Gumeracha

History

The original inhabitants of the area were the Peramangk people, and the name "Gumeracha" derives from an Aboriginal word meaning "fine waterhole". The area was one of the earliest settled by Europeans in South Australia. First to explore the district were Dr George Imlay and John Hill, on 24 January 1838. In 1839, the South Australia Company took up a parcel of land, on which the settlements of Gumeracha, Kenton Valley and Forreston developed. The company established a district headquarters and opened it up for sheep grazing. In 1841, The South Australian Company built a home, known as "Ludlow House", for the first manager of the station known as "Timnath", William Beavis Randell. The company also built a flour mill in the 1840s. The estate housed his large family, his workforce and their families. In 1846, Randell donated land and funds for a church, and the Salem Baptist Church was built – the oldest Baptist church still in use in South Australia. The surrounding area, meanwhile, had become an agricultural centre, and the Gumeracha Farmers' Society held annual shows. In 1853, the District Council of Talunga was established to administer the Hundred of Talunga, including in large part the early Adelaide Hills pioneering community that would become Gumeracha. In 1855, Randell allocated land for a township and by 1860 the town was laid out. Most of the buildings in use at that time still stand. William Beavis Randell's son, William Richard Randell, built the first Murray River paddlesteamer in Gumeracha in 1852. In 1935, the District Council of Gumeracha replaced Talunga Council to administer a broader area around the town, centred at Gumeracha, the main point of population in that part of the Adelaide Hills.

Geography

Gumeracha is located between Inglewood and Birdwood along the Adelaide-Mannum Road, and north of Lobethal along the Gumeracha-Lobethal Road. At the 2021 Australian census, Gumeracha had a population of 721 people.

Most-observed species

• Australian Magpie

  Gymnorhina tibicen (Latham, 1802) · Aves
  3,105
• Crimson Rosella

  Platycercus elegans (Gmelin, 1788) · Aves
  2,848
• Rainbow Lorikeet

  Trichoglossus haematodus (Linnaeus, 1771) · Aves
  2,523
• New Holland Honeyeater

  Phylidonyris novaehollandiae (Latham, 1790) · Aves
  2,491
• Superb Fairywren

  Malurus cyaneus (Ellis, 1782) · Aves
  2,436
• Red Wattlebird

  Anthochaera carunculata (Shaw, 1790) · Aves
  2,162
• Galah

  Eolophus roseicapilla (Vieillot, 1817) · Aves
  1,978
• Little Raven

  Corvus mellori Mathews, 1912 · Aves
  1,878

Most recent

• M 3 — 2022-03-29
  3 km ESE of Macclesfield, Australia
• M 4 — 2022-03-05
  3 km SW of Mount Barker, Australia
• M 3.2 — 2018-08-08
  11 km WNW of Mannum, Australia
• M 3.9 — 2017-02-01
  9 km NW of Murray Bridge, Australia
• M 3.3 — 2011-10-18
  3 km ESE of Hawthorndene, Australia
• M 3.8 — 2010-04-16
  2 km N of Macclesfield, Australia