Clare, South Australia

Clare South Australia
Main North Road, looking north (Note the former town hall on the right side of main street)
Clare
Coordinates	33°50′0″S 138°36′0″E / 33.83333°S 138.60000°E / -33.83333; 138.60000Coordinates: 33°50′0″S 138°36′0″E / 33.83333°S 138.60000°E / -33.83333; 138.60000
Population	3,160 (2016 census)[1]
Established	1842
Postcode(s)	5453
Elevation	392 m (1,286 ft)
Location	136 km (85 mi) north of Adelaide 92 km (57 mi) north of Gawler
LGA(s)	District Council of Clare and Gilbert Valleys
Region	Yorke and Mid North[2]
State electorate(s)	Frome
Federal Division(s)	Grey
Localities around Clare: Benbournie Bungaree Stanley Flat Barinia Armagh Boconnoc Park Blyth Clare Hill River Farrell Flat Emu Flat Kybunga Sevenhill Penwortham Polish Hill River Mintaro

The town of Clare is located in South Australia in the Mid North region, 136 km north of Adelaide. It gives its name to the Clare Valley wine and tourist region.^{[citation needed]}

At the 2016 census, Clare itself had a population of 3160^[1] as part of an urban area with 3327 people.^[3]

History[]

Clare Girls Band 1914

The first European to explore the district was John Hill, who in April 1839 discovered and named the Wakefield River and Hutt River. In early 1840 the first European settlers arrived in the district, led by John Horrocks. The town itself was established in 1842 by Edward Burton Gleeson, and named after his ancestral home of County Clare in Ireland,^[4] although the town was first named Inchiquin after Gleeson's property. Lake Inchiquin is now the name of a reservoir located to the north of the town, near the golf club. The layout of the town's road system was apparently designed by a draughtsman in Adelaide, without any knowledge of the local geography.^{[citation needed]} There are several roads in Clare that end abruptly at a cliff face, only to continue again at the top of the cliff.

The District Council of Clare was established in 1853 and was joined in 1868 by a corporate municipality, the Corporation of Clare. The corporate town seceded from the district council to provide dedicated local government to the township but re-amalgamated with the district council in 1969.

A railway line was built from Riverton to Clare in 1918 and on to Spalding in 1922. It closed in 1974 and the tracks were removed in the 1980s after damage caused by the Ash Wednesday fires of 1983. The alignment now carries the Riesling Trail walking and cycling trail.

In 1997 Clare and the surrounding district became a part of the much larger District Council of Clare and Gilbert Valleys for the purpose of local governance.

Clare is the original location of the Stanley Wine Company, founded in 1894 by Joseph Herman Knappstein;^[5] the brand is now owned by Accolade Wines for cask wine packaged for the "drink now" market. Local winery "Mr. Mick's" is named for Stanley Wine's Managing Director (1962-1976) Carl Knappstein, known as "Mick", the legendary Stanley Wine Maker.^[6]

The town today[]

Bentley Hotel, Clare

As one of the larger towns in the region, Clare is an administrative and service centre for the surrounding area. It has two supermarkets, many other specialty stores, two public and two private schools, three hotels, two motels, a caravan park, race course and showground.

Clare has become recognised for its 'experiences', including the Riesling Trail walking and cycling route from 9 km north of Clare to Auburn (25 km), on the former railway alignment, so named as it weaves past vineyards and wineries, and continuing to Riverton as the Rattler Trail. The Riesling Trail also makes up a small section of the popular, 900 km (560 mi) Mawson Trail which stretches up to the Flinders Ranges.^[7] Clare is the starting point of the Lavender Federation Trail which traverses the eastern side of the Mount Lofty Ranges past the Barossa Valley through to Murray Bridge.^[8] The Clare Valley wine region continues within the same line of hills as the famous Barossa Valley, and also produces wine.

