Kingston SE

History

Aboriginal Australian people lived in the area for tens of thousands of years before the colonisation of South Australia. The place, known to the Tanganekald and Meintangk peoples as Tangalun, was at the border of the traditional lands of these two peoples. Kingston, South Australia was established in the 1800s by Archibald Cooke, his brother James Cooke, and James' wife Mary Macpherson Cooke, The extension on its name is to distinguish Kingston in the South East (of South Australia) from another "Kingston" in the state which is now officially named "Kingston on Murray". The extension was added in July 1940. The present-day town of Kingston SE includes the original Kingston, as well as the towns of Port Caroline and Maria Creek. The latter was so named after the Maria, which wrecked near Kingston in 1840. The 26 survivors were massacred by local Aboriginal people, after which a punitive expedition under Major O'Halloran hanged two Aboriginal people, and an unknown number of others were also killed, according to Aboriginal oral history.

Most-observed species

• New Holland Honeyeater

  Phylidonyris novaehollandiae (Latham, 1790) · Aves
  363
• Superb Fairywren

  Malurus cyaneus (Ellis, 1782) · Aves
  361
• Red Wattlebird

  Anthochaera carunculata (Shaw, 1790) · Aves
  356
• Australian Magpie

  Gymnorhina tibicen (Latham, 1802) · Aves
  330
• Gray Fantail

  Rhipidura albiscapa Gould, 1840 · Aves
  316
• Silver-eye

  Zosterops lateralis (Latham, 1802) · Aves
  288
• Brown Thornbill

  Acanthiza pusilla (Shaw, 1790) · Aves
  272
• Gray Shrikethrush

  Colluricincla harmonica (Latham, 1802) · Aves
  259