Gawler, SA

Oldest inland town in South Australia

Gawler is a modern city which, while it was the first inland town outside Adelaide in South Australia, today it has become the edge of Adelaide's northern sprawl. The town was originally laid out by William Jacob to a plan which had been drawn up by Colonel William Light who had designed Adelaide. It was very consciously located beside a river and surrounded by rolling hills. This pleasant environment led to it being called the 'Athens of the South'. Today it attracts people who do not want to live in Adelaide and consequently it has substantial communities of retirees and young families. Today the town's primary appeal lies in its rich, early heritage. There are excellent walks around the town which reveal the historic importance of this early inland settlement.

Location

Gawler is located 51 km north-east of Adelaide via the A1 and M20.

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Origin of Name

The town officially came into existence on 31 January, 1839 and it was named after Lieutenant-Colonel George Gawler who was governor of South Australia from 1838-1841.

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Things to See and Do

Gawler Historic Main Street Walking Tour
There is an excellent brochure (downloadable at https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/tog-public-assets/docs/Tourism-and-Events/Gawler-Main-Street-Walking-Tour-Web-low-res.pdf) which lists a total of 30 places of historic interest, most of which are located on the main street, Murray Street. The walk takes around 80 minutes and is about 2 km long. Here are the highlights of the walk.

1. Pioneer Park and the War Memorial
Located on Murray Street this pleasant park was originally planned as the town cemetery. Today it is an ideal place for a picnic. There is an old gun, the McKinlay Memorial and an Historic Rotunda.
Particularly impressive is the Pioneer Park War Memorial, a huge hand created by renowned South Australian artist Robert Hannaford and dedicated on Armistice Centenary, 11 November 2018. Hannaford has said of the sculpture, which is made of bronze and is 4.4 metres long and 1.6 metres high, that is "an abstract, enigmatic form conveying the feeling of service, war, conflict and peacekeeping. The poignancy of tragedy and loss of life is conveyed in the hand's form with the bent shape implicitly creating a feeling of subtlety. Inspired by the Grecian and Roman sculptural greats, the hand is a significant and brave departure from conventional war memorials."
A sign near the sculpture points out that "The Pioneer Park War Memorial has been designed to be inclusive of age, colour, creed, culture, disability, family status, gender, nationality, marital status, parental status, race or social origin, religious beliefs or activity, sexual orientation and all defence personnel (navy, army and air force). The memorial provides an important place of reflection for all of us to honour and remember the men and women who served and died for our country. All wars, convicts and peacekeeping operations are represented; this memorial is inclusive to all."

2. McKinlay Memorial
Located in Murray Street in front of Pioneer Park is the McKinlay Memorial which was erected by Gawler residents in 1874 as a tribute to explorer John McKinlay. The excellent Monuments Australia website explains that "In 1861 McKinlay was asked by the South Australian government to organize an expedition to search for the Burke and Wills party ... McKinlay left Adelaide on 16 August 1861 with nine other men and on 20 October the grave of Gray was found near Cooper's Creek. McKinlay sent word of this to the government, and soon afterwards learned that the remains of Burke and Wills had also been found ... McKinlay then decided to make for the Gulf of Carpentaria, hoping to find the vessel which had been sent to meet Burke's party. The shores of the Gulf were thought to be only four or five miles away but the intervening country was very difficult, and it was decided to turn in an easterly direction and make for Port Denison on the shores of northern Queensland. A station on the Bowen River near Port Denison was reached on 2 August 1862, and after a few days rest, they reached Port Denison. The party then returned by sea to Adelaide. McKinlay received a grant of £1000 from the government and a gold watch from the Royal Geographical Society of England. For more detailed information check out http://monumentaustralia.org.au/themes/people/discovery/display/50745-john-mckinlay.

5. The Bunyip
Located at 120 Murray Street is the home of The Bunyip newspaper which was first published on Saturday 5 September 1863. It started dramatically with the first issue being the subject of a libel action. The Bunyip, now owned by the Taylor Group, is still produced today. The building was erected in the late 1870s and is characterised by some ornate ironwork.

