Pinnaroo is a town in the Murray Mallee region of South Australia, near the border with Victoria, 243 km east of Adelaide. Pinnaroo is on the north side of the Mallee Highway, and on the railway line between Tailem Bend and Ouyen. The roadhouse on the highway at Pinnaroo is the first "food and leg-stretch" stop on the bus route from Adelaide to Sydney.
History
The town's name is derived from a word for "big man" in a local Aboriginal language. The railway arrived in the area in 1906. There had not been any significant development in the area before that, as the remoteness and difficulty of getting supplies in and produce out had made it uneconomic to farm before that.
Economy
The railway is not currently available for transport between the states, as the line from Tailem Bend was converted to standard gauge and more recently mothballed forcing grain to be trucked to the port. The town has become a major centre for growing potatoes since around 1990.
Recreation
Pinnaroo has a show and field days every year at the start of October. The Pinnaroo Show features dog trials, agricultural tents, competitions, horse events, keg tosses, animal judging and fireworks. The show attracts large crowds each year.
The Peebinga Conservation Park is north of Pinnaroo, Karte Conservation Park 30 km north-west, and the much larger Ngarkat Conservation Park is south of the town,
Government
Pinnaroo is the seat of the local government area of the Southern Mallee District Council, and is in the state electoral district of Chaffey and the federal division of Barker.
The school regularly takes part in interschool sports with neighbouring schools, Lameroo and Geranium, in swimming and athletics. The school also takes part in the South Australian Public Schools Amateur Sports Association (SAPSASA) with the Murray Mallee team in sports such as Australian rules football, cricket, athletics, swimming, golf, softball, tennis, netball and basketball. The school has four classrooms, a GP room, an art and technical centre, a home economics centre, an FM radio station, a swimming pool, two ovals, outdoor tennis, netball and basketball courts, and a full-size gymnasium.
Tourism
Pinnaroo is home to the Mallee Tourist and Heritage Centre, which apart from displays on local farming history, has well-maintained and presented collections relative to three distinct topics: history of wheat breeding (featuring the D. A. Wurfel grain collection); an extensive range of restored farm machinery, based on the Gum Family Collection, which includes a replica Ridley stripper; and letterpress printing. The museum is supported by the Pinnaroo Historical Society.
Gallery
<gallery>
File:PinnarooMainStreet1.JPG|Main Street
File:PinnarooMainStreet2.JPG|Main Street
File:PinnarooSA.JPG|Main Street
File:PinnarooPostOffice.JPG|Post Office
File:PinnarooAnglicanChurch.JPG|Anglican Church
File:PinnarooChurch.JPG|Church
File:PinnarooLutheranChurch.JPG|Lutheran Church
File:PinnarooFountain.JPG|Fountain
File:PinnarooGoldenGrainHotel.JPG|Golden Grain Hotel
File:PinnarooHotel.JPG|Pinnaroo Hotel
File:PinnarooInstitute.JPG|Pinnaroo Institute
File:PinnarooMemorialClock.JPG|Memorial Clock
File:PinnarooSoldiersMemorialHospital.JPG|Memorial Hospital
File:PinnarooWarMemorial.JPG|War Memorial
</gallery>
External links
- Mallee Tourist and Heritage Centre
- Pinnaroo Historical Society