Freeling, South Australia
| Freeling South Australia | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 The hotel in Freeling and is used as a set in McLeod's Daughters | |||||||||
  Freeling | |||||||||
| Coordinates | 34°27′S 138°48′E / 34.450°S 138.800°E | ||||||||
| Population | 1,591 (2011 census)[1] | ||||||||
| Established | 1860 | ||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 5372 | ||||||||
| Elevation | 197 m (646 ft) | ||||||||
| Location | 60 km (37 mi) from Adelaide, South Australia | ||||||||
| LGA(s) | Light Regional Council | ||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Light | ||||||||
| Federal division(s) | Wakefield | ||||||||
| |||||||||
Freeling is a small town in South Australia, about 60 km north of Adelaide. It neighbours the Barossa Valley wine region. At the 2011 census, Freeling had a population of 1,591.[1]
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.[2]
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.[3] 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.
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.
Sport in Freeling include Australian rules football, netball, cricket, lawn bowls, basketball, skateboarding and tennis.
Freeling is in the Light Regional Council, the state electoral district of Schubert and the federal Division of Wakefield.
References
- ^ a b Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Freeling (Urban Centre/Locality)". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
- ^ "About Us: AgPoint". AgPoint Australia. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
- ^ Biography of Arthur Freeling in Australian Dictionary of Biography online, accessed 5 October 2007.
External links
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