6. Essex House Fashion Centre
Located at 98-100 Murray street, Essex House, is a particularly fine building constructed by Mr Alfred Sheard in 1905, expanded in 1928 and purchased by H.B. Crosby in 1930. The facade is a reminder of the richness of detail which was possible at the time. “Essex House” has been a byword in Gawler for drapery, general merchandise and fashion since the 1880’s. It was designed by architects English and Soward and its original features included pressed metal panels, cast iron structural columns and the Flying Fox payment system to a central cashier. There is a generation of Australians who remember the 'flying fox', a wonderful device which took money from the counter to an accounts section (usually on a mezzanine level) where the change was provided. The change and a receipt then came whizzing back to the counter. Some original leadlight windows remain. The store has been filmed for TV as a remnant of the 1940s. While the Flying Fox is still intact it no longer operates but the people in the shop are happy to let you see this remarkable piece of antique machinery.

7. ANZ Bank
Located at 93 Murray Street, this handsome building in the style of an Italian villa was originally constructed for the Bank of Adelaide in 1873. It uses local bluestone and has elegant pointed and lined stucco corner blockings and dressings. Note the unusual fence which was manufactured in Gawler by James Martin and Co in 1874.

8. Gawler Institute
Next to the ANZ Bank at 91 Murray Street is the Gawler Institute which was built in 1870 (and opened in 1871) from local bluestone rubble on land donated by James Martin. A Mechanics Institute had existed in Gawler in 1857 and had occupied the Oddfellows Hall since 1858. By 1860 it had grown to have 200 subscribers and over 2000 books. So by 1867 it was decided to raise funds to build a specific building. A local Art Union raised £1000 and a bank guarantee was signed by twenty of the town's prominent citizens. Today it operates as the Gawler Library. It is notable for two plaques on the walls, one refers to the building as the home of ‘Song of Australia’ [Song Of Australia: Words: Caroline Charlton, Music: Carl Unger - A competition for a national song was conducted by the Gawler Institute in 1859. From 96 entries in the lyric section and 23 entries in the musical section the 'Song of Australia' selected as the best was first sung in public at Gawler on 12 December 1859.] and the other, to the iron balustrade, which was "cast from the first iron smelted in the colony at the Phoenix Foundry 1871 from ore raised in the district of Barossa" at James Martin and Co in Gawler.

9. Gawler Town Hall
Located at 89 Murray Street is the Gawler Town Hall. The site was approved in 1877 and the handsome building was completed in seven months in 1878. It was officially opened by the Governor of South Australia on 20 November, 1878. Made from local bluestone rubble it is characterised by an elaborate balustrade parapet with ornate urns and false central pediment containing the Coat of Arms.

10. National Australia Bank
Over the road from the Town Hall, at 66 Murray Street, is the handsome stone NAB building designed by Daniel Garlick and built by J Kelly in 1881-82. The front facade in Ashlar cut stonework is characterised by stucco dressings in an Italianate style. Its opulence is a reminder of the influence and affluence of banks in the late 19th century.

11. Golden Fleece
The Golden Fleece Hotel, located at 77 Murray Street, was the first building on Murray Street and the first hotel in Gawler. It started in 1839. It was the stopping place for travellers passing through the town and at various times served as the town’s mortuary, post office and meeting place. In 1839 it was known as the Old Spot Hotel and, after major refurbishment in 2014, it returned to its original name. For more information check out https://goldenfleecegawler.com.au/story.

13. Old Post Office and Clock Tower
The old Gawler Post Office built from local stone in 1867. In February 1867 a committee was formed to organise the purchase and installation of the Clock Tower. It was agreed that 3 pence in the pound would be levied to pay for the construction. Amusingly, on the eastern face of the clock the numeral four (IV) was accidentally installed where the number six (VI) should have been. On 28 July 1878, the clock got stuck and struck 100 times in a row. Some locals were convinced it was the end of the world. The Post Office was designed by architect, Mr W. Hanson and built by Pett and Gray from local stone that was sourced in 1866. The building is now the oldest surviving public building in the town.

14. Old Telegraph Station Museum
Located next to the old Post Office at 59 Murray Street is the Old Telegraph Station which was built to a design by the Colonial Architect in 1860. It is characterised by an unusual gaslight above the front door and the impressive use of local stone. While it was initially used as a Telegraph Station it subsequently became a letter carrier’s residence, the Gawler School of Mines, Technical School and Commonwealth Electoral Office. Today it is home to the National Trust Museum which describes the contents as "portraying the local history of Gawler and District" with "Significant items in the museum’s collection include: a Triola, Aoelian Orchestralle, box piano, Paternosters’ musical instrument, John McKinlay’s travelling chests, Timer fashion dresses and Hoffman’s pottery. It is open Tuesday to Friday from 1.00 pm - 4.00 pm. Tel: (08) 8523 1082 or check out https://www.nationaltrust.org.au/places/gawler-old-telegraph-station-museum.

