Keith

History

A large granite outcrop outside the town called Mount Monster was a basis for the area's name until it was surveyed in 1884 and officially proclaimed Keith in 1889. It is believed that the town is named after the home town of the Governor of South Australia at the time, Lord Kintore. His home in Aberdeenshire in Scotland was called Keith Hall and he was also known as Earl of Kintore. The post office opened around 1874 as Mount Monster and was renamed Keith in 1904. In 1905 the general store was opened, and in 1907 the education department rented rooms out of the local institute to use as the school. 1910 saw the opening of Keith Hotel and the town's provisional school became a public school in 1912. During the 1940s, the CSIRO found prosperity in the area. With the addition of trace elements, the area became very productive. The AMP Society funded the clearing of land to set up farming establishments. A Land Rover sits atop a pole in a historical landmark in the town. In 1957, the local school was made into an area school to accommodate the influx of students. On 16 March 2000, boundaries were created for the locality of Keith. These align with those of the cadastral unit of the Hundred of Stirling and include the town of Keith.

Most-observed species

• scrub gum

  Eucalyptus fasciculosa F.Muell. · Magnoliopsida
  985
• mallee-box

  Eucalyptus incrassata Labill. · Magnoliopsida
  501
• White Ironbark

  Eucalyptus leucoxylon F.Muell. · Magnoliopsida
  390
• Broom Baeckea

  Hysterobaeckea behrii (Schltdl.) Rye · Magnoliopsida
  388
• South Australian coast mallee

  Eucalyptus diversifolia Bonpl. · Magnoliopsida
  319
• Billardiera cymosa F.Muell.

  Billardiera cymosa F.Muell. · Magnoliopsida
  318
• Australian Magpie

  Gymnorhina tibicen (Latham, 1802) · Aves
  317
• silver banksia

  Banksia marginata Cav. · Magnoliopsida
  309

Most recent

• M 3.4 — 2006-10-01
  83 km NE of Keith, Australia