The County of Light 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 ...

. It was proclaimed by Governor

George Grey Sir George Grey, KCB (14 April 1812 – 19 September 1898) was a British soldier, explorer, colonial administrator and writer. He served in a succession of governing positions: Governor of South Australia, twice Governor of New Zealand, Go ...

in 1842 and named for the

River Light The Light River (Kaurna: ''Yarralinka''), commonly called the River Light, is a seasonal and significant river in the Mid North region of the Australian state of South Australia named for early surveyor William Light. The River Light has give ...

, the river being named after Colonel

William Light William Light (27 April 1786 – 6 October 1839), also known as Colonel Light, was a British- Malayan naval and army officer. He was the first Surveyor-General of the new British Province of South Australia, known for choosing the site of ...

, the first Surveyor-General of South Australia. It covers the modern region of the

Barossa Valley The Barossa Valley (Barossa German: ''Barossa Tal'') is a valley in South Australia located northeast of Adelaide city centre. The valley is formed by the North Para River. It is notable as a major wine-producing region and tourist destina ...

and a portion of the northern

Mt Lofty Ranges The Mount Lofty Ranges are a range of mountains in the Australian state of South Australia which for a small part of its length borders the east of Adelaide. The part of the range in the vicinity of Adelaide is called the Adelaide Hills and ...

. It is bounded by the upper

Wakefield River The Wakefield River is an ephemeral river that flows to an estuary in the Australian state of South Australia. Course and features The river rises above , flowing southward, passing the towns of Watervale and Auburn, where it is fed by seve ...

in the north, the approximate path of

Horrocks Highway Main North Road is the major north-south arterial route through the suburbs north of the Adelaide City Centre in the city of Adelaide, South Australia. It continues north through the settled areas of South Australia and is a total of long, fro ...

in the west, and the

North Para River The North Para River is a river located in the Barossa Valley of the Australian state of South Australia. The river's name is based directly on the Kaurna word ''pari'' which means river. The "north" descriptor distinguishes it from the South ...

in the south, and is bisected east to west by the River Light.

Hundreds

The county is divided into hundreds as follows: * North of the River Light are the Hundred of Saddleworth, Hundred of Gilbert, Hundred of Waterloo and Hundred of Kapunda; * Spanning the River Light in the east is the Hundred of Julia Creek and in the west the

Hundred of Light 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 ...

; and * South of the River Light are the Hundred of Belvidere, Hundred of Nuriootpa, and Hundred of Moorooroo.

Establishment of local government

The earliest local government in the county was brought about with the establishment of the District Council of Angaston in 1853, and the

District Council of Tanunda A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...

in 1855, in the south-west Hundred of Moorooroo. By then the southernmost tip of the Hundred of Nuriootpa had been incorporated into the

Town of Gawler The Town of Gawler is a local government area located north of Adelaide city centre in South Australia containing Gawler and its suburbs. The corporate town was established in 1857 due to the township's residents' dissatisfaction at being gover ...

, but it was not until the mid 1860s that further local government was established in the county. In 1865 the Corporation of Kapunda was established in the Hundred of Kapunda, becoming a district council spanning the whole hundred in the following year. 1865 also saw the establishment of the

District Council of Stockport The District Council of Stockport was a local government area in South Australia seated at Stockport from 1865 to 1932. History The council was proclaimed on 23 November 1865 and included land either side of the Gilbert River across the Hundred ...

spanning parts of the Hundred of Gilbert and

as well as the Hundred of Alma in the neighbouring County of Gawler. The District Council of Gilbert and

District Council of Rhynie A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...

, established in 1866, brought local government to the remainder of the Hundred of Gilbert. The District Council of Belvidere, also established that year, brought the same to the Hundred of Belvidere. In 1867 the District Council of Light and District Council of Nuriootpa (later called Freeling) were established to locally govern the

and Hundred of Nuriootpa, respectively. The following year, the District Council of Saddleworth, District Council of Waterloo and District Council of Hamilton were established to bring local governance to the Hundred of Saddleworth and Hundred of Waterloo. The last part of the county to form a local government body was the Hundred of Julia Creek for which the District Council of Julia was established in 1874.

References

{{Counties of South Australia

Light Light or visible light is electromagnetic radiation that can be perceived by the human eye. Visible light is usually defined as having wavelengths in the range of 400–700 nanometres (nm), corresponding to frequencies of 750–420 te ...

Hundreds

Establishment of local government

See also

References