Salter Springs. Pioneer Robert Smyth eventually built a grand home with bay windows (1879) and planted two Moreton Bay Figs in the garden. Monte Flora House has Kapunda cast iron lacework
Salter Springs.
Like the rest of the Adelaide Plains leaseholds for huge sheep stations were granted here in the mid-1840s. William Salter of Angaston and Saltram wines took out the leasehold here in 1845. He also held the Baroota Station leasehold north of Port Pirie near Mt Remarkable. His homestead built at Salters Springs was called the Hermitage. A spring near the Wakefield River was located on his property hence the name. Salter later sold his Hermitage property to Flinders Ranges pastoralist Benjamin Ragless who in turn sold it to Andrew Tennant in 1881. At that time the Hermitage contained 13,000 acres mainly of pastoral hilly country. The Hermitage estate was subdivided by Andrew Tennant for farmers in 1923. East of Salter Springs in the ranges between it and Rhynie a leasehold run was taken out in 1851 by George Anstey and Thomas Giles. This area was resumed by the government and subdivided for farming in 1878. Thus Giles Corner was named after Thomas Giles.
A small village emerged here after some of the leasehold the lands were resumed by the government and sold to farmers in 1858 to 1861. The private town of Salter Springs was created by land owner Alexander Hay. One of the first settlers was Robert Smyth from Belfast who eventually built a grand home with bay windows (1879) and two Moreton Bay Figs in the garden for his son David. The builder came from Kapunda and included cast iron lacework from the Kapunda foundry. It still exists and is called Monte Flora. One of his sons Dr Michael Smyth attended this school and later became a Rhodes Scholar in 1960. The first Post Office was conducted from this property of Monte Flora across the road from the residence. Wesleyan services began around 1863 culminating in the erection of the Salter Springs Wesleyan Church in 1865 on land donated by James Kemp. The foundation stone of this stone structure was laid on 5 November 1864. A private school began operating in it from 1867 after Mr R Payne applied for a license to operate in the Wesleyan Church from the Education Board of Education. A school operated here for some years until the community requested a purpose built school. In 1879 the government accepted a quotation of £576 to build a new school room and teachers residence at Salters Springs. The Salter Springs School finally closed in 1956.
Salter Springs School produced two Rhodes Scholars. The first was Cecil Madigan born in 1889 and attended this school 1899 to 1900. He was born in Renmark but after his father died he was raised with his siblings by his mother who was a teacher so presumably his mother was the teacher here at Salter Springs. He got a scholarship to Prince Alfred College and attended the University of Adelaide graduating in science in 1910. He was a geologist but deferred his Rhodes Scholarship in 1911 to go to Antarctica as the meteorologists on Professor Mawson’s expedition. He attended Oxford University then served in World War One. He returned to Oxford after the War and specialised in geology and began a lectureship in geology with Professor Mawson in 1929. He published widely about his explorations and work. He became a Fellow of the Geological Society of London and of other local and international bodies. He made an historic crossing of the Simpson Desert in 1939 with Mr Simpson the President of the Royal Geographical Society of South Australia.
The other Rhodes Scholar was Michael Ewers Smyth who attend Salter Springs School from 1942 to 1948. He was born in 1936. The Smyth family as noted above were a pioneering family of Salter Springs. He attended Prince Alfred College for high schooling. He graduated in science from the University of Adelaide with top Honours in zoology and was the Rhodes Scholar of 1960. He attended Exeter College at Oxford obtaining his doctorate in zoology. He then lectured at the University of California before taking up an appointment in zoology at Adelaide University in 1965. He is credited with promoting studies of reptiles and amphibians, especially skinks. He published articles on skinks in the late 1960s in the Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia etc. In fact he gathered zoological information from skinks found at Salter Springs. Sadly he published two articles in learned journals in 1974 in the year of his untimely death on 1 October 1974. He was buried at Centennial Park. His last residence was at St Peters. The University of Adelaide and his family established the Michael Ewers Smyth Memorial Prize in Zoology in 1974. This memorial prize is for the top Honours student in zoology.
