Polish Hill River, South Australia

Polish Hill River
Church museum at Polish Hill River
Polish Hill River
Location in South Australia
Coordinates: 33°53′06″S 138°40′19″E / 33.88500°S 138.67194°E / -33.88500; 138.67194
CountryAustralia
StateSouth Australia
RegionMid North
LGA
Location
  • 133 km (83 mi) north of Adelaide
  • 15 km (9.3 mi) south-east of Clare
Established1844
Government
 • MayorAllan Aughey
 • State electorate
 • Federal division
Population
 • Total38 (SAL 2021)[2]
Postcode
5453
Localities around Polish Hill River
Spring Farm Hill River
Sevenhill Polish Hill River Stanley
Penwortham Mintaro
[3]

Polish Hill River is a small town in the Mid North region of South Australia, between the towns of Sevenhill and Mintaro.

Running northward through the locality is the Hill River itself, discovered and named by Edward John Eyre in 1839 after John Hill, discoverer of the nearby Hutt River.[4]

Following earlier pastoralism, closer settlement in the area began in the early 1850s, with the arrival of Irish Catholic migrants, including the Barry, Sullivan, Erwin, and Rochford families who were all from Glendalough, County Wicklow. The first white child born at Hill River was claimed to be James Erwin, in 1853.[5] Polish Hill River was also established in the 1850s south of the Hill River settlement, around the church of St. Stanislaus Kostka by Polish Catholic immigrants.[3] These included Dr Anton Sokolowsky (d.1862).

The former church now houses a museum of Polish migrants to South Australia.[6] Several well-known wineries exist in the Polish Hill River area, including Pikes, Pauletts, Wilson Vineyard and Little Brampton Wines. Grossett Wines also source grapes from this area. A circuit from the Riesling Trail, the Father Rogalski Loop, provides a walking and cycling entry to the Polish Hill River region.

References

  1. ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Polish Hill River (suburb and locality)". Australian Census 2021 QuickStats. Retrieved 28 June 2022. 
  2. ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Polish Hill River (suburb and locality)". Australian Census 2021 QuickStats. Retrieved 28 June 2022. 
  3. ^ a b "Placename Details: Polish Hill River (LOCB)". Property Location Browser Report. Government of South Australia. 13 November 2008. SA0056539. Archived from the original on 12 October 2016. Retrieved 8 October 2018.
  4. ^ Edward Eyre's Autobiographical Narrative, 1832-1839, Caliban Books, 1984, p. 205.
  5. ^ "OBITUARY". The Advertiser (Adelaide). South Australia. 6 June 1938. p. 16. Retrieved 8 October 2018 – via National Library of Australia. continues in http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article35586120
  6. ^ "Polish Hill River Church Museum". Polish Hill River Church Museum. Retrieved 8 October 2018.