Freeling, South Australia

Freeling is a small town in South Australia, about 60 km north of Adelaide. It neighbours the Barossa Valley wine region. At the 2016 census, Freeling had a population of 2,214.[1]

Freeling
South Australia
The hotel in Freeling, used as a set in McLeod's Daughters
Freeling
Coordinates34°27′0″S 138°48′0″E
Population2,214 (2016 census)[1]
Established1860
Postcode(s)5372
Elevation197 m (646 ft)
Location60 km (37 mi) from Adelaide, South Australia
LGA(s)Light Regional Council
State electorate(s)Light
Federal Division(s)Barker
Mean max temp Mean min temp Annual rainfall
48.6 °C
119 °F
-3.4 °C
26 °F
449 mm
17.7 in
Localities around Freeling:
Morn Hill Linwood Fords
Templers Freeling Nain
Roseworthy Shea-Oak Log Daveyston

Description

Freeling is in the Light Regional Council, the state electoral district of Schubert and the federal Division of Barker.

History

The township of Freeling was surveyed in March 1860 by Robert Stephenson. It was named after Major-General Sir Arthur Henry Freeling, Surveyor-General of South Australia from 1849-61.[2] Freeling was a stopping place on the Gawler to Kapunda railway, which opened in 1860 but is no longer used. The Freeling Hotel was founded in 1863, the Railway Hotel in 1867 and the St Petri Lutheran Church (now a private home) in 1871. By 1866, Freeling’s population numbered approximately 60.

Local economy

The main source of income for the town is its extensive farming land, where mainly cereal crops are grown. It is regarded as some of the best farming land in Australia, with the University of Adelaide's Roseworthy Campus, (Roseworthy, South Australia) situated nearby. The long-term rainfall average for Freeling is 475mm/Yr, this enables wheat crops of up to 5-6T/Ha to be grown as well as large tonnages of cereal hay, with thousands of acres of hay being harvested each year. A factory making farming implement blades and parts, has also been situated at Freeling for many years.[3]

A major tourist attraction for the town and surrounding area is a popular Australian Drama television series, McLeod's Daughters. The town had many sets used on the show, including the Gungellan Hotel (previously the Railway Hotel), truckstop and showgrounds.

References

  1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Freeling". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 2 January 2018.
  2. Biography of Arthur Freeling in Australian Dictionary of Biography online, accessed 5 October 2007.
  3. "About Us: AgPoint". AgPoint Australia. Retrieved 29 June 2015.

Further reading

  • Kuhlmann, Thelma & Bockmann, Owen. Horses, Harrows and Haystacks: Freeling Through the Years 1860-1980. Adelaide: Freeling Women's Agricultural Bureau, 1981. ISBN 0-9595629-4-X
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