Dawson, South Australia

Dawson South Australia
Dawson
Coordinates	32°48′14″S 138°58′30″E / 32.804°S 138.975°ECoordinates: 32°48′14″S 138°58′30″E / 32.804°S 138.975°E
Established	1881
Postcode(s)	5720[1]
Location	25 km (16 mi) NE of Peterborough
LGA(s)	District Council of Peterborough
State electorate(s)	Stuart[1]
Federal Division(s)	Grey[1]
Localities around Dawson: Erskine Cavenagh Paratoo Minvalara Dawson Nackara Minvalara Ucolta Parnaroo Oodla Wirra

Dawson is a rural locality in the Mid North region of South Australia, situated in the District Council of Peterborough. It covers the entirety of the cadastral Hundred of Coglin, with the exception of the small town of Oodla Wirra.^[1]

The government town of Dawson was surveyed in February 1881; it was often referred to as Coglin in its early years. It was founded as part of an attempt to establish wheat farming north of Goyder's Line, but this proved unsuccessful in the long term, and the Crystal Brook-Broken Hill railway line bypassed Dawson, instead running further south through Oodla Wirra and Peterborough. Coglin Post Office opened in 1881, was renamed Dawson Post Office in April 1882, and closed on 14 August 1971.^[2][3][4]

The 1880s saw the construction of Primitive Methodist, Anglican and Catholic churches; the former Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church (1886) survives and is listed on the South Australian Heritage Register.^[5] The Dawson Hotel was built in 1883.^[6] A public school opened in 1885 after several years of agitation from local residents.^[3][7][8] Local government came to the area in 1888 with the District Council of Coglin; it met alternately at Dawson and Lancelot until 1899, when the council seat shifted to Penn (now Oodla Wirra).^[9] At its peak, Dawson also had multiple stores, an institute, an agricultural bureau, and a blacksmith.^[3]

Very little of the former town survives today. It contains the heritage-listed former Catholic church, the Dawson Hall, and the former school, now a private residence. The Dawson Cemetery on Dawson Gorge Road and Dawson War Memorial on Dawson-Peterborough Road also remain.^[10][11] The Dawson Hotel closed in 1961, and survives as a substantial ruin at Dawson's main crossroads.^[12]

References

1. "Search result(s) for Dawson, 5422". Location SA Map Viewer. Government of South Australia. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
2. "Search result(s) for Dawson, 5422". Property Location Browser. Government of South Australia. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
3. "Dawson". South Australian History. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
4. "Dawson". Post Office Reference. Premier Postal. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
5. "Former Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church". South Australian Heritage Register. Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
6. "Advertising". South Australian Register. XLVIII, (11,442). South Australia. 17 July 1883. p. 7. Retrieved 19 March 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
7. "ANGAS V. COWAN AND OTHERS.". South Australian Register. XLVIII, (11,485). South Australia. 5 September 1883. p. 4. Retrieved 19 March 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
8. "GENERAL NEWS.". The Express And Telegraph. XX, (5,910). South Australia. 18 September 1883. p. 2 (SECOND EDITION). Retrieved 19 March 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
9. Marsden, Susan (2012). "A History of South Australian Councils to 1936" (PDF). Local Government Association of South Australia. p. 41. Retrieved 30 October 2015.
10. "Dawson Cemetery". District Council of Peterborough. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
11. "Dawson War Memorial". Retrieved 19 March 2016.
12. "Ruins of the Dawson Hotel [B 55509] • Photograph". State Library of South Australia. Retrieved 19 March 2016.