Peep Hill, South Australia Explained

Type:town
Peep Hill
State:sa
Coordinates:-34.15°N 148°W
Pushpin Label Position:top
Lga:Regional Council of Goyder
Postcode:5374[1]
Elevation:283
Stategov:Stuart
Fedgov:Grey
Near-E:Sutherlands
Near-Se:Neales Flat
Near-S:Eudunda
Near-Sw:Eudunda
Near-W:Eudunda
Near-Nw:Eudunda
Near-N:Australia Plains
Near-Ne:Australia Plains
Footnotes:Coordinates Elevation

Peep Hill is a rural locality in the Mid North region of South Australia, situated 120km north-east of Adelaide in the Regional Council of Goyder. It was established in August 2000, when boundaries were formalised for the "long established local name".[2] As of 2021, Peep Hill has a population of 22 residents.[3]

Etymology

Peep Hill is reported to be named for "a round hill in the last range towards the east".[4]

History

Peep Hill is located on the traditional lands of the Ngadjuri people.[5] 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.[6] Two years later, in 1878, Peep Hill was described as "no township, but simply a small settlement."[7]

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.[8] [9] A Lutheran 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.[10] The church underwent renovations in 1936 and transitioned from the Point Pass Parish to the Eudunda Parish in 1966. The church continues in operation, and is now part of the Eudunda Robertstown Lutheran Parish.[11] Peep Hill Post Office opened on 1 July 1883 and closed on 1 November 1930.[12] The town formerly had a railway siding on the Morgan line, the Deep Creek station.[13]

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, also known as Peep Hill hop bush, is a species of plant in the Sapindaceae 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.[14]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Search result(s) for Peep Hill, 5374 . Government of South Australia . Location SA Map Viewer . 14 December 2016.
  2. Web site: Search result(s) for Peep Hill, 5374 . Government of South Australia . Property Location Browser . 26 November 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161012010923/http://maps.sa.gov.au/plb/ . 12 October 2016 . dead .
  3. Web site: 2021 Peep Hill, Census All persons QuickStats Australian Bureau of Statistics . 2023-06-26 . www.abs.gov.au.
  4. Book: Hills, Valley and Plains: History of the Eudunda District . Dreckow, Betty . 1986 . 7.
  5. Web site: Studies . Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander . 2022-11-10 . Map of Indigenous Australia . 2023-06-26 . aiatsis.gov.au . en.
  6. News: 1929-01-26 . MR. J. G. DOHNT. . Chronicle . 2023-06-27.
  7. News: 1878-12-21 . SCHOOL NEAR EUDUNDA. . South Australian Chronicle and Weekly Mail . 2023-06-27.
  8. Book: Hills, Valley and Plains: History of the Eudunda District . Dreckow, Betty . 1986 . 388.
  9. Web site: Peep Hill . Flinders Ranges Research . 24 December 2016.
  10. News: 1883-05-11 . KAPUNDA LOCAL BOARD OF ADVICE. . Kapunda Herald . 2023-06-27.
  11. Web site: Eudunda Robertstown Lutheran Parish . 6 February 2017 . 11 February 2017.
  12. Web site: Peep Hill . Premier Postal . Post Office Reference . 24 December 2016.
  13. Web site: Search result(s) for Deep Creek Railway Station . Government of South Australia . Location SA Map Viewer . 14 December 2016.
  14. Web site: Native plant - Peep Hill hop-bush - Department of Environment, Water… . 2023-06-26 . Landscape South Australia - Murraylands and Riverland . en.