1922. It closed in 1974 and the tracks were removed in the 1980s after damage caused by the Ash Wednesday fires of 1983. The alignment now carries the Riesling Trail walking and cycling trail.

The layout of the town's road system was apparently designed by a draughtsman in Adelaide, without any knowledge of the local geography. There are several roads in Clare that end abruptly at a cliff face, only to continue again at the top of the cliff.

The town today

Bentley Hotel, Clare

As one of the larger towns in the region, Clare is an administrative and service centre for the surrounding area. It has two supermarkets, many other specialty stores, two public and two private schools, three hotels, two motels, a caravan park and showground.

Clare has become recognised for its 'experiences', including the Riesling Trail walking and cycling route from 9 km north of Clare to Auburn (25 km), on the former railway alignment, so named as it weaves past vinyards and wineries, and continuing to Riverton as the Rattler Trail. The Clare Valley wine region continues within the same line of hills as the famous Barossa Valley, and also produces some excellent wine.

Governance

Clare is governed at the local level by the District Council of Clare and Gilbert Valleys. Clare lies in the state electoral district of Frome and the federal electoral division of Division of Wakefield.

Geography/climate

Climate data for Clare
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) 30.3
(86.5)
29.9
(85.8)
25.9
(78.6)
21.6
(70.9)
17.1
(62.8)
13.5
(56.3)
12.8
(55)
14.2
(57.6)
17.3
(63.1)
20.4
(68.7)
24.9
(76.8)
27.3
(81.1)
21.3
(70.3)
Average low °C (°F) 14.7
(58.5)
15.0
(59)
12.0
(53.6)
8.9
(48)
6.3
(43.3)
4.9
(40.8)
4.0
(39.2)
4.4
(39.9)
6.1
(43)
7.8
(46)
10.9
(51.6)
12.4
(54.3)
9.0
(48.2)
Average rainfall mm (inches) 18.3
(0.72)
23.5
(0.925)
27.3
(1.075)
32.8
(1.291)
51.3
(2.02)
65.7
(2.587)
66.1
(2.602)
64.7
(2.547)
59.1
(2.327)
50.2
(1.976)
38.5
(1.516)
37.4
(1.472)
534.9
(21.058)
Average precipitation days 2.6 2.5 3.0 4.4 6.8 9.8 11.1 10.4 7.7 5.9 5.1 4.0 73.3
Source: Bureau of Meteorology[4]

Notable residents

See also

References

  1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Clare (State Suburb)". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
  2. "Yorke and Mid North SA Government region" (PDF). The Government of South Australia. Retrieved 10 October 2014.
  3. Rodney Cockburn (1984) [1908]. What's in a name? Nomenclature of South Australia. Fergusson Publications.
  4. "CLARE HIGH SCHOOL". Climate statistics for Australian locations. Bureau of Meteorology. July 2013. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
  5. Condon, Brian. Adey, William James (1874–1956). Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University.
  6. Tamblyn, M. Bell, Peter Albany (1871–1957). Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University.
  7. Dissel, Dirk Van. Hawker, Charles Allan (1894–1938). Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/25/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.