The town name is a shortened form of 'Yackamoorundie' an indigenous place name for the area which was used to name Yackamoorundie Creek. The creek, which rises north of Caltowie, makes a significant bend from flowing southwards to flowing westwards near Gulnare about 11 kilometres (6.8 mi), as the crow flies, north-west of Yacka.[2]
Yacka was a station on the Hamley Bridge-Gladstone railway line. It was originally built as narrow gauge in 1894. It was converted to broad gauge in 1927. Due to various reasons, this particular line had become obsolete and the tracks were removed by late 1989.
^"Placename Details: Yacka". Property Location Browser. Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure, Government of South Australia. 31 March 2010. SA0058752. Retrieved 3 September 2015. Derivation of Name: Abbreviation of Yackamoorundie; Other Details: Town surveyed in 1870, no proclamation. Native name Yaka. Derivation probably from Yackamoorundie Creek. Boundaries created in April 2001 for long established name. Incorporates the Government Town of Yacka.