Peep Hill is a rural locality in 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 souther ...

region of

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...

, situated 120km north-east of

Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

in the

Regional Council of Goyder The Regional Council of Goyder is a local government area located in the Mid North region of South Australia. The council area is reliant on agriculture as a mainstay of its economy, with manufacturing and tourism also becoming prominent. The co ...

. It was established in August 2000, when boundaries were formalised for the "long established local name". As of 2021, Peep Hill has a population of 22 residents.

Etymology

Peep Hill is reported to be named for "a round hill in the last range towards the east".

History

Peep Hill is located on the traditional lands of the

Ngadjuri The Ngadjuri people are a group of Aboriginal Australian people whose traditional lands lie in the mid north of South Australia with a territory extending from Gawler in the south to Orroroo in the Flinders Ranges in the north. Name Their ethn ...

people. The Ngadjuri have been largely overlooked in the histories of colonisation and the subsequent dispossession from their traditional lands. In 1876, farmer Johann Gottlieb Dohnt was recorded as being one of the first European settlers at Peep Hill. Two years later, in 1878, Peep Hill was described as "no township, but simply a small settlement." The Peep Hill School, originally named the Deep Creek School, was established in 1883. It closed down in 1939 due to small student numbers. The school building was demolished in 1950 and, by 1986, it was noted to be a pile of rubble. Peep Hill School Memorial and Ruins

Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

congregation was officially formed in Peep Hill in 1888, although services had been conducted there since 1880. Initially, the congregation worshipped in the school until St Michael's Lutheran Church was opened in 1890. The church underwent renovations in 1936 and transitioned from the Point Pass Parish to the

Eudunda Eudunda is a town in the Mid North region of South Australia, situated 110 kilometres northeast of Adelaide in the Regional Council of Goyder. As of 2021, Eudunda had a population of 815 people. Eudunda is known as the birthplace of author and ed ...

Parish in 1966. The church continues in operation, and is now part of the Eudunda Robertstown Lutheran Parish. Peep Hill Post Office opened on 1 July 1883 and closed on 1 November 1930. The town formerly had a

railway siding In rail terminology, a siding is a low-speed track section distinct from a running line or through route such as a main line, branch line, or spur. It may connect to through track or to other sidings at either end. Sidings often have lighter r ...

on the

Morgan line The Morgan Line (, ) was the line of demarcation set up after World War II in the region known as Julian March which prior to the war belonged to the Kingdom of Italy. The Morgan Line was the border between two military administrations in the reg ...

, the Deep Creek station.

Demographics

As of 2021, Peep Hill is a small community with a total population of 22 people. The majority of the population is male, accounting for 64.3%, while females make up 35.7% of the population. The median age of the residents is 44 years. The community has a total of 9 private dwellings, with an average of 2.6 people per household. On average, each dwelling in Peep Hill has 4.3 motor vehicles. The median weekly household income is $1,374, and the median monthly mortgage repayments are $999.

Flora

Dodonaea subglandulifera ''Dodonaea subglandulifera'', commonly known as Peep Hill hop-bush, is a species of plant in the family Sapindaceae and is endemic to South Australia. It is a small, upright shrub with flowers in small groups that are yellow-greenish to red-mar ...

'', also known as Peep Hill hop bush, is a species of plant in the

Sapindaceae The Sapindaceae are a family (biology), family of flowering plants in the order Sapindales known as the soapberry family. It contains 138 genera and 1,858 accepted species. Examples include Aesculus, horse chestnut, maples, ackee and lychee. The ...

family. It is native to south-eastern South Australia. Peep Hill hop bush is listed as nationally endangered, with an estimated 45,000 to 50,000 plants remaining. Dodonaea subglandulifera 02

References

{{authority control Towns in South Australia Mid North (South Australia)