Cowell

History

When settlers commenced farming the area in 1853, Franklin Harbour became a logical place to load ships for export of wheat and wool and a small settlement was soon established. The town was surveyed during July 1880 and was proclaimed on 28 October 1880. It was named after John Clayton Cowell who was a British soldier who served as the Governor of Windsor Castle. The locality's boundaries were gazetted on 23 December 1998 and include the Government Town of Cowell and the site of the ceased Government Town of Ferns, and the unbounded localities of Yabmana and Elbow Hill.

Geography

The township of Cowell lies on Franklin Harbour, a naturally a land-locked bay with a narrow entrance through which the tide rushes in and out. This results in calm waters inside the harbour, with much of the bay being dominated by shallow tidal mud flats and associated mangrove ecosystems. Due to the velocity of the tide through the harbour's entrance, the waters of the bay are constantly filled with clay and silt particles that are kept in suspension by the moving water. There are very few sandy beaches lining the harbour due to this fact. The Franklin Harbor Conservation Park is established on the southern arm of the harbour and Entrance Island. The waters of Franklin Harbour lie within the outer boundary of the Franklin Harbor Marine Park. Fishing is permitted within the park, but is prohibited within several internal sanctuary zones. The park extends into Spencer Gulf and northward past Lucky Bay to Port Gibbon. Inland, the landscape is dominated by agricultural land, as well as areas of untouched vegetation on the coastal margins. The Minbrie Ranges can be found further inland.

Most-observed species

• Singing Honeyeater

  Gavicalis virescens (Vieillot, 1817) · Aves
  306
• Welcome Swallow

  Hirundo neoxena Gould, 1842 · Aves
  281
• Silver Gull

  Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae (Stephens, 1826) · Aves
  273
• European Starling

  Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  245
• Australian Kestrel

  Falco cenchroides Vigors & Horsfield, 1827 · Aves
  241
• House Sparrow

  Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  218
• Magpie-lark

  Grallina cyanoleuca (Latham, 1802) · Aves
  217
• Willie-wagtail

  Rhipidura leucophrys (Latham, 1802) · Aves
  210

Most recent

• M 4.2 — 2018-11-21
  47 km N of Cowell, Australia
• M 3.9 — 2018-07-01
  15 km WNW of Cowell, Australia
• M 4.7 — 2010-06-05
  23 km NW of Cowell, Australia
• M 3.4 — 2006-07-17
  55 km S of Cowell, Australia
• M 2.8 — 2002-11-08
  33 km N of Tumby Bay, Australia