15. Kingsford Hotel
Located at 32 Murray Street, the Kingsford Hotel (originally the Globe Hotel) opened for business in about 1851. It still occupies the original building which is now part of both the National Estate and the State Heritage Register. The hotel has a distinctive architectural style which includes the fine cast iron veranda and impressive lacework - both were added in the 1880s. This hotel was used by both the Freemasons and the Oddfellows and operated as the town's telegraph station from 1857 to 1860. It was renamed the Kingsford in 1958 in honour of Stephen King, one of the town's original settlers. The hotel's website (https://www.kingsfordhotel.com.au/history/) records that "Over the years the hotel has been blessed with loyal “down to earth” customers of substance. Kingsford customers are special and no doubt even today they are influenced by the famous Humbug Society which was formed at the hotel in 1859. The society achieved notoriety for its satirical attacks on other local societies, well known for their antiquated traditions and rituals. Society rules included the objective of “advocacy of Humbug, in contradistinction to it’s secret practice in most other societies”. The influence of the Humbug Society in the early years of Gawler was such that one of it’s most prominent satirists E.L. Grundy was elected as a member of Parliament in 1860. Thanks to the Humbugs, Gawler became the first provincial town in South Australia to have it’s own newspaper. The Society launched The Bunyip in 1863 with the purpose of satirizing social and political events." Have a drink for the Humbugs.

16. Bank of South Australia
The Bank SA building, opposite the Caltex Service Station, was built in 1911. The lower level windows and doors are classic semicircular arches with keystone. The roof is made from Marseilles tiles and the upper level has rectangular windows, balustrades and columns to the balcony. It is an unusual combination of French Renaissance and Edwardian styles.

17. Baptist Church
Beside the Dan Murphy sign, just off Murray Street is the Baptist Church. The first section of this modest church was built of stone and brick in 1870. It was a continuing building project being extended in 1873 with classrooms added in 1879 and a kitchen and lecture hall in 1900.

18. Rudall & Rudall
These handsome chambers, with Rudall & Rudall Lawyers over the front door, were built in 1859 for the South Australian Banking Company. This building is in formal Italian style with dome pilasters. The building was purchased in 1892 by the Union Bank and sold in 1938 to Rudall and Rudall.

19. Dead Man's Pass
Do not follow the highway, deviate to the left and a short distance beyond the corner is  a sign (Turn Left - 200 metres) to Dead Man’s Pass. Down Gawler Terrace there is an excellent, sealed cycle and pedestrian walkway and a car park. This decidedly 'western movie' name is the result of Colonel Light and his surveyor discovering a body in a tree when they arrived at the ford in 1839. Although Now & Then Gawler (see https://www.gawler.nowandthen.net.au/Dead_Man%27s_Pass) recounts how "an exploring party sent out by Messrs Light and Finniss, returning from the neighbourhood of the Barossa Ranges, fell in with a wanderer in the scrub, worn out with exhaustion, hunger and thirst. After relieving his wants and lifting him into their dray, they carried him to as far as a ford on the South Para River, when on attempting to rouse him they found him dead. Having no implements wherewith to dig a grave, they placed his body upright in the hollow of a tree by the riverside and covered it decently with bark and sticks. A short time afterwards it was discovered by another exploring party and properly interred near the spot."
Until 1849 it was necessary to cross the ford to enter Gawler. At that time a bridge was built.
There is a map titled Dead Man’s Pass which is available from the Visitor Information Centre. It can be downloaded at https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/tog-public-assets/docs/Tourism-and-Events/Dead-Mans-Pass-Plan.pdf. Today, it is a pleasant park beside the river which is an ideal spot for a picnic.

20. Waterworks Building
Located at the corner of Julian Terrace and Murray Street, this handsome stone building, dating from 1882, was originally the Waterworks building. Historically it housed the pumping plant and the well which fed Gawler’s first water supply system. The original well is concealed beneath the floorboards. There is a plaque outside with a detailed history of the building.

22. Union Mill Complex
On the corner of Julian Terrace and Bridge Street, is an impressive brick and stone building whihc was originally the Union Mill. The building, which replaced a previous mill which was burnt down in 1914, was erected in 1915. Such was the industrial nature of Gawler that most of the milling machinery was made locally by James Martin and Co. The original Mill Offices next door were built in 1868.

