Mindarie, South Australia

Mindarie is a small town in the Murray Mallee of South Australia between Karoonda and Loxton. The town was gazetted in 1912. The name Mindarie is believed to originate from the Dieri Aboriginal language, and possibly means "festival to invoke peace".^{[citation needed]}

Mindarie South Australia
Mindarie
Coordinates	34°48′56″S 140°13′00″E[1]
Population	38 (2016 census)[2]
Established	25 June 1914 (town) 11 November 1999 (locality)[3][1][4]
Postcode(s)	5309[5]
Time zone	ACST (UTC+9:30)
• Summer (DST)	ACDT (UTC+10:30)
Location	148 km (92 mi) E of Adelaide 45 km (28 mi) NE of Karoonda
LGA(s)	District Council of Karoonda East Murray
State electorate(s)	Hammond[6]
Federal division(s)	Barker[7]
Mean max temp[8] Mean min temp[8] Annual rainfall[8] 23.6 °C 74 °F 8.7 °C 48 °F 271.1 mm 10.7 in
Localities around Mindarie: Mercunda Mantung Caliph Caliph Mercunda Copeville Mindarie Wanbi Copeville Halidon Wanbi
Footnotes	Adjoining localities[1]

Mindarie was a stop on the Barmera railway line which opened in 1912. Mindarie is no longer a stop on what is now the Loxton railway line.^{[citation needed]}

Mindarie school was founded in 1916, initially being taught in the town institute hall.^[9] The school received its own building in 1929.^[10] The Mindarie school has been replaced by East Murray Area School^[11] which is located about 10 km northwest of Mindarie. It educates about 50 students from Reception to Year 12 in an isolated location.^[12]

Mindarie is home to the Murray Zircon heavy mineral sands mine.^[13] The mine is Chinese owned and operated, with a 120 room mine camp located beside the Karoonda Highway, with a large disused separation plant located nearby and also visible from Karoonda Highway. The mining operation is now approximately 25k east at Galga, but know at Mercunda Mindarie Mine which was developed in late 2023 and went into full production of HMC in 2024. The mine employs around 100 direct employees and 60 contractors at the mine.

Together with nearby Halidon, it hosts the Mindarie-Halidon Races in September each year, which is known as the Melbourne Cup of the Mallee.^[14]

The August 2016 Australian census reported that Mindarie had a population of 38.^[2]

References

1. "Search results for 'Mindarie, LOCB' with the following datasets being selected – 'Suburbs and Localities', 'Government Towns', 'Counties', 'Local Government Areas', 'SA Government Regions' and 'Gazetteer'". Location SA Map Viewer. Government of South Australia. Retrieved 7 May 2018.
2. Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Mindarie". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 7 May 2018.
3. Bice, John G. (25 June 1914). "TOWN OF MINDARIE" (PDF). The South Australian Government Gazette. South Australian Government. p. 1360. Retrieved 7 May 2018.
4. Kentish, P.M. (11 November 1999). "GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES ACT 1991 Notice to Assign Boundaries to Places (in the District Council of Karoonda East Murray)" (PDF). The South Australian Government Gazette. South Australian Government. p. 2321. Retrieved 5 May 2018.
5. "Postcode for Mindarie, South Australia". Postcodes Australia. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
6. "District of Hammond (map)". Electoral Commission SA. Retrieved 4 May 2018.
7. "Federal electoral division of Barker, boundary gazetted 16 December 2011" (PDF). Australian Electoral Commission. Retrieved 17 September 2015.
8. "Summary (climate) statistics CALIPH (nearest weather station)". Commonwealth of Australia, Bureau of Meteorology. Retrieved 7 May 2018.
9. "MINDARIE SCHOOL". The Advertiser. Adelaide. 15 June 1929. p. 15. Retrieved 30 June 2014 – via National Library of Australia.
10. "THE MINDARIE SCHOOL". Murray Pioneer and Australian River Record. Renmark, SA. 21 June 1929. p. 4. Retrieved 30 June 2014 – via National Library of Australia.
11. "East Murray Area School". Government of South Australia. Archived from the original on 2 July 2014. Retrieved 30 June 2014.
12. "East Murray Area School, Mindarie this school closed around 2018 and was listed for sale in 2023". TeachWeb. Retrieved 30 June 2014.
13. Mines & Developing Projects / Approved Mines / Mindarie
14. "Mindarie – Halidon". Archived from the original on 26 October 2011. Retrieved 24 October 2011.

External links

• Place Names Search: MINDARIE