Eudunda

Eudunda is a rural town in South Australia, roughly 103 kilometres northeast of Adelaide, established in 1870 after settlers began moving into the area in the 1860s.

Eudunda is a rural town in South Australia, roughly 103 kilometres northeast of Adelaide, established in 1870 after settlers began moving into the area in the 1860s. As of the 2006 census, Eudunda had a population of 640.Eudunda is in the Regional Council of Goyder local government area, the South Australian House of Assembly electoral district of Stuart and the Australian House of Representatives Division of Grey.

The earliest European activity in the district was overlanding, centred on Narcoota and the Narcoota Track in the late 1830s.Pastoralism soon followed, with expansive 'runs' being taken up for sheep grazing by men such as Lachlan McBean, Frederick Hansborough Dutton, and William Russell.Several decades then passed before closer settlement began. In the late 1860s, Henry Watson, a Quaker, established a wine store and bar on the site of the Eudunda Hotel Motel, serving passing stockmen. The founder of Eudunda was John Henry Hannan, who owned the land that was surveyed and divided for sale.

In 1874, Friedrich Gotthilf Ernst Appelt opened Appelt's General Store on South Terrace, Eudunda. It was the first trading general store in the town. The building is listed on the South Australian Heritage Register.Railway services were first introduced to Eudunda in 1878, with the opening of the North-West Bend Railway to Morgan. The line was opened by the Governor of South Australia, Sir William Francis Drummond Jervois, on the 18th of October, 1878.In 1878 the District Council of Neales was formed, with the town becoming the centre of the local government area. The District Council lasted until 1932 when it merged with the District Council of Julia to form the District Council of Eudunda. This lasted until 1997 when the Regional Council of Goyder was formed.

In 1895, a meeting of farmers and other interested parties was held at Mann's Hotel (The Eudunda Hotel) to discuss the sale of firewood, predominantly from the Murray Flats around Sutherlands, Bower and Mount Mary, to Adelaide. This was the foundation of the state-wide store franchise, Eudunda Farmer's Co-Operative Society, which later formed Eudunda Farmers.

Eudunda's strong German culture led to a series of events during the First World War that were stoked by anti-German sentiments. A local Lutheran pastor was arrested in early 1915 for having communicated with the then Attorney-General of South Australia, Hermann Homburg, regarding matters of naturalization. Although released shortly thereafter, a further incident occurred on February 12, 1915. Citizen's Forces raided homes and businesses of German-born and Australian-born residents. Sentries were posted outside the town stopping travellers in and out. Although the raiders discovered nothing, the raid was also served to demonstrate that authorities were determined to suppress any disloyal feelings.On the 16th of November, 1920, world-renowned author, Colin Thiele, was born at Mutter Knabe's Nursing Home in Eudunda. His upbringing in nearby Julia, and his two-year education in Eudunda, served as great inspiration for many of his writings.

In 1950, Laucke Flour Mills acquired the prominent grain-mill building on Gunn Street, which had previously been owned by Edwin Davey.