The County of Taunton covers the part of South Australia extending from the east coast of Lake Torrens for about 100 kilometres (62 mi) and extending a distance of 60 kilometres (37 mi) north of its boundary in the south with the counties of Blachford, Hanson and Derby from west to east. It is the most northerly county in South Australia.[1][3][2]
The county has a physical landscape consisting of a portion of the Flinders Ranges in its east and the floodplains draining from the ranges to Lake Torrens in its west.[1]
The county is served by one principal road, The Outback Highway, which passes through the county in a north-south direction from Hawker in the south through the hundreds of Edeowie, Bunyeroo, Nipena and Parachilna to Leigh Creek in the north via Parachilna.[1]
The Marree railway line passes through the county in a north-south direction generally in parallel with The Outback Highway.[1]
Statutory land use within the county is limited to four main zones. Firstly, land between Lake Torrens and The Outback Highway which is zoned as ‘pastoral’ is intended to be predominantly used for “the grazing of livestock” while ensuring that these activities do not affect the “preservation of the natural environment and character of the zone.” Land which is located east of The Outback Highway and in the main body of the Flinders Ranges is placed in two zones – ‘environment class A’ and ‘environmental class B’ where built development, agriculture and mining are more highly controlled or even prohibited in some situations to conserve and protect “the natural character and environment of the area.” Fourthly, land in the east of the county and in parts of its north that are outside of the alignment of the ranges is zoned ‘pastoral landscape’ to control development, agriculture and mining to preserve “the environmental and scenic qualities of the foreground of the most prominent ranges.”[4][1]
The following hundreds have been proclaimed within the county - Carr in 1877, Bunyeroo, Edeowie, Nilpena and Parachilna in 1881, and Oratunga in 1895.[9]
Constituent hundreds
Location of constituent hundreds
The hundreds are laid out from west to east in three columns as follows:[3]
Nilpena, Parachilna, Bunyeroo and Edeowie (from north to south)
Oratunga and,
Carr.
The total area of the hundreds accounts for 1,610 square kilometres (622 sq mi) out of the county’s total area of 5,560 square kilometres (2,147 sq mi) or 29% of the county's area.[1][10][11][12][13][14]
Hundred of Bunyeroo
The Hundred of Bunyeroo (31°20′45″S138°25′12″E / 31.345952°S 138.419987°E / -31.345952; 138.419987 (Hundred of Bunyeroo)) was proclaimed on 1 December 1881. It covers an area of 310 square kilometres (120 sq mi) and its name was derived from the botanical name for “a rank variety of saltbush” which may be of Aboriginal origin which had been used previously for a nearby hill and for a nearby pastoral property. It is entirely located within the boundaries of the locality of Flinders Ranges.[10][15][16]
^ abcAyers, Henry (18 January 1877). "untitled (proclamation of new counties)"(PDF). The South Australian Government Gazette. 1877. Government of South Australia: 96–97. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
^ abc"HUNDRED MAP Series Index Map"(PDF). Department of Environment and Heritage, Government of South Australia. December 2008. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
^"Blinman". Outback Communities Authority. Government of South Australia. 2017. Archived from the original on 3 January 2018. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
^"Parachilna". Outback Communities Authority. Government of South Australia. 2017. Archived from the original on 3 January 2018. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
^ abcdAyers, Henry (1 December 1881). "untitled (proclamation of new counties)"(PDF). The South Australian Government Gazette. 1881 (52). Government of South Australia: 1609–1610. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
^Ayers, Henry (3 May 1877). "untitled (proclamation of new counties)"(PDF). The South Australian Government Gazette. 1881 (20). Government of South Australia: 1029. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
