Description
This painting of iris flowers in a garden was inspired by a recent holiday in South Australia’s near north.
Even though it has a very dry climate, there are some beautiful gardens, full of colourful spring flowers.
THE TOWN OF PETERBOROUGH
Peterborough is a town in the mid north of South Australia, in wheat country, just off the Barrier Highway. 220 km north of Adelaide.
At the 2016 census, Peterborough had a population of 1,416.
Prior to the arrival of Europeans the area was home to people from the Ngadjuri Aboriginal people.
Peterborough was established in 1879. It was originally named Petersburg after the landowner, Peter Doecke, who sold land to create the town.
It was one of 69 places in South Australia renamed in 1917 due to anti-German sentiments during World War I.
The first settlers in the area purchased land from the government in 1875.
The first building in the town was constructed four years later.
By 1880 a hotel and post office had been erected, followed by a school in 1883, and a town hall in 1884.
Peterborough is a rare railway town where, because state governments could not agree on a standarised railway gauge, three railway gauges (broad – 5’3″, standard 4’8 1/2″ and narrow 3’6”) once met.
The town became hugely important as a railway link between the iron ore mines at Broken Hill and the iron and steel processing at Port Pirie. At its height over one hundred trains a day were passing through the town
Between 1911 and 1914 the railway through Peterborough was recognised as the busiest single track in the world.
The Ghan rail from Adelaide to Alice Springs passed through Peterborough from 1929.
1970 saw the first Intercontinental train from Sydney to Perth pass through the town.
Today the town is a small service centre for the surrounding farms.