The County of Frome is one of the 49 cadastral counties of

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

in straddling the

Mid North The Mid North is a region of South Australia, north of the Adelaide Plains and south of the Far North and the outback. It is generally accepted to extend from Spencer Gulf east to the Barrier Highway, including the coastal plain, the southern ...

and

Flinders Ranges The Flinders Ranges are the largest mountain range in South Australia, which starts about north of Adelaide. The ranges stretch for over from Port Pirie to Lake Callabonna. The Adnyamathanha people are the Aboriginal group who have inhabit ...

regions. It was proclaimed in 1851 by Governor

Henry Young Sir Henry Edward Fox Young, KCMG (23 April 1803 – 18 September 1870) was the fifth Governor of South Australia, serving in that role from 2 August 1848 until 20 December 1854. He was then the first Governor of Tasmania, from 1855 until 1861. ...

and was named for the former Surveyor-General of South Australia,

Edward Charles Frome General Edward Charles Frome (7 January 1802 – 2 November 1890) was a prominent British Army officer and Surveyor General of South Australia. Early life Born in Gibraltar on 7 January 1802, Frome was orphaned early in his life. He was educate ...

. The iconic

Mount Remarkable Mount Remarkable is a mountain in South Australia located in the Flinders Ranges about north of the centre of the capital city of Adelaide and immediately north-west of the town of Melrose, which was once named Mount Remarkable itself, and wh ...

in the Hundred of Gregory is at the centre of the county.

Local government

The earliest local government to be formed in the county was the

Corporate Town of Port Augusta The City of Port Augusta is a local government area located at the northern end of Spencer Gulf in South Australia. It is centred on the town of Port Augusta. The city was the site of South Australia's main power supplier, the Port Augusta p ...

, established at Port Augusta in 1875. The adjacent

Corporate Town of Davenport The Corporate Town of Davenport was a local government area in South Australia that existed from 1887 to 1932 on land now located within the suburb of Port Augusta. A proposal to create a new local government area consisting of suburbs "an ...

was established at Davenport in 1887. The District Council of Davenport was established shortly after in 1888 at

Stirling North Stirling North is a town located east of Port Augusta in the Australian state of South Australia. The now abandoned Marree railway line forms the official border line separating the two towns. Primarily, Stirling North is a satellite town to Po ...

, under the provisions of the

District Councils Act 1887 The District Councils Act 1887 was an act of the Parliament of South Australia. It received assent on 9 December 1887, and its provisions came into effect when proclaimed by Governor William C. F. Robinson on 5 January 1888. The legislation intro ...

, but was renamed Woolundunga in 1893 to avoid confusion with the adjacent corporate town. The

District Council of Wilmington The District Council of Wilmington was a local government area in South Australia, centred on the town of Wilmington from 1888 to 1980. History The council was gazetted on 5 January 1888 under the provisions of the ''District Councils Act 1887 ...

and

District Council of Port Germein The District Council of Port Germein was a local government area in South Australia, centred on the town of Port Germein. It was gazetted on 5 January 1888 under the provisions of the ''District Councils Act 1887'' and encompassed the hundreds of ...

were established at Wilmington and Port Germein, respectively, by the same 1887 legislation. In 1932, the Corporated Town of Davenport was annexed by Port Augusta. Wilmington had been renamed Hammond in 1893 but the name was restored when it absorbed much of the abolished Woolundunga in 1933. That same year, the northerly-adjacent

District Council of Kanyaka The District Council of Kanyaka was a local government area in South Australia that existed from 1888 to 1969. History The council was established on 5 January 1888 under the provisions of the ''District Councils Act 1887''. On creation, the co ...

, also established in 1888, occupied a small north portion of the county when it annexed part of the former Woolundunga council area in the hundreds of Woolundunga and Willochra. In 1964 Port Augusta obtained city status and became known as the City of Port Augusta. In 1969 Kanyaka council amalgamated with the

Corporate Town of Quorn The Corporate Town of Quorn was a local government area in South Australia from 1883 to 1969, centred on the town of Quorn. It was incorporated on 25 October 1883, prior to the 1888 establishment of the rural District Council of Kanyaka, which ...

to form the new

District Council of Kanyaka-Quorn The District Council of Kanyaka-Quorn was a local government area in South Australia that existed from 1969 to 1997. The Council came into existence on 1 April 1969 following the merger of the Corporate Town of Quorn with the surrounding Distric ...