23. South Para Bridge
The simple and charming South Para Bridge was opened on 22 January 1908. Over the years it has also been known as the 'Mill Inn Bridge', 'Gawler South Bridge’ and ‘Tramway Bridge’. It offers excellent views up and down the Para River. Note the unusual lamplights on the bridge.

24. Apex Park
Apex Park is located beside the South Para Bridge. There is a walking track along the banks of the South Para River and is ideal for a family picnic with a children’s playground, barbecue, picnic tables and seating. The huge Moreton Bay Fig trees in the park are now over 130 years old.

25. James Martin Statue
Located in Whitelaw Terrace, near the roundabout beside the Apex Park, is a Carrara marble monument with a statue of James Martin (affectionately known as "The Father of Gawler"). The statue, designed by Gustave Henri Marchetti, was unveiled in August 1903 and moved to its current position in 1969. The plaque (added in 1999) records his remarkable achievements:

JAMES MARTIN
Born Stithians (Cornwall) 23rd April 1821
Died Gawler 27th December 1899
Affectionately Referred To As "The Father Of Gawler"
In 1848 Established In Gawler The Empire / Subsequently Known As James Martin &
Company Ltd / Which Built Railway Locomotives, Agricultural Machinery And Mining
Equipment / At One Time Had 700 Employees.
Inaugural Alderman Of Gawler Council 1857 And Subsequently Mayor 1861-62-63-68 ; 1877-78-87
Member SA House Of Assembly 1865 - 68
Member SA Legislative Council 1885-99
Statue Unveiled 15th August 1903
By Sir Samuel Way, Chief Justice
A Man Of The People, Proud Of The Opportunities In His Adopted Gawler The Athens Of The South."
For more detailed information check out http://monumentaustralia.org.au/themes/people/industry/display/50744-james-martin.

27. Tortola House
Located on the corner of Tod Street and Dundas Street, Tortola House was built by Mr William F Wincey, an ex-mayor of Gawler and successful businessman. The excellent Now & Then Gawler website (https://www.gawler.nowandthen.net.au/Tortola_House_Tod_Street) explains: "Gawler Historical Rates Database shows that 'in 1868, William Faulkner Wincey owned and occupied a residence in the current location of Tortola House, plus land and gardens in the surrounding area'.
Wincey was Mayor of Gawler in 1873 and 1874 and was a successful businessman. Around 1875, he built the two-storey section which adjoins the cottage he purchased in 1867. The architecture is Venetian Gothic Revival with French Byzantine influences. The bricks for the front of the house were imported from Florence in Italy. The iron lacework to the front fence was added by Alfred May when he occupied the premises at the turn of the century. The lacework was manufactured in the May Brothers Foundry at Gawler West. The building was purchased for £1000 in 1912 by the Tod Street Methodist Church for use as a Manse. It continued to be used as a Manse until at least 1963.

29. Uniting Church
Located in Tod Street and financed by local businessman William Wincey, this impressive church was built in 1867-69 with stone from Clement’s Quarry in Hill Street, Gawler. Costing £3,812 it was opened on 21 March 1869.

Gawler Church Hill State Heritage Walking Tour
1. Presbyterian Church
Located at 8 Cowan Street, the Presbyterian Church was built in 1839 on allocated land in trust for a Presbyterian place of worship. Anglican and Roman Catholic were built on squares further along Cowan Street. There is a lot of fascinating information about the early church at Then & Now Gawler (https://www.gawler.nowandthen.net.au/Abbey_-_Cowan_Street) including: "[Presbyterians] was split into the established Kirk, or Church of Scotland, and the free Kirk, and most of the Gawler flock were of the latter persuasion. This led to difficulties over the church site. The land set aside [Light Square] for a Presbyterian church, manse and school was specifically for the established Kirk. Eventually, land nearby was given by John Auld, and St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church was built on it, designed and constructed by Messrs. English and Brown, of Adelaide, in 1856 ... the present [Presbyterian] Church building was erected  in Cowan Street at a cost of £1,400, on a piece of land presented by the late Mr John Auld."

