Gumeracha: Keith visits this fascinating town in the Adelaide Hills region of South Australia

Rolling hills, quiet streets and handsome buildings are all quintessential characteristics of a host of attractive country towns in our Adelaide Hills. One such town is Gumeracha.

Set in the beautiful Torrens Valley, 40 kilometres north-east of Adelaide, Gumeracha is a town proud of its heritage and its links with the State's history. And why not? There's a lot to be proud of and they've got Englishman, William Beavis Randell to thank for that. Randell arrived in South Australia in 1837 and when he ventured into the hills he liked what he saw - so much so, he bought a thousand acres. His long connection with the town he founded began at the Ring of Oaks.

Pam Hale, Gumeracha History Centre: “Originally there were 14 oak trees making up the Ring of Oaks, now there are only seven. This where William Beavis Randell came over the hill from Adelaide and discovered a group of the Peramangk Aboriginal people sitting by a spring. They called the waterhole ‘Umer-acha’ which means the lovely waterhole."

Gumeracha local, Pam Hale is one of a number of enthusiastic locals who have created a great new History Walk around their hills town.

Pam Hale, Gumeracha History Centre: "William Beavis Randell built the Salem Baptist Church and they used the spring as a natural baptismal place. In 1899 there was an earthquake and it shut the whole spring down. Obviously a rock fall shut off the water flow so they decided they would make this into a really nice place for afternoon tea as it was so shady."

The Randell influence is everywhere. At Kenton Park Estate, on the edge of town, Randell, his wife Mary Anne and their seven children carved out their own little slice of England. English trees, pheasants and even deer roamed the sweeping gardens.

Pam Hale, Gumeracha History Centre: “William Beavis Randell built Kenton Park for the Randell family so this is really the beginning of the district in European terms. Once he bought the land and started to settle it he built this as the centre for the whole area."

He was effectively 'Lord of the Manor' donating land and money for his growing town. Randell's Mill on the banks of Kenton Creek reflects his business nouse - it began as a flour mill in 1847 and has several guises since - a butter factory, slaughterhouse and butchery and now a classy B&B.

Pam Hale, Gumeracha History Centre: "The eldest son, William Richard and his brother John were managing the Mill for their father. But William Richard was getting itchy feet – he wanted to do other things and he was really keen on learning about the new technologies of steamboats and steam engines."

That interest led young Richard to help pioneer the River Murray trade. He built the hull of the famous Mary Anne (named after his mother) in Gumeracha, hauled it up to Mannum where it was completed and launched in 1853. It was the river's first paddlesteamer and led to the famous race between the Mary Anne and Lady Augusta. But that's another story! Richard's visionary dogged determination meant he could ship his flour up and down the Murray - the river trading era was born.

On the hill overlooking the town is the 'top pub'. The old Kenton Arms was Gumeracha's first hotel licensed in 1855. It was the town's sole hostelry and had sale yards for horses, cattle and sheep. It's reputed to have hosted up to 80 people for dinner. It was converted to private house in 1944.

Then there's the 'bottom pub'. The coach house out the back was where the stage coach horses were changed on their journey between Adelaide and Mount Pleasant. They reckon the pub has a resident ghost. Aggie caused quite a stir until the current publicans gave her own room!

Details of the town’s history and a map are included in the new Gumeracha heritage brochure. Pick one up from any shop in town. For further information contact the very active Gumeracha Community Association. And the folk at the Gumeracha History Centre deserve congratulations too – they are a very lively team of volunteers. If you have any further questions please email info@postcards-sa.com.au

Gumeracha Community Association Ph 8389 1858

Published 18th April 2010