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Echunga, South Australia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Echunga South Australia |
|
| Population: | 500 |
| Established: | 1839 |
| Postcode: | 5153 |
| Location: | |
| LGA: | District Council of Mount Barker |
| State District: | Electoral district of Heysen |
| Federal Division: | Division of Mayo |
Echunga is a small town in the Adelaide Hills located 34 km south-east of Adelaide in South Australia.
The area was initially settled in 1839, with the town laid out in 1849. Gold was discovered in 1852 and Echunga became the first proclaimed gold field in South Australia. This led to a gold rush, however it did not last long with the diggings exhausted and all but abandoned within a year. Subsequent discoveries in 1853 and 1854 led to smaller and equally short-lived rushes. In 1868 more gold was discovered at nearby Jupiter Creek, which proved to be a much larger and long-lived field. [1]
The town reputedly takes its name from an Aboriginal word 'eechungga' which may mean either 'a short distance' or 'close by'. For a brief time Echunga prospered and it has been estimated that at its peak it had grown to a population in excess of 1200. Today Echunga is a sleepy little town [2].
Major Townships: Birdwood | Echunga | Gumeracha | Hahndorf | Littlehampton | Lobethal | Macclesfield | Meadows | Mount Barker | Nairne | Oakbank | Stirling | Woodside
Attractions: Mount Lofty Botanic Garden | SteamRanger | Heysen Trail
See Also: List of towns in the Adelaide Hills | Wine regions of South Australia | Adelaide