Mallala, South Australia
| Mallala South Australia | |||||||||||||
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  Mallala | |||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 34°26′17″S 138°30′36″E / 34.438°S 138.51°ECoordinates: 34°26′17″S 138°30′36″E / 34.438°S 138.51°E | ||||||||||||
| Population | 737 (2006 census)[1] | ||||||||||||
| Established | 1840 | ||||||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 5502 | ||||||||||||
| Elevation | 41 m (135 ft) | ||||||||||||
| LGA(s) | Adelaide Plains Council[2] | ||||||||||||
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| Footnotes |
Coordinates[2] Adjoining localities[2] | ||||||||||||
Mallala is a small town about 58 kilometres (36 mi) north of Adelaide in South Australia. The name Mallala is thought to be derived from the local Aboriginal word 'madlola' which supposedly meant 'place of the ground frog'.[3][4] At the 2006 census, Mallala had a population of 737.[1] It is approximately 64.2 kilometres (39.9 mi) from the Adelaide city centre.
RAAF Base Mallala and Mallala Motor Sport Park
In 1939 the Royal Australian Air Force established a base called RAAF Base Mallala to the north of the Mallala township. The base was originally used for advanced training for RAAF pilots. The base was subsequently closed in May 1960 and the land was sold at auction in early 1961.[5] Later that year the then 3.38 km (2.1 mi) Mallala Race Circuit opened on 19 August 1961, and less than two months later was the chosen site for the 1961 Australian Grand Prix. The circuit, now totalling 2.601 km (1.616 mi), has also hosted rounds of the Australian Touring Car Championship, the V8 Supercars as well as the Australian Drivers' Championship. The Mallala Motor Sport Park, as the circuit is now known, is also used by the South Australian Police for driver training and assessment, and hosts the Historic Mallala event held each Easter.
World War I Memorial
At Mallala's centre is a World War I war memorial in the centre of the intersection of eight roads. Its insignia reads: 'In honour of ten men who died in defence of home and liberty' in memory of ten local men who were killed in Egypt, France and Palestine.[4] The memorial consists of a base made of ten granite stones in each step of the base topped with ten arched stones to form a hemisphere showing a map of Australia. The hemisphere supports a ten-sided column the names of the ten soldiers which is topped by ten marble pillars and a plinth displaying the Cross of Sacrifice. The history of the ten soldiers and the broader service history of the district forms a major collection at the Mallala Museum.
Mallala Equestrian Centre
The international standard equestrian centre east of the township is the venue for national show jumping and related event competitions.[6]
See also
References
- 1 2 Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Mallala (L) (Urban Centre/Locality)". 2006 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 26 September 2011.
- 1 2 3 "Search result for "Mallala (Locality bounded)" (Record no.SA0002214) with the following layers selected - "Suburbs and Localities" and " Place names (gazetteer)"". Property Location Browser. Government of South Australia. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
- ↑ "Manning Index of SA - 'Mallala'".
- 1 2 "Mallala: Tiny sleepy little wheatbelt township". The Age. Melbourne. 8 February 2004.
- ↑ "Mallala". RAAF Museum. Retrieved 21 May 2014.
- ↑ "MALLALA EQUESTRIAN CENTRE". MALLALA EQUESTRIAN CENTRE. Retrieved 21 May 2014.
Further reading
- Two Wells, Mallala and District History Book Committee, (1985), Life around the Light; a History of the Mallala District Council Area, The Community Development Board of the Council District of Mallala, Mallala, SA (ISBN 0 9588959 0 2)