Established 1871 Time zone ACST (UTC+9:30) Local time Thursday 12:11 PM | Postcode(s) 5262 Postal code 5262 Federal division Division of Barker | |
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Population 533 (shared with other localities in the “State Suburb of Wild Dog Valley”) (2011 census) Location 291 km (181 mi) SE of Adelaide
32 km (20 mi) NE of Naracoorte LGA(s) Naracoorte Lucindale Council Weather 21°C, Wind SW at 26 km/h, 42% Humidity | ||
Frances is a locality in the Australian state of South Australia located about 291 kilometres (181 mi) south-east of the state capital, Adelaide and about 32 kilometres (20 mi) south-east of the municipal seat of Naracoorte in the state's Limestone Coast region and adjoining the border with the State of Victoria.
Map of Frances SA 5262, Australia
Frances began as a government town first surveyed in July 1871 and then resurveyed in January. Its name is reported as being derived from the name of the wife of "Mr Henry Jones of Binnum Station." Boundaries of the locality were created in April 2001.
For much of its history, Frances was a railway town on the Mount Gambier railway line, which runs from Wolseley in the north to Mount Gambier in the south. A State Road, Frances Road, runs from Bordertown through Frances to Hynam. Despite the closure of the railway on 12 April 1995, Frances continues to be a receiving point for grain, with several silos.
Every February, Frances hosts the Frances Folk Gathering, a weekend-long folk music festival, with the whole town given over to music and visitors. This tradition began in 2000.
Frances is located within the federal division of Barker, the state electoral district of MacKillop and the local government area of the Naracoorte Lucindale Council.