Salter Springs. Pioneer Robert Smyth eventually built a grand home with bay windows (1879) and planted two Moreton Bay Figs in the garden. Monte Flora House has Kapunda cast iron lacework
Salter Springs.
Like the rest of the Adelaide Plains leaseholds for huge sheep stations were granted here in the mid-1840s. William Salter of Angaston and Saltram wines took out the leasehold here in 1845. He also held the Baroota Station leasehold north of Port Pirie near Mt Remarkable. His homestead built at Salters Springs was called the Hermitage. A spring near the Wakefield River was located on his property hence the name. Salter later sold his Hermitage property to Flinders Ranges pastoralist Benjamin Ragless who in turn sold it to Andrew Tennant in 1881. At that time the Hermitage contained 13,000 acres mainly of pastoral hilly country. The Hermitage estate was subdivided by Andrew Tennant for farmers in 1923. East of Salter Springs in the ranges between it and Rhynie a leasehold run was taken out in 1851 by George Anstey and Thomas Giles. This area was resumed by the government and subdivided for farming in 1878. Thus Giles Corner was named after Thomas Giles.
A small village emerged here after some of the leasehold the lands were resumed by the government and sold to farmers in 1858 to 1861. The private town of Salter Springs was created by land owner Alexander Hay. One of the first settlers was Robert Smyth from Belfast who eventually built a grand home with bay windows (1879) and two Moreton Bay Figs in the garden for his son David. The builder came from Kapunda and included cast iron lacework from the Kapunda foundry. It still exists and is called Monte Flora. One of his sons Dr Michael Smyth attended this school and later became a Rhodes Scholar in 1960. The first Post Office was conducted from this property of Monte Flora across the road from the residence. Wesleyan services began around 1863 culminating in the erection of the Salter Springs Wesleyan Church in 1865 on land donated by James Kemp. The foundation stone of this stone structure was laid on 5 November 1864. A private school began operating in it from 1867 after Mr R Payne applied for a license to operate in the Wesleyan Church from the Education Board of Education. A school operated here for some years until the community requested a purpose built school. In 1879 the government accepted a quotation of £576 to build a new school room and teachers residence at Salters Springs. The Salter Springs School finally closed in 1956.
Salter Springs School produced two Rhodes Scholars. The first was Cecil Madigan born in 1889 and attended this school 1899 to 1900. He was born in Renmark but after his father died he was raised with his siblings by his mother who was a teacher so presumably his mother was the teacher here at Salter Springs. He got a scholarship to Prince Alfred College and attended the University of Adelaide graduating in science in 1910. He was a geologist but deferred his Rhodes Scholarship in 1911 to go to Antarctica as the meteorologists on Professor Mawson’s expedition. He attended Oxford University then served in World War One. He returned to Oxford after the War and specialised in geology and began a lectureship in geology with Professor Mawson in 1929. He published widely about his explorations and work. He became a Fellow of the Geological Society of London and of other local and international bodies. He made an historic crossing of the Simpson Desert in 1939 with Mr Simpson the President of the Royal Geographical Society of South Australia.
The other Rhodes Scholar was Michael Ewers Smyth who attend Salter Springs School from 1942 to 1948. He was born in 1936. The Smyth family as noted above were a pioneering family of Salter Springs. He attended Prince Alfred College for high schooling. He graduated in science from the University of Adelaide with top Honours in zoology and was the Rhodes Scholar of 1960. He attended Exeter College at Oxford obtaining his doctorate in zoology. He then lectured at the University of California before taking up an appointment in zoology at Adelaide University in 1965. He is credited with promoting studies of reptiles and amphibians, especially skinks. He published articles on skinks in the late 1960s in the Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia etc. In fact he gathered zoological information from skinks found at Salter Springs. Sadly he published two articles in learned journals in 1974 in the year of his untimely death on 1 October 1974. He was buried at Centennial Park. His last residence was at St Peters. The University of Adelaide and his family established the Michael Ewers Smyth Memorial Prize in Zoology in 1974. This memorial prize is for the top Honours student in zoology.