2. Old Bushman Hotel
Located at 10 Cowan Street, and once known as the Old Bushman Inn, the building was erected as the second hotel in Gawler by the architect Robert Robertson in 1840.  It was originally a wattle and daub structure, extended in the 1870s with higher ceilings and an upper balcony. The impressive features of the historic hotel include the slate veranda and original rear stone stables building. For more information check out http://bushmanhotel.com.au. John McDouall Stuart, who explored a route from Adelaide to Darwin, stayed in the hotel on his famous journey north. By the 1880s the hotel was the centre of the town's social life.

3. Light Square
Here is a remarkable remnant of Colonel Light's geometric street designs. Light Square was created on the town plan to be the site for the Church of Scotland. The church was never built but the square remains.

4. St George's Anglican Church
Located at 21 Cowan Street is a charming stone dwelling which has been the Rectory for St George's Anglican Church for over 100 years. There is still an historic horse hitching post on the footpath.

4. Gawler Court House
The Gawler Court House at 23 Cowan Street, a typical piece of handsome late Victorian architecture built in 1881 by Gawler builder James Peek. It is located at the where Colonel Light decided a Court House should be when he drew up the town plans in 1839. It is currently operating at an Air B&B.

5. Gawler Congregational Church
Located on Light Square is the Gawler Congregational Church, a stone and brick quoin building which was completed in 1861. It was to have been completed in 1851 but the gold rush to Victoria reduced the congregation and even the preacher decided to follow his flock to the goldfields. The complex includes a smaller church which was built in 1851 and converted to a hall when the large church with high gabled roof and triple stained glass gothic window was built in 1861. Note the perimeter stone wall and cast metal gates.

6. Moore Street and Dundas Street
Part of the appeal of Gawler is the impulse to mooch. The streets around Light Square and Cowan Street are wonderlands of interesting and beautiful historic buildings. Walk down Moore Street and turn into Dundas Street. On the way you will see two attached cottages (2-4 Moore Street) which were used as servants quarters for the larger house at 6 Moore Street. The intersection with Finniss Street features impressive stone walls.

7. Lutheran Church Complex
Located around Orleana Square is the Zion Lutheran Church which was built in 1921 at a cost of £3000 and the Church hall built in 1954. There are also older buildings converted to the Zion kindergarten and the Lutheran Study Centre.

10. St Peter and St Pauls Roman Catholic Church
Located in Porter Street at the end of Cowan Street is the impressive twin towered Roman Catholic church which was built by the Carmelite Fathers in 1897. Constructed with red brick and local blue stone it features an arcade of gothic arches and twin towers. The stone cross in the grounds originally graced the roof of the first Catholic Church built on this same site in the early 1850s. The Church Histories website records: "The building is characterised by its plan and its exhibition of some of the detail from earlier Mediterranean Roman Catholic church types. Extensive use of the semi-circular arch, emphasised by projecting moulds and strings, is set off by the distinctive treatment of exteriors with terra cotta tiles, bosses and finials. Constructed of roughly squared random-coursed shale, with substantial brickwork to porch, octagonal towers, strings, copings and surrounds to openings. There is vigorous use of hammer-dressed shale, which contrasts with brickwork trim." For more information check out http://churchhistories.net.au/church-catalog/gawler-sa-st-peter-and-paul-catholic.

11. Gawler Primary School
Located on School Road, the Gawler Primary School was one of the first Model Schools after the commencement of public education in South Australia in 1875. The Gawler Primary School website explains that "The school was designed by Edward Woods, South Australia's Colonial Architect. The tender by Gawler builder William Tardiff at a contract cost of £4,695 was accepted. The eventual cost of the building was £4,931/18/-. The design featured Gothic style windows, prominent gables decorated with finials, a tall belfry with a still operational bell (required to be "an approved tone bronze bell of not less than one hundred pounds weight and securely hung" according to the hand written specifications of 8 December 1976) and an intricate air circulation system with prominent roof vents. Bluestone for the walls was quarried from hills in Gawler South. The original building and site were early listings on the State Heritage Register and the Register of the National Estate." There is more history at http://www.gawlerps.sa.edu.au/history.html.

12. Orleana Square
Orleana Square was named after the ship ‘Orleana’, which reached Holdfast Bay in January 1839 and which brought the principal pioneer Gawler landowners John Reid, Henry Dundas Murray and Stephen King to the colony. St Georges Anglican Church was built on the site allocated by these first Gawler landowners.

