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| A handsome
19th-century store at the entrance to
Eudunda |
Eudunda
Quiet rural village famous as the birthplace
of Colin Thiele
Eudunda is a town with plenty of charm and
historic interest. What sustains the township is
the attractive main street with its interesting
historic buildings and vine-draped verandahs.
Eudunda is located 115 km from Adelaide and is
situated 416 metres above sea level. Its average
annual rainfall of 460 mm indicates that this is
land which is extremely vulnerable to droughts.
Eudunda has been somewhat reinvigorated in
recent years by means of some energetic
marketing, new economic ventures in town, and
the connection of Gunn St with Bruce St, thus
creating a continuous shopping precinct.
Eudunda's was the birthplace of
highly-regarded educationalist Colin Thiele who
achieved a degree of fame with his hugely
successful children's books, 'Storm Boy' and
'Blue Fin', both of which were adapted to film.
Thiele's presence is subtly suggested by the
silhouette of one of his characters, 'Gustav',
over each entrance to the town. Accompanying
'Gustav' is a kelpie dog, evoking the town's
rural heritage. A statue of Thiele can also be
found in Centenary Gardens.
The first Europeans in the area were those
travelling to the Adelaide markets from western
NSW via the Murray flats. The Eudundacowie
springs, to the west of the town, were used by
these men to water their stock. The name is
obviously a local Aboriginal term, said to mean
'water out of the ground'.
Eudunda township was established in 1870
after settlers began moving into the area
throughout the 1860s. The founder of Eudunda was
John Henry Hannan who owned the land which was
surveyed and divided for sale. At this time
cattle and horses were being moved to South
Australia from western Queensland and the town
became a popular watering hole for the herds and
the drovers who had travelled down Cooper Creek.
Their ultimate destination was Kapunda which, at
the time, was a township effectively owned by
Sir Sidney Kidman. At one point 3000 horses were
sold in Kapunda in an auction which lasted for a
week. All of the horses were the property of
Kidman and many of them had been brought to the
town from his property holdings in western NSW,
South Australia and western Queensland.
For many South Australians the town is known
as the home of the state's first farming
co-operative. At its height the Eudunda Farmers
Co-operative Society Ltd had 62 branches. It is
now part of the IGA group of supermarkets. The
co-op started in the 1890s when a group of
German farmers met at Manns Hotel and decided
that they should work together. The idea was
that the co-operative could transport and sell
timber and could collectively buy goods with the
profits. Thus the local storekeepers, who were
prone to charging large interest rates, could be
by-passed.
Things to see:
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| Statue of
Colin Thiele and the pelican from 'Storm
Boy' |
Colin Thiele Statue
Eudunda's was the birthplace of highly-regarded
educationalist Colin Thiele who achieved a
degree of fame with his hugely successful
children's books, 'Storm Boy' and 'Blue Fin',
both of which were adapted to film. Thiele's
presence is subtly suggested by the silhouette
of one of his characters, 'Gustav', over each
entrance to the town.
A statue of Colin Thiele is located in the
park on Kapunda Street which is just south of
the town's main street, Bruce Street. Thiele,
who came from German stock, wrote of the local
area: 'It was basically rural - farm and
township, fallow and stubble, week-day and
Sunday. But in being that it was much more. It
was yabby creek and red gum hillock, candlelight
and oven bread, mealtime grace and family Bible,
Christening font and graveside coffin. It was
ice on puddles and the fluffing of summer dust
through barefoot toes; it was frost to the
horizon and frogs in the flooded cellar and,
literally, possums in the kitchen.' Thiele was
born in 1920 and actually unveiled his own
statue in 1995.
The Eudunda Emporium and Trading Post
Located at 2 Gunn St, the Emporium is housed
within a former general store which was also
used, c.1876, as the base for a local midwife
and, at one time, as an hostel. The upper storey
was added at a later date. It is now operating
as an antique store, tel: (08) 8581 1333.
Family Heritage Gallery
The Family Heritage Gallery is a large complex,
which incorporates an old renovated cottage,
displaying material relating to the history of
the town and some of the townsfolk. A
considerable amount of effort has gone into
providing particular information on the
exhibits, such as what the items were used for
and by whom. Displays include old doctor's beds
with inbuilt stirrups for delivering babies,
furniture, clothing from the late 19th and early
20th century, farm equipment etc. The shop
section includes books by Colin Thiele, local
history books and family histories. The Gallery
is located at 19 Bruce St and is open Friday to
Sunday from 10.00 a.m. to 4.00 p.m. and at other
times by prior arrangement, tel: (08) 8581 1218
or (08) 8581 1359. The entry fee is a gold coin
donation.
The Eudunda Toy Soldier Museum
Eudunda also boasts a privately-owned toy
soldier collection, dating from the period
1950-1970. As the owners work during the week
the collection is best viewed by prior
arrangement, although it is open periodically on
Fridays and Saturdays. It is located at 2 Bruce
St, tel: (08) 8581 1820. If calling during the
week ring after 6.00 p.m. Entry is $2.50 for
adults and $1.00 for pensioners and those aged
under 12.
Old Immanuel College and Manse
Old Immanuel college, manse and church are
located to the north of Eudunda at Point Pass.
They are all fine Edwardian buildings which were
originally part of the first Lutheran tertiary
institution in Australia. Today they offer
'home-style' accommodation and it is possible to
book for the night by contacting (08) 8581 1552.
