Roxby Downs

Roxby Downs is a town and locality in the Australian state of South Australia about 511 kilometres (318 mi) north of the state capital of Adelaide.

Roxby Downs is a town and locality in the Australian state of South Australia about511 kilometres (318 mi) north of the state capital of Adelaide. The town has a highly transient population of around 4,000 people.Roxby Downs has many leisure and community facilities including swimming, cinema, cultural precinct, community radio, shopping centre, schools, TAFE, cafes and sporting clubs and facilities. There are just two neighbouring towns in the area: Andamooka, an opal mining town about 30 km to the east, and Woomera, 84 km south of Roxby Downs. Andamooka people call the town home, and many are of European background since the days of early opal mining.

The town of Roxby Downs was built in 1842 within the traditional lands of the Kokatha. The land survey commenced in November 1986 with the aim of servicing the Olympic Dam mine and processing plant located 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) north of the site of the town. Roxby Downs was officially opened on 5 November 1988. The opening was celebrated with a "town party" held on the main oval and sponsored by the then owners of the operation Olympic Dam Project (O.D.P.). The town is subject to a specific Indenture Act and is administered by the Municipal Council of Roxby Downs in the form of an appointed Administrator.

Like most of inland South Australia, Roxby Downs has a desert climate, with little rainfall all year round, however Roxby Downs is in one of the driest areas of the state. Summers are scorching hot, with temperatures over 45 °C, while winters can be cold with temperatures below freezing.