Yongala, South Australia
Yongala is a small town located in the state of South Australia, Australia, and is located along on the Clare-Peterborough Road (B79), 238 km (148 mi) from Adelaide, the state capital.
| Yongala South Australia | |||||||||||||||
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 Scene from the hill overlooking Yongala | |||||||||||||||
  Yongala | |||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 33°02′0″S 138°45′0″E | ||||||||||||||
| Population | 67 (SAL 2021)[1] | ||||||||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 5493 | ||||||||||||||
| Elevation | 512 m (1,680 ft) | ||||||||||||||
| Location |
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| LGA(s) | District Council of Peterborough | ||||||||||||||
| County | Dalhousie | ||||||||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Stuart | ||||||||||||||
| Federal division(s) | Grey | ||||||||||||||
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History
The Hundred of Yongala was proclaimed in the County of Dalhousie in 1871, one of the first of the twelve hundreds to be declared in that county, opening up the area for closer settlement and small-scale cultivation.[3] The town was proclaimed on 23 May 1876. Within five years there was a population of 353 as developers anticipated the connection of a railway. Instead, the railway was built through the nearby town of Peterborough.[4]
The SS Yongala launched in 1903 and owned by the Adelaide Steamship Company was named after the town. It sank in a storm in 1911 off the coast of Townsville, Queensland and its wreck site is protected by the Commonwealth Historic Shipwrecks Act 1976.
Geography and climate
Yongala has a cold semi-arid climate (Köppen BSk). It is situated on a plateau of 512 metres (1,680 ft) and winter snowfalls can occur. The town holds several records for the lowest minimum temperature in South Australia:[4][5] including its all-time record low of −8.2 °C (17.2 °F) on 20 July 1976,[6] in addition to the record low temperatures in South Australia for the months of May, June, August and September.[7]
| Climate data for Yongala (1926–2022, rainfall to 1881); 521 m AMSL; 33.03° S, 138.76° E | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 43.5 (110.3) |
44.0 (111.2) |
39.5 (103.1) |
36.0 (96.8) |
27.6 (81.7) |
23.3 (73.9) |
25.6 (78.1) |
28.2 (82.8) |
32.8 (91.0) |
37.8 (100.0) |
41.8 (107.2) |
41.5 (106.7) |
44.0 (111.2) |
| Average high °C (°F) | 30.9 (87.6) |
30.1 (86.2) |
27.2 (81.0) |
22.0 (71.6) |
17.1 (62.8) |
13.6 (56.5) |
12.9 (55.2) |
14.5 (58.1) |
18.0 (64.4) |
22.0 (71.6) |
25.8 (78.4) |
28.7 (83.7) |
21.9 (71.4) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 13.7 (56.7) |
13.5 (56.3) |
10.9 (51.6) |
7.3 (45.1) |
4.7 (40.5) |
2.9 (37.2) |
2.2 (36.0) |
2.6 (36.7) |
4.0 (39.2) |
6.2 (43.2) |
9.3 (48.7) |
11.7 (53.1) |
7.4 (45.4) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 2.6 (36.7) |
3.7 (38.7) |
1.1 (34.0) |
−2.5 (27.5) |
−6.6 (20.1) |
−8.1 (17.4) |
−8.2 (17.2) |
−6.0 (21.2) |
−4.5 (23.9) |
−3.0 (26.6) |
−2.0 (28.4) |
1.3 (34.3) |
−8.2 (17.2) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 22.9 (0.90) |
20.8 (0.82) |
16.2 (0.64) |
25.0 (0.98) |
34.5 (1.36) |
39.0 (1.54) |
38.7 (1.52) |
42.6 (1.68) |
37.9 (1.49) |
33.0 (1.30) |
28.4 (1.12) |
24.6 (0.97) |
363.7 (14.32) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.2mm) | 3.7 | 3.4 | 3.8 | 5.7 | 9.6 | 11.8 | 13.0 | 12.8 | 9.7 | 8.1 | 6.3 | 5.0 | 92.9 |
| Average afternoon relative humidity (%) | 25 | 29 | 31 | 39 | 51 | 59 | 60 | 55 | 45 | 36 | 30 | 28 | 41 |
| Source: Bureau of Meteorology[6] | |||||||||||||
References
- Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Yongala (Suburb and Locality)". Australian Census 2021 QuickStats. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
- "Monthly climate statistics: Summary statistics YONGALA (nearest weather station)". Commonwealth of Australia , Bureau of Meteorology. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
- "Counties and Hundreds – South Australia". Adelaide Co-operative History. 2006. Retrieved 5 May 2012.
- "Yongala". Peterborough Tourist Promotion Association. 2007. Retrieved 9 April 2007.
- "Rainfall and Temperature Records: National" (PDF). Bureau of Meteorology. Retrieved 30 May 2014.
- "Yongala". Climate statistics for Australian locations. Bureau of Meteorology. May 2014. Retrieved 30 May 2014.
- "Official records for Australia in January". Daily Extremes. Bureau of Meteorology. 29 May 2014. Retrieved 30 May 2014.
