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Keith South Australia
Hender Street in 2022
Keith
Coordinates	36°05′57″S 140°21′15″E / 36.099108°S 140.354126°E / -36.099108; 140.354126
Population	1,076 (town) (2016 census) 1,355 (locality) (2016 census)
Established	5 September 1669(town) 16 March 2000 (locality)
Postcode(s)	5267
Elevation	31 m (102 ft)
Time zone	ACST (UTC+9:30)
• Summer (DST)	ACST (UTC+10:30)
LGA(s)	Tatiara District Council
Region	Limestone Coast
County	MacDonnell
State electorate(s)	MacKillop
Federal division(s)	Barker
Mean max temp Mean min temp Annual rainfall 22.2 °C 72 °F 9.1 °C 48 °F 462.0 mm 18.2 in
Localities around Keith: Coombe Coombe Coombe Mount Charles Laffer Keith Sherwood Brimbago Petherick Willalooka Carew
Footnotes	Adjoining localities

Keith is a town and a locality in the Australian state of South Australia located in the state's south-east about 225 kilometres (140 mi) from the state capital of Adelaide at the junction of the Dukes Highway and the Riddoch Highway. It is sometimes referred to as the 'lucerne capital of Australia' due to the high number of lucerne growers in the region.

The 2016 Australian census which was conducted in August 2016 reports that Keith had a population of 1355 people of which 1076 lived in the town centre.

History

A large granite outcrop outside the town called Mount Monster was a basis for the area's name until it was surveyed in 1884 and officially proclaimed Keith in 1889. It is believed that the town is named after the home town of the Governor of South Australia at the time, Lord Kintore. His home in Aberdeenshire in Scotland was called Keith Hall and he was also known as Earl of Kintore. The Post Office opened around 1874 as Mount Monster and was renamed Keith in 1904. In 1905 the general store was opened, and in 1907 the education department rented rooms out of the local institute to use as the school. 1910 saw the opening of Keith Hotel and the town's provisional school became a public school in 1912.

During the 1940s, the CSIRO found prosperity in the area. With the addition of trace elements, the area became a very productive area. The AMP Society funded the clearing of land to set up farming establishments. A Land Rover sits a top a pole in a historical landmark in the town. In 1957, the local school was made into an area school to accommodate the influx of students.

On 16 March 2000, boundaries were created for the locality of Keith. These align with those of the cadastral unit of the Hundred of Stirling and include the Government Town of Keith.

Today

Several historical buildings still stand today, and many are still in use. The first school building built in the township is still in use by the school. The 1910 church with contemporary lead light windows inspired by local history is a common tourist attraction.

Local artist James Darling designed the local water feature, which celebrates the cycle of water through the Australian landscape and the region's widespread water irrigation.

The local industry is predominantly grain production and livestock grazing. More recently, olive production has been gaining momentum around the area, with a large processing plant opening recently.

The town slogan is 'You're in the good country now' and can be found on stubby holders and fridge magnets at the town's main roadhouse.

The town has an Australian Rules football team competing in the Kowree-Naracoorte-Tatiara Football League.

Governance

Keith is in the Tatiara District Council, the state Electoral district of MacKillop and the federal division of Barker.

Notable residents

• Chris Bailey, rock musician
• Andy Caldecott – Professional motorcycle rider who won four Australian Safari races, and competed in the Paris Dakar Rally in 2004 (DNF) and was placed 6th in the 2005 race. He died from a severe neck injury during the ninth stage of the Paris Dakar Rally in 2006.
• Simon Cox – Professional Australian Rules Footballer, played AFL for the Hawthorn Hawks and Western Bulldogs.
• James Darling – Artist.
• Jack Redden – Professional AFL player for the West Coast Eagles
• Les Densley (14 Sep 1894 – 14 Nov 1974). Pioneering farmer of the Keith district and Member of the Legislative Council of South Australia from 1944 to 1967.

Climate

Keith has a Mediterranean climate with mild, damp winters and warm to hot, dry summers. In the months of January and February 2014, Keith broke its record high temperature on two occasions, recording 46.0 °C on 14 January and 46.5 °C on 2 February, breaking the previous record by 0.5 °C and 1 °C respectively. On 20 December 2019 a maximum temperature of 49.2 °C was recorded.

References

1. ^ "Search results for 'Keith, LOCB' with the following datasets selected – 'Suburbs and localities', 'Counties', 'Hundreds', 'Local Government Areas', 'SA Government Regions' and 'Gazetteer'". Location SA Map Viewer. South Australian Government. Retrieved 5 January 2019.
2. ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Keith (Urban Centre/Locality)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 5 January 2019.
3. ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Concord (State Suburb)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
4. "Untitled proclamation re the Town of Keith" (PDF). The South Australian Government Gazette. South Australian Government. 5 September 1889. pp. 1003–1004. Retrieved 28 April 2018.
5. ^ Lawson, Robert (16 March 2000). "Geographical Names Act 1991 – Notice to Assign Names and Boundaries to Places (in the District Council of Tatiara)" (PDF). The South Australian Government Gazette. South Australian Government. p. 1434. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
6. "Search results for 'Keith Railway Station' with the following datasets selected – 'Suburbs and Localities', "Government Towns' and 'Gazetteer'". Location SA Map Viewer. South Australian Government. Retrieved 28 April 2018.
7. ^ "Search result for "Sherwood (Locality Bounded)" (Record no SA0034490 with the following layers selected – "Suburbs and Localities", "County", "Hundred", "Place names (gazetteer)", "Road Labels" and "Development Plan Layers"". Property Location Browser. Government of South Australia. Archived from the original on 12 October 2016. Retrieved 18 March 2017.
8. "Limestone Coast SA Government region" (PDF). The Government of South Australia. Retrieved 10 October 2014.
9. "District of MacKillop Background Profile". Electoral Commission SA. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
10. "Federal electoral division of Barker" (PDF). Australian Electoral Commission. Retrieved 28 March 2016.
11. ^ "Keith". Climate statistics for Australian locations. Bureau of Meteorology. April 2014. Retrieved 3 April 2014.
12. Phoenix Auctions History, Post Office List, retrieved 30 March 2021
13. Full Points Footy, Kowree-Naracoorte-Tatiara, archived from the original on 13 May 2007, retrieved 25 July 2008
14. "James Darling". Australian-Art-Gallery.com. Archived from the original on 18 June 2014. Retrieved 18 June 2014.
15. Statistical Record of the Legislature 1836–2007 (PDF) (Report). Parliament of South Australia. pp. 31–34. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 March 2019. Retrieved 18 June 2014.
16. "Keith, South Australia January 2014 Daily Weather Observations". Daily Summaries. Australian Bureau of Meteorology. 31 January 2014. Archived from the original on 7 April 2014. Retrieved 3 April 2014.
17. "Keith, South Australia February 2014 Daily Weather Observations". Daily Summaries. Australian Bureau of Meteorology. 28 February 2014. Archived from the original on 7 April 2014. Retrieved 3 April 2014.
18. ^ "Highest daily maximum temperatures for Australia – 20 December 2019". bom.gov.au. Bureau of Meteorology. Retrieved 29 December 2019.

External links

• Tatiara District Council – Keith
• FairfaxDigital travel – Keith

• Towns in South Australia
• Limestone Coast