Waterloo is a

settlement Settlement may refer to: *Human settlement, a community where people live *Settlement (structural), the distortion or disruption of parts of a building * Closing (real estate), the final step in executing a real estate transaction *Settlement (fin ...

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 ...

, located just off the

Barrier Highway Barrier Highway is a highway in South Australia and New South Wales, and is designated part of route A32. The name of the highway is derived from the Barrier Ranges, an area of moderately high ground in the far west of New South Wales, through w ...

between Manoora and Black Springs, approximately north-east of the state capital of

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

History

The township of Waterloo was surveyed and established in 1865 in the Hundred of Waterloo, County of Light. It derives its name from the famous battle of the

Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...

. Waterloo is situated in a valley on the head of the Light River. Located about midway between

Kapunda Kapunda is a town on the Light River and near the Barossa Valley in South Australia. It was established after a discovery in 1842 of significant copper deposits. The population was 2,917 at the 2016 Australian census. The southern entrance t ...

and Burra, it is not to be confused with Waterloo Corner on the Adelaide Plains. In 1866 a petition was signed by 233 of the inhabitants and settlers for the establishment of a police station and courthouse. The government rejected this, as the township then comprised not more than six houses, a flourmill, and a hotel. The locality is the birthplace of Tom Kruse, the Australian outback mailman who worked on the

Birdsville Track The Birdsville Track is a notable outback road in Australia. The track runs between Birdsville in south-western Queensland and Marree, a small town in the north-eastern part of South Australia. It traverses three deserts along the route, the St ...

in the border area between

and

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , establishe ...

Land Use

Although the township of Waterloo never thrived, it became the service centre for a large rural community, providing such facilities as a school, churches, and shopping. Today it is in the midst of a productive agricultural district, which it continues to service. Windfarms have been established on nearby ranges.

Kunden (Carlsruhe)

Approximately two and half kilometres (1.5 miles) south of Waterloo is the locality of Kunden. Originally named Carlsruhe, it was established in the nineteenth century by German immigrants who built the Carlsruhe

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Cathol ...

church and an adjoining cemetery. In 1918 as part of the Act of Parliament to change German place names, Carlsruhe was renamed Kunden. Carlsruhe school had 44 students when it was closed in 1917 as a consequence of law changes that required students to be taught in English rather than German. Today, the locality is now part of the greater Waterloo postcode area and all that remains of its original namesake is the church, cemetery and Carlsruhe Road.

References

Towns in South Australia Mid North (South Australia) 1865 establishments in Australia Populated places established in 1865 {{SouthAustralia-geo-stub