13. St Georges Anglican Church
Located at the end of Cowan Street on Oleana Square, and dominating the square, is the handsome and substantial St Georges Anglican Church.  The foundation stone was laid in 1858, the nave was opened in 1864, the transept and chancel were added in 1885, the tower was completed in 1908 and the bells installed in 1921. On the northern side there is a stained glass window with the Gawler Coat of Arms on it. The church hall on Orleana Square was built in 1866 and used as part of the St George’s School. The Church Histories site notes: "One of the largest parish churches in South Australia constructed of roughly coursed bluestone with sandstone dressings to strings, quoins surrounds and openings. Detailing and craftsmanship of high quality. Buttressed tower of three stages, uppermost, a belfry with triple openings and Gothic arcading above is topped by crenellate parapet. Feature of interior design and execution of trusses variety of hammer-beam design." Check out http://churchhistories.net.au/church-catalog/gawler-sa-st-georges-anglican/ for more details.

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History

* Prior to the arrival of Europeans the area was home to the Kaurna Aborigines.

* The town came into existence on 31 January, 1839. It was South Australia's second country town after Port Adelaide.

* The town was laid out by William Jacob to a plan which had been drawn up by Colonel William Light, the designer of Adelaide. Light chose the townsite as a gateway to the state's north. It was also located beside a river and surrounded by rolling hills. Such was its pleasant environment that it was nicknamed the 'Athens of the South'.

* The Golden Fleece Hotel opened its doors in 1839.

* The Bushman's Inn was operating by 1840.

* By 1847 the town had two breweries.

* The Gawler Arms opened in 1848. A school opened in the town that year.

* St George's Anglican Church was consecrated in 1848.

* By 1850 the town was established.

* In 1853 the Union Mill was opened by Harrison Brothers.

* The Gawler Agricultural and Horticultural Society was formed in 1856.

* The corporation of Gawler was proclaimed in 1857.

* In 1857 the railway from Adelaide reached Gawler.

* 1863 saw the establishment of The Bunyip newspaper.

* In 1863 land around the town was opened up for purchase.

* The drought of 1864-1865 took a heavy toll on local wheat farmers.

* In 1865 gold was discovered at Barossa.

* A new school was erected in 1866.

* The Albion Mill, the town's third mill, was opened in 1868.

* The Gawler Institute was opened in 1870.

* By 1872 over 500 children were being educated by schools in the town.

* A boom period lasted from the 1870s until the end of the century saw the construction of many attractive and gracious buildings which gave the town a charm and sophistication.

* In 1877 the first government school was erected.

* In 1878 Sale and Eastwood established a chaff and wood cutting business in the town. That year saw the opening of the first government school.

* By 1880 over 150 people were being employed in the town's three flour mills.

* In 1881 a tramway was built from from the railway to the centre of town.

* In 1885 May Brothers started producing farming equipment at their foundry.

* By 1889 Gawler was connected to Adelaide by telephone.

* Willaston Bridge was opened in 1890.

* By 1900 more than 100 shops, stores and workshops including two saw mills, two brick yards, chaff stores, a number of bakeries and smithies, many drapers, boot-shops and grocers were operating in Gawler.

* In 1901 water was supplied to Gawler from the Barossa Water Scheme.

* In 1907 James Martin and Son foundry closed.

* By 1908 the Mechanics Institute Literary Society had over 500 members.

* Electric light was installed in the town in 1912.

* In 1921 the Gawler Instrument Company closed its doors. That year saw the opening of the Gawler South Cinema Pictures.

* May Brothers foundry closed in 1927 - part of an industrial slowdown in the town.

* In 1928 Perry Engineering closed.

* The town was hit hard by the Great Depression in the 1930s.

* The Regal Picture Theatre was opened in 1935.

* The Greater Gawler Council was established in 1933.

* An Olympic swimming pool was opened in 1962.

* A new Post Office was opened in 1973.

* Today Gawler is a thriving centre in an area dominated by wheat and vineyards.

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Visitor Information

Gawler Visitor Information Centre, 2 Lyndoch Street, tel: (08) 8522 9260. Open Monday - Friday 9.00 am - 5.00 pm, Saturday and Sunday 10.00 am - 4.00 pm.

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Useful Websites

The official council website has useful information about the town. Check out https://www.gawler.sa.gov.au. There is a very lengthy and detailed history of the town at https://data.environment.sa.gov.au/Content/heritage-surveys/2-Gawler-Heritage-Study-Stage-One-1981.pdf.

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