Sandy Creek Congregational Church.Opened in 1904. Now a Uniting Church. Built of local sandstone.
Sandy Creek.
This tiny village is reasonably notorious in SA as it is home to the Tindo Nudist Club (established 1959), the extensive Sandy Creek Conversation Park (established 1965 on leasehold land that was always too sandy and infertile for agricultural activities), an American Army training camp during World War Two and it was also the home base from which the Barossa Goldfields were discovered. The town developed around the Irish Harp Hotel established around 1850 after the first farmers settled here around 1849. The church opened in 1858 but this was replaced with a fine stone Congregational Church in 1904 which is now the local Uniting Church. The first town school set up its desks and slates in 1861 but after the passing of the Education Act in 1875 a new state school was built in 1878. Julia Lewis was the school teacher from 1878 to 1910. When the Rosedale School was closed in 2007 students were sent to Sandy Creek School. The most notorious character of Sandy Creek was Job Harris born in 1840 of Welsh descent. He arrived in SA in 1849. Job Harris, who spent most of his early life at Willaston, obtained the license to the Sandy Creek Hotel in 1867. A year later in September 1868 Job Harris discovered some tiny gold nuggets beyond Cockatoo Valley along the edge of the South Para River. Harris then claimed the government £5,000 reward for the discovery of a payable goldfield. Although diggers rushed to the Barossa goldfields the reward was only payable when £10,000 worth of gold had been recovered. Job and his partners received just £750 for their discovery which meant each partner got around £125 which was not enough to make them rich. Many diggers rushed to the new goldfield township of Victoria Hill which soon had around 10,000 people by 1870. The government reward given to Harris enabled him and partners to form the Gawler Gold Mining Company in 1873. Harris continued to work the mines for some years. The Barossa goldfields produced £180,000 worth of gold in the first three years but few really big nuggets or finds were extracted despite sophisticated crushing plants. Job Harris kept his hotel at Sandy Creek and lived there until he died in 1882. His funeral left the hotel for the Willaston cemetery. Most of the Barossa goldfield diggers had vacated the goldfields by 1887.
Sandy Creek Congregational Church.Opened in 1904. Now a Uniting Church. Built of local sandstone.
Sandy Creek.
This tiny village is reasonably notorious in SA as it is home to the Tindo Nudist Club (established 1959), the extensive Sandy Creek Conversation Park (established 1965 on leasehold land that was always too sandy and infertile for agricultural activities), an American Army training camp during World War Two and it was also the home base from which the Barossa Goldfields were discovered. The town developed around the Irish Harp Hotel established around 1850 after the first farmers settled here around 1849. The church opened in 1858 but this was replaced with a fine stone Congregational Church in 1904 which is now the local Uniting Church. The first town school set up its desks and slates in 1861 but after the passing of the Education Act in 1875 a new state school was built in 1878. Julia Lewis was the school teacher from 1878 to 1910. When the Rosedale School was closed in 2007 students were sent to Sandy Creek School. The most notorious character of Sandy Creek was Job Harris born in 1840 of Welsh descent. He arrived in SA in 1849. Job Harris, who spent most of his early life at Willaston, obtained the license to the Sandy Creek Hotel in 1867. A year later in September 1868 Job Harris discovered some tiny gold nuggets beyond Cockatoo Valley along the edge of the South Para River. Harris then claimed the government £5,000 reward for the discovery of a payable goldfield. Although diggers rushed to the Barossa goldfields the reward was only payable when £10,000 worth of gold had been recovered. Job and his partners received just £750 for their discovery which meant each partner got around £125 which was not enough to make them rich. Many diggers rushed to the new goldfield township of Victoria Hill which soon had around 10,000 people by 1870. The government reward given to Harris enabled him and partners to form the Gawler Gold Mining Company in 1873. Harris continued to work the mines for some years. The Barossa goldfields produced £180,000 worth of gold in the first three years but few really big nuggets or finds were extracted despite sophisticated crushing plants. Job Harris kept his hotel at Sandy Creek and lived there until he died in 1882. His funeral left the hotel for the Willaston cemetery. Most of the Barossa goldfield diggers had vacated the goldfields by 1887.