. This portion of the county was transferred to the

Flinders Ranges Council Flinders Ranges Council is a local government area (LGA) located in the Flinders Ranges of South Australia. The LGA is approximately 100 km from north to south, and 45 km from east to west, with a total area of 4,198 square kilometres ...

in 1997 when Kanyaka-Quorn was abolished bt amalgamation with the

District Council of Hawker The District Council of Hawker was a local government area in South Australia from 1888 to 1997, centred on the town of Hawker. At its creation it was the northernmost local government area in the state. History It was established on 5 January ...

. In 1980, Port Germein and Wilmington amalgamated to form the present

District Council of Mount Remarkable The Mount Remarkable District Council is a local government area located between the top of the Spencer Gulf and the base of the Southern Flinders Ranges in South Australia. The district encompasses a wide variety of towns, including coastal p ...

which presently spans almost all of the county, with the exception of the industrial centre of Port Augusta which has remained continuously viable beside coast in the north west corner of the county.

Hundreds

The county is divided into the following hundreds from north west to south west: * Hundred of Davenport, established in 1860 beside the Spencer Gulf spanning the city bounds of Port Augusta * Hundred of Woolundunga, established in 1875 spanning Mount Brown Conservation Park and includes the locality of Saltia *

Hundred of Willochra 100 or one hundred (Roman numeral: C) is the natural number following 99 and preceding 101. In medieval contexts, it may be described as the short hundred or five score in order to differentiate the English and Germanic use of "hundred" to de ...

, established in 1875 spanning the eponymous Willochra Plain and town of Wilmington * Hundred of Coonatto, established in 1876 includes the hamlet of Hammond * Hundred of Pinda, established in 1876 includes the locality of Amyton *

Hundred of Winninowie 100 or one hundred (Roman numeral: C) is the natural number following 99 and preceding 101. In medieval contexts, it may be described as the short hundred or five score in order to differentiate the English and Germanic use of "hundred" to de ...

, established in 1878 beside the Spencer Gulf spanning

Winninowie Conservation Park Winninowie Conservation Park is a protected area in the Australian state of South Australia located on the east coast of Upper Spencer Gulf about south by east of Port Augusta and northwest of Port Germein, in the locality of Miranda. Th ...

, the north west of

Mount Remarkable National Park Mount Remarkable National Park is a protected area in the Australian state of South Australia located about north of the state capital of Adelaide and east of Port Augusta. It is also the name of the highest peak in the park, with a height of ...

and the localities of Miranda and Nectar Brook * Hundred of Gregory, established in 1858 spanning the north east of

* Hundred of Willowie, established in 1875 includes the eponymous locality of Willowie *

Hundred of Baroota 100 or one hundred (Roman numeral: C) is the natural number following 99 and preceding 101. In medieval contexts, it may be described as the short hundred or five score in order to differentiate the English and Germanic use of "hundred" to des ...

, established in 1878 beside the Spencer Gulf spanning the south west

and the localities of Mambray Creek and

Baroota __NOTOC__ Baroota is a locality in the Australian state of South Australia located on the east coast of Spencer Gulf about north of the state capital of Adelaide and about north-east of the city of Port Pirie. Baroota originally started as a ...

* Hundred of Wongyarra, established in 1851 spanning the towns of Murray Town and Melrose at the southern foot of

* Hundred of Booleroo, established in 1875, centred on the eponymous township and locality of Booleroo Centre * Hundred of Telowie, established in 1874 beside the Spencer Gulf spanning the town of Port Germein and the eponymous Telowie Gorge * Hundred of Darling, established in 1891 spanning the northern half of the former Wirrabara Forest Reserve on the eastern slopes of the southern Flinders Ranges * Hundred of Appila, established in 1871 spanning the towns of Wirrabara and Appila

References

{{Counties of South Australia

Frome Frome ( ) is a town and civil parish in eastern Somerset, England. The town is built on uneven high ground at the eastern end of the Mendip Hills, and centres on the River Frome. The town, about south of Bath, is the largest in the Mendip d ...