Whitwarta, South Australia

According to the Manning Index of South Australian History the "Nantuwwara [sic] tribe of some 25 to 30 once occupied the country from the River Wakefield, north to Whitwarta and west to Hummock Range", an area which would encompass the modern localities of Bowmans, Whitwarta, Goyder, Beaufort, Nantawarra and Mount Templeton. The term Nantuwara (or Nantuwaru) is considered to be a specific name for the northern hordes of the Kaurna people.[7] Stone implements thought to have been used by the Nantuwara people were discovered at sites adjoining the banks of the lower reaches of the River Wakefield and added to a South Australian Museum collection curated by Harold Cooper in the 1960s.[8]

Wakefield River in Flood, Old Whitwarta Bridge, 6 Sept 2010

There are several accounts of major flooding of the Wakefield River at Whitwarta. The major floods recorded at Whitwarta occurred during the following years:

• 2010: Heavy rains throughout the catchment area of the Wakefield River caused major flooding at Whitwarata in early September. As in 1998, the water from the River flowed across the Whitarta to Balaklava Road (at the base of the Billabong Hill). It also flooded paddocks around the Whitwarta township, including the natural lagoon at the base of Whitwarta House. Water flowed across the Whitwarta to Kadina road. No damage to property or stock was recorded.
• 1998: The banks of the Wakefield River overflowed at Werocata and Whitwarta in winter. The water covered the Whitwarta to Balaklava Road and the Whitwarta to Kadina Road. The waters covered farmlands and remained for several months. Further rains in early summer 1998 caused the river to flood again. The old ruins of the Whitwarta Hotel were underwater, as was the depression behind the Whitwarta township. Locals caught European Carp in the waters that remained pooled in this depression. Such was the amount of water in the region, locals observed the appearance of brine shrimp in the waters of nearby salt lakes (especially the lakes near the northern lagoon of Diamond Lake).
• 1937: The Canberra Times on Sept 3, 1937 reported that: "A torrent of water ten chains wide, is sweeping across Whitwarta Road from Werochea [Werocata] station"[9]

Two German settlers from Hamley Bridge, Johannes Rudolph Ferdinand Heopner and Elise Moeller, who married on 6 June 1878, purchased property at Whitwarta upon marriage. They purchased property 44, 45 and eight other lots of the Hundred of Stow within the township of Whitwarta. They moved to Whitwarta in an attempt to set up a successful blacksmith business, and because they saw Whitwarta as a fit place to raise children. Johannes purchased land at Whitwarta with the hope that the town and surrounding districts would boom not only because of the availability of freshwater but because it was along one of the paths ("Gulf Road") that "Bullockies" used to cart copper from Burra to Port Wakefield. However, the boom period at Whitwarta did not last for long because of the creation of a railway at nearby Balaklava.

Irrespective of lean years of business, Jonny, as he was called, made a start in the once busy town. In 1878, with the help of his mate Conny Lange, a local stonemason from Balaklava, they built a 3-roomed cottage on lot 45 Hundred of Stow. The design and layout of the house was dictated by Jonny's financial situation at the time. The house was set back nearly 50 metres from Bowman Street (named after the pastoralist Edmund Bowman) so that his blacksmith shop (constructed in 1878) could sit almost directly beside the road.

The 1878 building consisted of a kitchen, bathroom and Whitwarta's first Post Office. They slept in the Post Office room. Materials used to construct the cottage included limestone, which was quarried from section 164 Hundred of Stow and red river sand. The sand was sourced from a bed in the River Wakefield behind the cemetery. Lime was made on the building site. Kilns were set up at most building sites in the district, as it saved on transporting materials from afar. Red bricks were used around windows and as quoins.

Whitwarta Bridge (c. 1914)

When Jonny had secured enough wealth from his blacksmith business, and because of a growing family, he decided to have another house built in front of the 1878 house. Now known as Whitwarta House, it was built in 1912 within a year by Jonny and Conny. Materials were sourced from the same locations as those used for the 1878 house.

According to local farmer Esmond Heopner, who lived in the house when he was younger, it was regarded as "a very modern house for its time." A modest and "quiet fellow citizen", the house reflected his standing in the community. The six-roomed house comprised a parlour (lounge) at the front, a passageway leading to the dining room and three bedrooms. A "boys room" was located at the rear. Es Heopner tells the story that this room allowed for the boys to quickly slip down to the river for a swim just before dinner time in the hope that their mother wouldn't notice their absence. Apparently their wet hair gave it away!

Drastic alterations occurred to Whitwarta House after Jonny's death in 1942. The 1878 building fell down shortly after, and the blacksmith shop was demolished due to limestone damage. Coins dating back to 1865 were found in-between the corners of the red brick, a tradition of builders of that time. Coins have recently been found behind the fireplaces in the house as well.

Jonny was a very religious man who belonged to the Lutheran congregation in Balaklava. It is said that he was one of the first to develop the stump-jump plough (a labour saving device to remove mallee tree stumps), for which he was awarded a medal for exhibiting it at the Port Wakefield Agricultural and Horticultural Society in 1885. Others, like Smith from Maitland, South Australia patented the invention. The stump-jump plough is now regarded as one of the most significant inventions that changed the face of the Australian countryside as it permitted land to be cleared at an unparalleled rate.

Summary of Whitwarta House

Railway line built at Whitwarta to facilitate the construction of the Whitwarta Bridge (1914). The River Wakefield is visible in the background, as are the stables beside the Whitwarta Hotel. Image courtesy of Esmond Heopner of Whitwarta.

• 1878: small 3-room cottage built, consisting of bathroom, Post Office and Kitchen
• 1878: blacksmith shop built close to Bowman St
• 1912: Whitwarta house constructed in front of 3 bed. cottage
• 1977: Besser block addition as lean-to at rear of house
• 1978: Middle Gable about front verandah removed (due to corrosion)
• 1980: Interior alterations – two rooms combined
• 1989: Besser block addition extended
• 1992: Verandah added to rear of house. Posts are exact match to original. New posts were made at Nairne in the Adelaide Hills

Diamond Lake, about 3 km west of the Whitwarta Village is a distinctive landscape feature of the region. It is an ephemeral salt lake. See location on Google Maps. The first Europeans to discover Diamond Lake, which they described as a 'dry lagoon', were the explorers John Hill and Thomas Burr, when passing through the Whitwarta district on 29 April 1840.[19] A variety of wildfowl can be seen here when the Lake fills after winter rains, such as: Black Swans, Grey Teal, Chestnut Teal, Pacific Black Duck, Water Hens, and Plovers. Gypsum continues to be mined from the banks of the Lake. The Lake fills up from local rainfall-runoff, and fills from the northern lagoon first.

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  Horse and Cart near Whitwarta. Early 1900s. Image courtesy of Esmond Heopner.