Population 38 (2006 census) Postcode(s) 5710 LGA(s) Unincorporated area Elevation 204 m Local time Monday 10:14 AM | Established 1901 Time zone ACST (UTC+9:30) Founded 1901 Postal code 5710 Federal division Division of Grey | |
 | ||
Location 602 km (374 mi) NW of Adelaide city centre
416 km (258 mi) NNW of Port Augusta Weather 23°C, Wind S at 24 km/h, 51% Humidity | ||
Tarcoola is a town in the Far North of South Australia 416 kilometres (258 mi) north-northwest of Port Augusta. At the 2006 census, the Tarcoola district had a population of 38.
Contents
Map of Tarcoola SA 5701, Australia
Tarcoola is taken from a non-local aboriginal language from an area around Tarcoola Station in New South Wales; it means river bend.
History
The Tarcoola Goldfield was discovered in 1893, but it was in an isolated arid area, and there was little development until 1900. A Post Office opened on 18 August 1900 and the town was proclaimed on 21 February 1901. It was named after Tarcoola the winner of the 1893 Melbourne Cup horse race. The horse Tarcoola had been raised on Tarcoola Station on the Darling River.
The goldfield's heyday was from about 1901 to 1918. A government battery was built to process ore from small mines. Between 1901 and 1954 the field produced about 77,000oz (2.4 tonnes) of gold, most of it from the Tarcoola Blocks mine.
The Trans-Australian Railway was built through Tarcoola in 1915, and in 2004 the Adelaide–Darwin railway diverged from Tarcoola to Darwin.
The town is almost completely deserted today except for transient railway maintenance staff and geological exploration teams. The original Tarcoola goldfields are long closed. However, there is now new exploration for minerals in the wider area, including the Challenger Mine.
The Tarcoola Goldfield, Battery and Township is listed on the South Australian Heritage Register as a designated place of archaeological significance.
Rail
Tarcoola is now best known as a junction of the Sydney-Perth and Adelaide-Darwin railways, which share the same approximately 530 kilometres (329 mi) of track between Tarcoola and Crystal Brook. There is a triangular junction at Tarcoola which joins Crystal Brook, Darwin and Perth. Another triangular junction at Crystal Brook joins Tarcoola, Adelaide and Sydney.
The Ghan and the Indian Pacific passenger services through Tarcoola both run once per week in each direction all year round, and twice per week at various times. The mail for Tarcoola arrives by train.
Governance
Tarcoola is located within the federal division of Grey, the state electoral district of Giles and the unincorporated area of South Australia.
Climate
Tarcoola has a desert climate with hot, dry summers and mild winters and sparse rainfall throughout the year.