Olary, South Australia

Olary is a town and locality on the Barrier Highway in South Australia.^[1] It is situated near Olary Creek and is one of the easternmost settlements in South Australia. The name "Olary" was first given to a nearby well or waterhole by pastoralists Duffield, Harrold and Hurd.^[10]

Olary South Australia
Olary Hotel
Olary
Coordinates	32°16′51″S 140°19′35″E[1]
Population	4 (SAL 2016)[2][3]
Established	1 December 1887 (town) 23 October 2003 (locality)[4][5]
Postcode(s)	5440[6]
Elevation	285 m (935 ft)[citation needed]
Time zone	ACST (UTC+9:30)
• Summer (DST)	ACST (UTC+10:30)
Location	335 km (208 mi) NNE of Adelaide[6] 110 km (68 mi) SW of Broken Hill[citation needed]
LGA(s)	Pastoral Unincorporated Area[1]
Region	Far North[1]
State electorate(s)	Stuart[7]
Federal division(s)	Grey[8]
Mean max temp[9] Mean min temp[9] Annual rainfall[9] 24.7 °C 76 °F 9.5 °C 49 °F 202.5 mm 8 in
Localities around Olary: Outalpa Abminga Station Abminga Station Outalpa Olary Abminga Station Wiawera Wiawera Wiawera Wiawera
Footnotes	Adjoining localities[1]

Description and history

This small settlement was established in the late 1880s to service the highway and the railway which pass through here. O'Lary Post Office opened on 12 October 1886, was renamed Oolarie around 1888 and Olary around 1896.^[11] After the modernisation of transport which travelled between Adelaide and Broken Hill the village population declined. However it still has a hotel and general store to cater for the transient road and railway workers and travellers.^[12]

The Flinders-Olary NatureLink includes the mountainous Flinders and Olary Ranges together with the connecting plains country to cover 6% of the South Australian state.^[13]

In 2010 the historic Bimbowrie Cobb and Co coach house near Olary became the scene of a traditional restoration operation with almost 20 tradespeople attending a five-day training course in stonemasonry restoration techniques. Low-security prisoners from the Port Augusta Prison were among those who assisted with the project.^[14]

The nearby Mount Victoria Well & Whim Historic Site is listed on the South Australian Heritage Register.^[15]

Governance

Olary is located within the federal division of Grey, the state electoral district of Stuart and the Pastoral Unincorporated Area of South Australia.^[8][7][1] As of 2019, the community within Olary received municipal services from a South Australian government agency, the Outback Communities Authority.^[16]

See also

• List of cities and towns in South Australia

References

1. "Search results for 'Olary, 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 15 April 2019.
2. Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Olary (suburb and locality)". Australian Census 2016. 
3. Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Olary (suburb and locality)". Australian Census 2016 QuickStats. Retrieved 28 June 2022. 
4. Ramsay, J.G. (1 December 1887). "Untitled proclamation re the "Town of Olary"" (PDF). The South Australian Government Gazette. Government of South Australia. p. 1054. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
5. Weatherill, Jay (23 October 2003). "GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES ACT 1991 Notice to Assign Names and Boundaries to Places" (PDF). The South Australian Government Gazette. Government of South AustralIA. p. 3859. Retrieved 14 April 2019. Assign the names YUNTA, BLINMAN, BOOKABIE, GLENDAMBO, YALATA, KINGOONYA, OLARY, INNAMINCKA, and MANNA HILL, to those areas Out of Councils and shown numbered 1 to 9 on Rack Plan 857 (Sheet 3)
6. "Postcode for Olary, South Australia". Postcodes Australia. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
7. "District of Stuart Background Profile (2014-2018 boundaries)". Electoral Commission SA. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
8. "Federal electoral division of Grey" (PDF). Australian Electoral Commission. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
9. "Monthly climate statistics: Summary statistics YUNTA (nearest weather station)". Commonwealth of Australia, Bureau of Meteorology. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
10. "Names of Railway Stations". The Register (Adelaide, SA : 1901 – 1929). Adelaide, SA: National Library of Australia. 24 March 1915. p. 4. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
11. Premier Postal History. "Post Office List". Premier Postal Auctions. Retrieved 26 May 2011.
12. Reader's Digest Illustrated Guide to Australian Places. Sydney, NSW: Reader's Digest. 1993. p. 526. ISBN 0-86438-399-1.
13. "Flinders-Olary NatureLink". Nature Links. Department for Environment and Heritage. Retrieved 22 May 2011.
14. "Historic building rekindles stonemasonry skills". Australia: ABC News. Retrieved 22 May 2011.
15. "Mount Victoria Well & Whim Historic Site, including boiler, tank, trough and wind pump, Plumbago Station". South Australian Heritage Register. Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources. Retrieved 12 February 2016.
16. "Olary". Outback Communities Authority. Retrieved 15 April 2019.

External links

Media related to Olary, South Australia at Wikimedia Commons