Laura. Old General store and veranda. Duck to go under it.
Laura. Like Gladstone this town has around 600 people. The first town lots were offered for sale in 1872 with the school opening in 1873, the Wesleyan Church in 1873 and the brewery in 1876. A butter factory opened in 1898. A local land owner Mr H Walter had a private town named North Laura gazetted but it was soon amalgamated back into the government town of Laura. Some of the finest buildings in the town are the Old Court House (now a museum), the old post office and police station and the school. The town’s claim to fame is that the poet C.J Dennis was born in Laura in 1876 but he lived in many SA towns before he left for Victoria. The old brewery was sited on the banks of the Rocky River as a reliable water supply was necessary for successful breweries. Not far away in the hills of the Southern Flinders Ranges is Beetaloo Reservoir which was constructed between 1888 and 1890 to provide fresh water for the copper triangle towns of Moonta, Kadina and Wallaroo. The reservoir has been increased in capacity in 1927 and again in 1979. The town also had an important flour mill from 1874 which burnt down in 1878 and then was re-built. The mill machinery was manufactured in the foundries at Gawler and operated into the 1930s. During World War Two Laura had a flax mill to produce canvas. Crops of flax were grown from Wirrabara to Laura. It closed in 1947. As early as 1891 Laura had a dairy factory to process milk and make butter, some of which was railed to Broken Hill.
Laura has been home to Golden North ice cream since 1923. In that year the Laura Ice Company was formed, primarily to supply the local and the Broken Hill trade and the regional city of Port Pirie with ice, milk and ice cream. From 1938 milk was pasteurised at the factory. The brand name Golden North was adopted in 1948. In 1961 the head office was moved from Laura to Clare and the company was taken over by Farmers Union in 1972 which was in turn taken over by National Foods in 1991. Then in 2001 a group of local investors bought the business, and they have since expanded production, including the famous honey ice cream. You can buy Golden North ice cream from the shops in the main street. The company was awarded a state heritage icon award in 2006.
Laura. Old General store and veranda. Duck to go under it.
Laura. Like Gladstone this town has around 600 people. The first town lots were offered for sale in 1872 with the school opening in 1873, the Wesleyan Church in 1873 and the brewery in 1876. A butter factory opened in 1898. A local land owner Mr H Walter had a private town named North Laura gazetted but it was soon amalgamated back into the government town of Laura. Some of the finest buildings in the town are the Old Court House (now a museum), the old post office and police station and the school. The town’s claim to fame is that the poet C.J Dennis was born in Laura in 1876 but he lived in many SA towns before he left for Victoria. The old brewery was sited on the banks of the Rocky River as a reliable water supply was necessary for successful breweries. Not far away in the hills of the Southern Flinders Ranges is Beetaloo Reservoir which was constructed between 1888 and 1890 to provide fresh water for the copper triangle towns of Moonta, Kadina and Wallaroo. The reservoir has been increased in capacity in 1927 and again in 1979. The town also had an important flour mill from 1874 which burnt down in 1878 and then was re-built. The mill machinery was manufactured in the foundries at Gawler and operated into the 1930s. During World War Two Laura had a flax mill to produce canvas. Crops of flax were grown from Wirrabara to Laura. It closed in 1947. As early as 1891 Laura had a dairy factory to process milk and make butter, some of which was railed to Broken Hill.
Laura has been home to Golden North ice cream since 1923. In that year the Laura Ice Company was formed, primarily to supply the local and the Broken Hill trade and the regional city of Port Pirie with ice, milk and ice cream. From 1938 milk was pasteurised at the factory. The brand name Golden North was adopted in 1948. In 1961 the head office was moved from Laura to Clare and the company was taken over by Farmers Union in 1972 which was in turn taken over by National Foods in 1991. Then in 2001 a group of local investors bought the business, and they have since expanded production, including the famous honey ice cream. You can buy Golden North ice cream from the shops in the main street. The company was awarded a state heritage icon award in 2006.