District Council of Strathalbyn

The District Council of Strathalbyn was a local government area in South Australia centred on the town of Strathalbyn from 1854 until 1997. From 1868 the township itself was locally governed by the Corporation of Strathalbyn but that entity was amalgamated back into the district council in 1976.

District Council of Strathalbyn South Australia
District Council of Strathalbyn
Coordinates	35.2588°S 138.8898°E / -35.2588; 138.8898
Established	7 May 1854
Abolished	1 July 1997
Area	850 km2 (210,000 acres)[1]
Council seat	Strathalbyn
LGAs around District Council of Strathalbyn: Macclesfield Mount Barker Onaunga Nairne Monarto Onaunga Kondoparinga Strathalbyn Monarto Bremer Kondoparinga Bremer Bremer Bremer

History

The District Council of Strathalbyn was proclaimed on 7 May 1854^[2][3][1] with the council area including most of the Hundred of Strathalbyn, the township being at the district's south-westernern extremity. Strathalbyn founder and parliamentarian John Rankine was named as one of the inaugural councillors along with Edward Sterling, Frederick William Bassett, William Colman and Archibald McLean (son of Strathalbyn pioneer Donald McLean).

On 23 May 1861 a significant northeastern portion of the council area was excised and joined to parts of neighbouring councils to form the new District Council of Onaunga seated at Woodchester.

In 1868 the Corporation of Strathalbyn seceded from the district council to locally govern the township as a separated entity.^[4]

On 21 March 1935 Strathalbyn became much larger when it absorbed most of the District Council of Bremer, most of District Council of Onaunga and portions of the District Council of Brinkley and District Council of Kondoparinga by enactment of the Local Government Areas (Re-arrangement) Acts 1929 and 1931. By 1936 the council area was reported as being 210,000 acres (85,000 ha) in size while the Strathalbyn township area (separately governed enclave at the time) was reported as being 750 acres (300 ha).^[1]

On 22 April 1976 the corporation was amalgamated back into the District Council of Strathalbyn.^[4]

In 1997 Strathalbyn amalgamated with the District Council of Port Elliot and Goolwa and District Council of Willunga to form the new Alexandrina Council.

References

1. Hosking, P.; Universal Publicity Company (1936), The Official civic record of South Australia : centenary year, 1936, Universal Publicity Company, pp. 201–203, retrieved 30 January 2019
2. "DISTRICT OF STRATHALBYN" (PDF). South Australian Government Gazette. 1854 (19 ed.). Government of South Australia: 352. 7 May 1854. Retrieved 30 January 2019. [...] I do hereby define the boundaries of such district to be as follows, that is to say-Such district commencing at the point of intersection of the Hundreds of Kondoparinga, Strathalbyn, and Macclesfield; thence north-westerly by the boundary of the District of Kondoparinga to its intersection with the District of Macclesfield at its south-west corner; thence north-east and north by the said boundary; thence north and east by that of Mount Barker to the Mount Barker Creek; thence by the Mount Barker Creek and the River Bremer, to the road crossing the said River between sections 3551, 3555, 3550, and 3556; thence by the said road to its continuation westerly through Strathalbyn to the point of commencement: And I do hereby appoint Messrs. John Rankine, Edward Sterling, Frederick William Bassett, William Colman, and Archibald McLean to be the first District Councillors for the said District [...]
3. Marsden, Susan (2012), A History of South Australian Councils to 1936 (PDF), Local Government Association of South Australia
4. Matthews, Penny (1986), South Australia, the civic record, 1836–1986, Wakefield Press, p. 562, ISBN 978-0-949268-82-2