Poochera, South Australia

Poochera is a small grain belt town 60 km north-west of Streaky Bay on the Eyre Peninsula, South Australia.

Poochera
South Australia
Poochera
Coordinates32°43′17″S 134°50′16″E[1]
Population59 (2016 census)[2]
Established23 September 1920 (town)
12 April 2001 (locality)[3][4]
Postcode(s)5655[5]
Elevation82 m (269 ft)(railway station)[6]
Time zoneACST (UTC+9:30)
 • Summer (DST)ACDT (UTC+10:30)
Location
LGA(s)District Council of Streaky Bay[1]
RegionEyre Western[1]
CountyRobinson[1]
State electorate(s)Flinders[7]
Federal Division(s)Grey[8]
Localities around Poochera:
Cungena Kaldoonera Bockelberg
Chandada Poochera Minnipa
Chandada Chandada
Kalcultaby		 Minnipa
Kalcultaby
FootnotesLocations[1][5]
Adjoining localities[1]

The township of Poochera was not surveyed until 1920, and its name is thought to be taken from the name of King Poojeri, a local aboriginal who died in 1917. A nearby hill is also named Poochera, possibly stemming from the same origin.

The town had a school which opened in 1920, but closed its doors in 1976.

Poochera is the centrepoint of a large agricultural area, the town itself being a strategic grain exchange point for the region's farmers, who specialise in cereal crops and sheep.

The town is 53 km away from the Gawler Ranges, and is commonly used as a stop off by tourists, who have access to a hotel and caravan park.

Poochera, however, is probably best noted for its nearby colonies of dinosaur ant (Nothomyrmecia macrops), a rare, primitive species of ant that has attracted entomologists and evolutionary biologists from around the world.

Apart from the Poochera Hotel and Caravan Park, the town is served by a roadhouse where most general supplies can be purchased.

The 2016 Australian census which was conducted in August 2016 reports that Poochera had a population of 59 people.[2]

Poochera is located within the federal division of Grey, the state electoral district of Flinders and the local government area of the District Council of Streaky Bay.[8][7][1]

Notes and references
  1. "Search results for 'Poochera, LOCB' with the following datasets being selected – 'Suburbs and Localities', 'Counties', 'Government Towns', Local Government Areas', 'SA Government Regions', 'Gazetteer', 'Railways' and 'Roads'". Location SA Map Viewer. Government of South Australia. Retrieved 9 June 2018.
  2. Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Poochera (State Suburb)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 9 June 2018.
  3. Bice, John G. (23 September 1920). "TOWN OF POOCHERA" (PDF). The South Australian Government Gazette. South Australian Government. p. 848. Retrieved 9 June 2018.
  4. Lawson, Robert (12 April 2001). "GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES ACT 1991 Notice to Assign Names and Boundaries to Places (in the District Council of Streaky Bay)" (PDF). The South Australian Government Gazette. South Australian Government. p. 1587. Retrieved 29 May 2018.
  5. "Postcode for Poochera, South Australia". Postcodes Australia. Retrieved 9 June 2018.
  6. "Search results for 'Poochera Railway Station' with the following datasets being selected – 'Suburbs and Localities', 'Government Towns', 'Gazetteer', 'Railways' and 'Roads'". Location SA Map Viewer. Government of South Australia. Retrieved 9 June 2018.
  7. "District of Flinders". Electoral Commission SA. Retrieved 29 May 2018.
  8. "Federal electoral division of Grey". Australian Electoral Commission. Retrieved 29 May 2018.
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