Poochera, South Australia

Poochera
South Australia
Poochera
Coordinates 32°43′S 134°50′E / 32.717°S 134.833°E / -32.717; 134.833Coordinates: 32°43′S 134°50′E / 32.717°S 134.833°E / -32.717; 134.833
Population 185 (2006 census)[1]
Established 1920[2]
Postcode(s) 5655
Elevation 426 m (1,398 ft)
LGA(s) District Council of Streaky Bay[2]
State electorate(s) Flinders[3]
Federal Division(s) Grey[4]
Localities around Poochera:
Cungena Kaldoonera Bockelberg
Chandada Poochera Minnipa
Chandada Kalcultaby Minnipa
Footnotes Adjoining localities[2]

Poochera is a small grain belt town 60 km north-west of Streaky Bay on the Eyre Peninsula, South Australia. At the 2006 census, Poochera had a population of 185.[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.

Notes and references

  1. 1 2 Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Poochera (State Suburb)". 2006 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 23 October 2011.
  2. 1 2 3 "Search result for "Poochera (Locality bounded)" (Record no SA0056300) with the following layers selected - "Suburbs and Localities", "Government Towns" and "Place names (gazetteer)"". Property Location Browser. Government of South Australia. Retrieved 26 July 2016.
  3. "District of Flinders Background Profile". Electoral Commission SA. Retrieved 9 September 2015.
  4. "Federal electoral division of Grey" (PDF). Australian Electoral Commission. Retrieved 24 July 2015.


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