Attractions[]

Chateau Clare wine barrels

The township of Clare is home to two wineries at opposite ends of the town:

• The Knappstein Enterprise Winery, 2 Pioneer Ave, Clare SA
• Mr. Mick Cellar Door and Restaurant, 7 Dominic St, Clare SA

and a half-dozen restaurants in and around Clare, counting Cellar Door Restaurants at surrounding wineries. A further dozen or more wineries surround the town: Taylors Wines, Jim Barry Wines, Kirrihill, Kilikanoon, Tim Adams Wines, and Shut The Gate Wines. The Clare Valley contains over forty cellar doors and wineries in all.^[9]

• A third Clare Winery was The Clarevale Cooperative Winery,^[10] the buildings of which still survive in Lennon Street Clare across from the Clarevale Cottage, the Manager’s home. This winery was founded in 1930, with a loan of 8,000 pounds from the State Government, but started crushing wine in 1929. It was later taken over by Kaiser Stuhl.
• The Clare Valley Visitor Information Centre is incorporated within the Clare Valley Wine, Food and Tourism Centre, located 3 km south of Clare on the Horrocks Highway, at 8 Spring Gully Rd, Clare SA.

Looking up the Main street (Horrocks Highway) of Clare, South Australia, in 2009, with the tower of the old Town Hall.

The same view of Main Street Clare over 100 years ago; from the women's dress and lack of motor vehicles, this is prior to 1910.

• The Clare Museum of the National Trust of SA is at the Corner, Neagles Rock Road and Victoria Road Clare 5453 SA, about 1 km South of Main Street
• The popular Clare Regional History Group has a large collection of historical books, newspapers and memorabilia at the Clare Town Hall.
• The Monthly Clare Market is held on the first Saturday of the Month at Ennis Park, alongside the Clare Town Hall.
• The Clare Mini-railway at the "Lakeside Railway": The Clare Valley Model Engineers have a railway with over one kilometre of track that features several bridges and a tunnel in a 10 hectare park. and the train operates every second and fourth weekend of each month at Melrose Park, Phoenix Ave, Clare SA.

The Riesling Trail

• The Gleeson Wetlands, including Lake Inchiquin, has a flat easy walking path, with the opportunity to view many native birds in their natural habitat. There are two picnic shelters, and a bird hide. Further along there is a pathway through Melrose Park which links to the Riesling Trail.
• Clare Valley Art Gallery has an extensive range of contemporary Utopian Indigenous Art, with regular visiting artists, at 28 Horrocks Highway, Clare
• The Clare Art House has exhibits, presentations, art and craft workshops and lessons, 8 Mill Street Clare
• The Riesling Trail runs past the location of the old Clare Railway Station, and extends up the valley to Auburn.
• Bungaree Station, 12 km north of Clare has sandstone Woolshed, Shearers Quarters, Stable Yard, Station Store, Managers House, staff cottages and B&B accommodation, and even the old District Council Chambers and a Church. It is still a working farm, run by the 4th, 5th and 6th generations of the Hawker family.

"Australia was Riding on the Sheep's Back"^[11] meaning that, for much of Australia's recent history wool has been the basis of the national economy and the country's major export. Those graziers who grew the wool had come to symbolise and epitomise what it was to be Australian.

These 1906 photographs shows a mob of 1,960 sheep which had just walked to Bungaree from Paralana Station in the Northern Flinders Ranges (also run by the Hawker Family). The particular interest of this photo of Bungaree is that it later became famous, when an engraving was made of it and it was used on both the £50 and £1000 Australian banknotes.

Reverse of fifty pound note Australia c 1918 showing Bungaree with sheep

Governance[]

Clare is governed at the local level by the District Council of Clare and Gilbert Valleys. Clare lies in the state electoral district of Frome and the federal electoral Division of Grey.

Geography/climate[]

Clare is situated on the eponymous Clare Valley along the path of the Hutt River, about 10 km (6.2 mi) west of the and 3.5 km (2.2 mi) west of . The Skilly Hills rise to the south-west and the rise to the north-west.

Notable people[]

Notable people from or who have lived in Clare include:

• William Adey, educationist^[13]
• Peter Albany Bell, caterer and philanthropist^[14]
• Luke Dunstan, Australian rules football player
• Albert Fryar, philatelist and sportsman
• Charles Hawker, politician^[15]
• Riley Knight, Australian rules football player
• H. H. Tilbrook, co-founder of The Northern Argus, and photographer

See also[]

• Clare Valley
• Stanley Football Association

References[]

External links[]

• Manning, Geoffrey. "Place Names: Clare". Manning Index of South Australian History. State Library of South Australia. Retrieved 9 August 2017.
• "Clare Regional History Group". Retrieved 9 August 2017.
• "Clare Museum of the National Trust of S.A."