| Type: | town |
| Pekina | |
| State: | sa |
| Coordinates: | -32.8387°N 138.5519°W |
| Coord Ref: | [1] |
| Pop: | 70 |
| Established: | 20 May 1875 (town) 16 December 1999 (locality) |
| Postcode: | 5431 |
| Timezone: | ACST |
| Utc: | +9:30 |
| Timezone-Dst: | ACST |
| Utc-Dst: | +10:30 |
| Dist1: | 270 |
| Dir1: | N |
| Location1: | Adelaide |
| Dist2: | 14 |
| Dir2: | S |
| Location2: | Orroroo |
| Lga: | District Council of Orroroo Carrieton |
| County: | Dalhousie |
| Parish: | Yorke and Mid North |
| Stategov: | Stuart |
| Fedgov: | Grey |
| Maxtemp: | 21.9 |
| Maxtemp Footnotes: | [2] |
| Mintemp: | 7.4 |
| Rainfall: | 364.8 |
| Near-N: | Willowie Morchard Coomooroo |
| Near-Ne: | Orroroo |
| Near-E: | Orroroo Black Rock Tarcowie |
| Near-Se: | Tarcowie |
| Near-S: | Tarcowie |
| Near-Sw: | Booleroo Centre |
| Near-W: | Willowie Booleroo Centre |
| Near-Nw: | Willowie |
| Footnotes: | Adjoining localities |
Pekina is a town and locality in the Mid North region of South Australia. The town is located in the District Council of Orroroo Carrieton local government area, 270km (170miles) north of the state capital, Adelaide.
The name of the town is thought to derive from the Aboriginal word for "creek water",[3] from which Pekina Station derived its name.
European settlement in the Pekina district began in earnest in 1846 when Price Maurice brought 3000 sheep to the district. Pekina Station, a sheep station, "one of the most profitable sheep runs" in South Australia, became a stopping-point for coaches on the run between Blinman and Burra.
In 1871, Pekina Station was resumed and broken up for closer settlement. The region was settled by German and especially Irish migrant farmers. Problems with drought, rust and locusts in the 1880s meant the town grew slowly with only around 75 residents at the beginning of the 20th century.[4] Pekina's Irish Catholic heritage has seen the district nicknamed "Vatican Valley".[5]
At the, Pekina and the surrounding area had a population of 172; in 2021, it was down to 70.
The historic former Pekina Animal Pound is listed on the South Australian Heritage Register.[6]