Loxton, South Australia
| Loxton South Australia | |
|---|---|
 Main street | |
  Loxton | |
| Coordinates | 34°27′0″S 140°34′0″E / 34.45000°S 140.56667°ECoordinates: 34°27′0″S 140°34′0″E / 34.45000°S 140.56667°E |
| Population | 7,100 (2011 census)[1] |
| Postcode(s) | 5333 |
| Location | |
| LGA(s) | District Council of Loxton Waikerie |
| State electorate(s) | Chaffey |
| Federal Division(s) | Barker |
Loxton is a town on the south bank of the River Murray in the Riverland region of South Australia. At the 2011 census, Loxton had a population of 3,795.[1] It is a service town for the surrounding districts. The area near Loxton is a significant citrus fruit and summer fruit growing area. Loxton is also the main town for the northern part of the Murray Mallee which is a dryland farming and grain cropping area.
Loxton has a pioneer settlement museum (known as the Loxton Historical Village), preserving the heritage of the mallee region. It is also famous for the "Loxton Lights Up" Christmas Festival in December each year, and the annual 120m Loxton Gift handicap sprint race held in late February.
Loxton is the seat of the local government area of the District Council of Loxton Waikerie. It is in the South Australian House of Assembly electoral district of Chaffey and the Australian House of Representatives division of Barker.
The town is home to a variety of service clubs, most notably the Apex Club, Rotary Club and Lions Club.
Climate
| Climate data for Loxton | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 45.7 (114.3) |
47.1 (116.8) |
41.5 (106.7) |
37.9 (100.2) |
29.6 (85.3) |
25.7 (78.3) |
24.9 (76.8) |
31.0 (87.8) |
35.4 (95.7) |
40.1 (104.2) |
43.6 (110.5) |
44.2 (111.6) |
47.1 (116.8) |
| Average high °C (°F) | 31.9 (89.4) |
31.5 (88.7) |
28.2 (82.8) |
23.9 (75) |
19.6 (67.3) |
16.3 (61.3) |
15.8 (60.4) |
17.6 (63.7) |
20.9 (69.6) |
24.4 (75.9) |
27.6 (81.7) |
29.8 (85.6) |
24.0 (75.2) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 14.7 (58.5) |
14.5 (58.1) |
12.1 (53.8) |
8.6 (47.5) |
6.5 (43.7) |
4.8 (40.6) |
3.9 (39) |
4.4 (39.9) |
6.4 (43.5) |
8.4 (47.1) |
11.3 (52.3) |
13.1 (55.6) |
9.1 (48.4) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 4.8 (40.6) |
6.1 (43) |
3.2 (37.8) |
−1.3 (29.7) |
−3.3 (26.1) |
−5.4 (22.3) |
−4.6 (23.7) |
−4.4 (24.1) |
−3.2 (26.2) |
0.4 (32.7) |
2.7 (36.9) |
4.4 (39.9) |
−5.4 (22.3) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 19.4 (0.764) |
18.7 (0.736) |
12.2 (0.48) |
17.5 (0.689) |
23.7 (0.933) |
25.3 (0.996) |
27.5 (1.083) |
26.6 (1.047) |
26.4 (1.039) |
24.6 (0.969) |
21.6 (0.85) |
24.1 (0.949) |
259.8 (10.228) |
| Average precipitation days | 3.8 | 3.2 | 3.2 | 4.7 | 7.9 | 9.9 | 11.6 | 10.7 | 8.1 | 6.6 | 5.5 | 4.9 | 80.1 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 322.4 | 285.3 | 285.2 | 246.0 | 195.3 | 156.0 | 179.8 | 220.1 | 234.0 | 275.9 | 282.0 | 303.8 | 2,985.8 |
| Source: [2] | |||||||||||||
Transport
The first form of regular transport to Loxton was paddle steamers on the Murray River. The Loxton railway line was completed in 1914[3] connecting via Alawoona and Tailem Bend to Adelaide. Loxton today is connected by road to the Sturt Highway which passes nearby at Kingston-on-Murray and is the northern terminus of the Karoonda Highway and eastern terminus of the Stott Highway. The railway now terminates at the Tookayerta grain terminal a few kilometres out of town, but does not carry passengers, and is anticipated to close completely in 2015.[4]
Salt interception scheme
Loxton is a town with many farms and fruit crops. The joint programme of salt interception schemes to help keep salt out of the River Murray, costing an estimated $60 million, commenced in 2001. This programme was expected to deliver 61 EC at Morgan by December 2007. The partner Governments of New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia and the Commonwealth have agreed that joint salt interception schemes must both be economically and technically feasible.
Loxton Gift
The Loxton Gift athletics carnival offers the most prize money in South Australia apart from the Bay Sheffield held at Glenelg. The program includes races from 70m to 1000m and is the final major South Australian lead-up event to the Stawell Gift held at Easter.
Heritage listings
Loxton has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:
- Bookpurnong Terrace: St Peter's Evangelical Lutheran Church and Hall [5]
- 29 East Terrace: Loxton Institute [6]
- 6 Pflaum Terrace: Loxton Villa [7]
Notable persons born in Loxton
- Emily Beaton (b. 1987), Australian netballer with the Adelaide Thunderbirds, currently in the Australian Diamonds Netball Squad.
- Grant Schubert (b. 1980), Australian field hockey striker, 2004 Summer Olympics gold medalist and 2006 Commonwealth Games gold medalist.
- Sophie Edington (b. 1984), Australian swimmer
- Grantley Fielke (b. 1962), former Australian rules footballer who played for West Adelaide in the SANFL and for both Collingwood and the Adelaide Crows in the VFL-AFL between 1979 and 1997. Magarey medallist in 1985.
References
- 1 2 Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Loxton (Urban Centre/Locality)". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
- ↑ "Loxton Research Centre Averages". Bureau of Meterology. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
- ↑ "LOXTON RAILWAY.". Observer (Adelaide, SA : 1905 - 1931). Adelaide, SA: National Library of Australia. 24 January 1914. p. 34. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
- ↑ "Freight Study & Rail Operations Investigation" (PDF). Flywheel Advisory. Regional Development Australia - Murraylands and Riverland. 17 November 2014. p. 11. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
- ↑ "St Peter's Evangelical Lutheran Church and Hall". South Australian Heritage Register. Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources. Retrieved 28 May 2016.
- ↑ "Loxton Institute, sometime District Council Office". South Australian Heritage Register. Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources. Retrieved 28 May 2016.
- ↑ "Dwelling ('Loxton Villa')". South Australian Heritage Register. Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources. Retrieved 28 May 2016.
External links
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