__NOTOC__ Penong ( ) is a town and locality on the

Nullarbor Plain The Nullarbor Plain ( ; Latin: feminine of 'no' and 'tree') is part of the area of flat, almost treeless, arid or semi-arid country of southern Australia, located on the Great Australian Bight coast with the Great Victoria Desert to its no ...

, in the far west of the

Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Aus ...

state 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 ...

located about north-west of the state capital 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 ...

. It is a popular rest-stop for travellers crossing on the

Eyre Highway Eyre Highway is a highway linking Western Australia and South Australia via the Nullarbor Plain. Signed as National Highways 1 and A1, it forms part of Highway 1 (Australia), Highway 1 and the National Highway (Australia), Australian Nat ...

between Ceduna and Western Australia, 400 km (250 mi) away. The

2016 Australian census The 2016 Australian census was the 17th Census in Australia, national population census held in Australia. The census was officially conducted with effect on Tuesday, 9 August 2016. The total population of the Commonwealth of Australia was count ...

recorded that the localities of Penong and the small farming community of

Bookabie Bookabie is a town and locality in the Australian state of South Australia located on the state’s west coast overlooking the Great Australian Bight about north-west of the state capital of Adelaide and about west of the town centre of Cedun ...

(including the Scotdesco Aboriginal community), 35 km (22 mi) to Penong's west, had a population of 289 people. Penong is the closest town to the Chadinga Conservation Park. To its south is Cactus Beach, a popular surfing beach on the western side of Point Sinclair; Port Le Hunte – also known as Port Irvine – is on the sheltered eastern side. The Lake MacDonnell

gypsum Gypsum is a soft sulfate mineral composed of calcium sulfate Hydrate, dihydrate, with the chemical formula . It is widely mined and is used as a fertilizer and as the main constituent in many forms of plaster, drywall and blackboard or sidewalk ...

field – the largest in the Southern Hemisphere – is near the coast 15 km (9 mi) to the south. The major port of Cape Thevenard, collocated with Ceduna, is 75 km (45 mi) to the south-east.

History

The name ''Penong'' is believed to have derived from an Aboriginal name for a rockhole or corruption of an Aboriginal word, ''poomong'', meaning "tea tree". The area surrounding Penong was settled by

pastoralists Pastoralism is a form of animal husbandry where domesticated animals (known as "livestock") are released onto large vegetated outdoor lands (pastures) for grazing, historically by nomadic people who moved around with their herds. The anima ...

in the late 19th century. The town was proclaimed on 28 April 1892, when roads were simply rough tracks. There was access to the (small at the time) port at Cape Thevenard, but the all-important railway to send grain and wool cheaply to Port Lincoln, 426 km (265 mi) to the south-east, did not reach the town until 1924. Rail services were withdrawn in 1997. Boundaries for the locality of Penong were created on 8 February 2001 and include the government town of Penong. Additional land including the Chadinga Conservation Park was added on 26 April 2013.

Agriculture

Penong's location on the far west coast of Eyre Peninsula is at the boundary of where rainfall is generally sufficient to support agriculture: the average annual rainfall recorded for nearby Ceduna is only 296.7 mm (11.7 in). Supply of water is therefore crucially important to the community. The town is noted for its privately owned windmills, which supply houses and farms with water from the Anjutabie Basin. The

South Australian Railways South Australian Railways (SAR) was the organisation through which the Government of South Australia built and operated railways in South Australia from 1854 until March 1978, when its non-urban railways were incorporated into Australian Natio ...

constructed underground concrete water storage tanks in 1923, with a capacity of 4.54 million litres (1 million gallons), to capture surface water run-off.

Community

The Penong community is active in many activities, such as those of the West Coast Football Club headquartered in Ceduna. Parents of children attending the Penong Primary School raise funds for

Relay for Life Relay For Life is a community-based walkathon and the largest fundraising event of the American Cancer Society (ACS). Teams of people, varying in size, alternate between walking laps and interacting with other aspects of the fundraiser. Each year ...

. In a program to improve public spaces for visiting and local families the Penong Progress Association was successful in 2019 in attracting government funding, through the

Outback Communities Authority The Outback Communities Authority (OCA) is a statutory authority in South Australia (SA) created under the ''Outback Communities (Administration and Management) Act 2009''. It has been established to "manage the provision of public services and f ...

, to build a shaded shelter and seating for local and visiting families as the third stage of its skate park project. A popular annual event is the Penong Race Club's Far West Farmers Penong Cup horse race meeting in March.

Governance

Penong is located within the federal

division of Grey The Division of Grey is an Divisions of the Australian House of Representatives, Australian electoral division in South Australia. The division was one of the seven established when the former Division of South Australia was redistributed on 2 ...

, the state

electoral district of Flinders Flinders is a single-member electoral district for the South Australian House of Assembly. It is named after explorer Matthew Flinders, who was responsible for charting most of the state's coastline. It is a 58,901 km² coastal rural elector ...

and the

Pastoral Unincorporated Area The pastoral genre of literature, art, or music depicts an idealised form of the shepherd's lifestyle – herding livestock around open areas of land according to the seasons and the changing availability of water and pasture. The target aud ...

of South Australia. As of 2019, the community within Penong received

municipal services Municipal services or city services refer to basic services that residents of a city expect the local government to provide in exchange for the taxes which citizens pay. Basic city services may include sanitation (both sewer and refuse), wa ...

from a South Australian government agency, the

Notes

References

External links

Penong – South Australia – Australia – Travel – smh.com.au
{{authority control Towns in South Australia Nullarbor Plain Places in the unincorporated areas of South Australia Eyre Highway