Laura, South Australia

Laura is a rural town in the Mid North region of South Australia, 12 km north of Gladstone on the Horrocks Highway and 40 km east of Port Pirie. The first European to explore the district was Thomas Burr in September 1842. His promising reports soon led to occupation of the district by pastoralists, one of whom was Herbert Bristow Hughes (c. 1821 – 18 May 1892). When the present town was surveyed he named it for his wife, Laura née White (c. 1829 – 5 January 1909).^[5]

Laura South Australia
Laura
Coordinates	33°11′12″S 138°18′01″E[1]
Population	522 (UCL 2021)[2]
Established	December 1871 (town), April 2001 (locality)[1]
Postcode(s)	5480
Elevation	248 m (814 ft)(former railway station)[3]
Time zone	ACST (UTC+9:30)
• Summer (DST)	ACDT (UTC+10:30)
Location	12 km (7 mi) north of Gladstone 40 km (25 mi) E of Port Pirie
LGA(s)	Northern Areas Council
Region	Yorke and Mid North[4]
County	Victoria[1]
State electorate(s)	Stuart
Federal division(s)	Grey
Localities around Laura: Beetaloo Valley Stone Hut Caltowie West Beetaloo Valley Laura Caltowie West Gladstone Beetaloo Valley Gladstone Gladstone
Footnotes	Adjoining localities[1]

Laura is administered by the Northern Areas Council, and is in the state electoral district of Stuart and the federal Division of Grey. It was formerly the council seat of the Corporate Town of Laura (1882–1932) and the District Council of Laura (1932–1988), as well as the District Council of Booyoolie (1876–1932), which covered the area surrounding the township.

The Laura Community Development and Tourism Association Incorporated liaises with the Northern Areas Council in preserving the amenity of the rural centre, with the support of many volunteers in community projects. The LCDTA's major project is operating the community-owned Laura Caravan Park. Profits from the caravan park operations are then used for improvements in the township.

The Spiny Daisy (Acanthocladium dockeri) was rediscovered in 1999 near Laura. The species, which was last seen in the South Australian Riverland in 1910, was found along a roadside.^[6]

Attractions

Laura is famous as the home of Golden North ice cream which has been manufactured in the town since 1923 (the factory being the biggest employer in the district)^[7]

The Laura Fair is held over two days annually on the first weekend of April. Initiated by Dick Biles of the Rocky River Historic and Art Society,^{[citation needed]} and wholly volunteer driven, it has been held every year since, apart from the COVID years. Laura is a vibrant, artistic rural community with a population of approximately 650, situated beside the Rocky River and amongst the rolling hills of the Southern Flinders Ranges.^[8]

The Laura Markets are a fundraising event held on the first Saturday of March, May, July, September, November & December at the Laura Memorial Civic Centre.

The Wilmington railway line was built from Gladstone railway station to Laura in 1884.^[9] It was extended from Laura in 1910 to Booleroo Centre,^[10] and finally to Wilmington in 1915.^[11] Passenger services ended in 1969, and it was formally closed in 1990.

The former Laura Courthouse in Hughes Street is listed on the South Australian Heritage Register.^[12]

Media

Between 1889 and 1948, Laura had its own newspaper, the Standard. Its first iteration, Laura Standard (subtitled: and Beetaloo, Wirrabara, Melrose, Booleroo Centre and Yarrowie Advertiser) ran from 1889. In 1917 it merged with Crystal Brook Times to form Laura Standard and Crystal Brook Courier.^[13] In 1948, this newspaper then merged with Areas' Express and Agriculturist and Review to form Northern Review (later becoming The Flinders News).

Notable residents

• C. J. Dennis (1876–1938), poet and writer^[7]
• Gordon Jackett (1887–1951), politician
• Brenton Miels (1948–1997), Australian Rules footballer

References

1. "Search results for 'Laura, LOCB' with the following datasets selected – 'Suburbs and localities', 'Counties', "Government Towns', 'Local Government Areas', 'SA Government Regions' and 'Gazetteer'". Location SA Map Viewer. Government of South Australia. Retrieved 30 October 2022.
2. Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Laura (urban centre and locality)". Australian Census 2021. 
3. "Search results for 'Laura Railway Station, RSTA' with the following datasets selected – 'Suburbs and localities', 'Government Towns', 'Gazetteer' and 'Railways'". Location SA Map Viewer. Government of South Australia. Retrieved 30 October 2022.
4. "Yorke and Mid North SA Government region" (PDF). Government of South Australia. Retrieved 10 October 2014.
5. "Memories of Laura". The Advertiser. Adelaide. 22 June 1932. p. 8. Retrieved 26 December 2013 – via National Library of Australia.
6. "Spiny Daisy Fact Sheet". Retrieved 27 January 2018.
7. UBD street directory Gregory's South Australia and Northern Territory., Universal Business Directories Pty. Ltd., Universal Publishers, 2013, ISBN 978-0-7319-2696-1, OCLC 829213142{{citation}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
8. "The Laura Fair Website". Laura Fair Committee.
9. "Gladstone and Laura Railway". Adelaide Observer. Vol. XLI, no. 2227. South Australia. 7 June 1884. p. 33. Retrieved 27 February 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
10. "Laura–Booleroo Centre Railway". The Mount Barker Courier and Onkaparinga and Gumeracha Advertiser. Vol. 30, no. 1539. South Australia. 15 April 1910. p. 2. Retrieved 27 February 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
11. "A New Railway". The Advertiser. Vol. LVIII, no. 17, 712. South Australia. 22 July 1915. p. 10. Retrieved 27 February 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
12. "Art Gallery (former Laura Courthouse)". South Australian Heritage Register. Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources. Archived from the original on 1 March 2016. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
13. "Laura Standard and Crystal Brook Courier (SA : 1917–1948)". Retrieved 27 February 2018 – via Trove.