Carpenter Rocks is a town and locality located south-west of Mount Gambier in the south-east of South Australia. The area faces the Southern Ocean and is renowned for its rugged coastline which provides exceptional fishing and diving locations. In the , Carpenter Rocks had population of 82 people. Carpenter Rocks is in the District Council of Grant local government area, the South Australian House of Assembly electoral district of Mount Gambier and the Australian House of Representatives Division of Barker.

History and settlement

The earliest people in the Carpenter Rocks area were the

aboriginal Aborigine, aborigine or aboriginal may refer to: *Aborigines (mythology), in Roman mythology * Indigenous peoples, general term for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area *One of several groups of indigenous peoples, see ...

communities from the Booandik tribe. They were scattered in small groups along the coast where they had access to an abundance of food and water. Due to disease and land dispossession the last full-blooded Booandik died in 1904. Lieutenant

James Grant James Grant may refer to: Politics and law *Sir James Grant, 1st Baronet (died 1695), Scottish lawyer *Sir James Grant, 6th Baronet (1679–1747), Scottish Whig politician *Sir James Grant, 8th Baronet (1738–1811), Scottish member of parliament * ...

, when on board , was the first known British person to view land known today as south eastern South Australia. On 3 December 1800, he sighted what at first he thought was four unconnected islands, but on a closer look realized they were two mountains and two capes. One of these he named

Cape Banks Cape Banks is a headland in the Australian state of South Australia located in the gazetted locality of Carpenter Rocks at the south end of Bucks Bay and the north end of Bungaloo Bay on the state's south east coast about west south west of the ...

, just west of today's township, after English Botanist -

Joseph Banks Sir Joseph Banks, 1st Baronet, (19 June 1820) was an English naturalist, botanist, and patron of the natural sciences. Banks made his name on the 1766 natural-history expedition to Newfoundland and Labrador. He took part in Captain James ...

. On 4 April 1802, the French explorer

Nicholas Baudin Nicolas Thomas Baudin (; 17 February 1754 – 16 September 1803) was a French explorer, cartographer, naturalist and hydrographer, most notable for his explorations in Australia and the southern Pacific. Biography Early career Born a comm ...

aboard the ship ''Geographe'' noticed the area and made the observation: According to Geoffrey Manning and Rodney Cockburn in "Place Names of South Australia", "The Rocks" were named "Les Carpentiers" ("The Carpenters") by

because their indented and serrated nature reminded him of a carpenter's saw. The

Cape Banks Lighthouse A cape is a clothing accessory or a sleeveless outer garment which drapes the wearer's back, arms, and chest, and connects at the neck. History Capes were common in medieval Europe, especially when combined with a hood in the chaperon. The ...

has been listed as a state heritage place on the South Australian Heritage Register. On 31 October 1996, boundaries were created for the locality which was given the "long established name."

Areas of interest

The town is a gateway to the Canunda National Park and Lake Bonney SE. Carpenter Rocks supports a significant southern rock lobster industry and Bucks Bay provides a safe haven for the many fishing boats moored there. Cape Banks lighthouse is located from the township and it is near here on 5 August 1859 was wrecked on a reef with the loss of 89 lives.

References

External links

District Council of Grant - Carpenters Rocks page

Limestone Coast Tourism

''SS Admella'' 150th Anniversary 2009
{{DEFAULTSORT:Carpenters Rocks Coastal towns in South Australia Limestone Coast Fishing communities in Australia

History and settlement

Areas of interest

See also

References

External links