Poochera. The former Police Station. Built around 1930.
Poochera.
Between Ceduna and Minnipa are a series of small railway settlements which have mainly disappeared these days but their Aboriginal names are not to be forgotten. Teachers sent to these rail sidings were familiar with the names as they were not places teachers liked to be spent. Mudamuckla (meaning sore knee) is near to Ceduna and Nunjikompita (meaning burned hair) is not far from Wirrulla. The first little town of note east of Ceduna is Poochera which was named after a local Wirangu Aboriginal King called Poojeri. The township was surveyed in 1920 with the pipeline from the Tod reservoir near Port Lincoln and the railway line being its links with the outside world. Poochera has a hotel built in 1930, a former police station built in the late 1920s, an old electrical store which is now Dusty’s Art Gallery, and an interesting outdoor museum. It has Peter Sheridan’s flattened kerosene tin humpy, a shed made from flattened 44 gallon drums, some old agricultural implements, a restored Metters Adelaide bakers oven from the old bakery and a statue of the very rare nocturnal Dinosaur Ant which lives in the district. The ant evolved in the age of the Dinosaurs and was first identified at Poochera in 1977. The only other area where Dinosaur Ants have been detected is in Esperance Western Australia. In its heyday the town had a railway station, government school, blacksmiths, butchers, bakers and a general store. All of those structures have now disappeared. Although the 1933 built school was demolished it operated until 1976 and a small stone cairn makes its site. Karcultaby Area school opened in 1976.
Poochera. The former Police Station. Built around 1930.
Poochera.
Between Ceduna and Minnipa are a series of small railway settlements which have mainly disappeared these days but their Aboriginal names are not to be forgotten. Teachers sent to these rail sidings were familiar with the names as they were not places teachers liked to be spent. Mudamuckla (meaning sore knee) is near to Ceduna and Nunjikompita (meaning burned hair) is not far from Wirrulla. The first little town of note east of Ceduna is Poochera which was named after a local Wirangu Aboriginal King called Poojeri. The township was surveyed in 1920 with the pipeline from the Tod reservoir near Port Lincoln and the railway line being its links with the outside world. Poochera has a hotel built in 1930, a former police station built in the late 1920s, an old electrical store which is now Dusty’s Art Gallery, and an interesting outdoor museum. It has Peter Sheridan’s flattened kerosene tin humpy, a shed made from flattened 44 gallon drums, some old agricultural implements, a restored Metters Adelaide bakers oven from the old bakery and a statue of the very rare nocturnal Dinosaur Ant which lives in the district. The ant evolved in the age of the Dinosaurs and was first identified at Poochera in 1977. The only other area where Dinosaur Ants have been detected is in Esperance Western Australia. In its heyday the town had a railway station, government school, blacksmiths, butchers, bakers and a general store. All of those structures have now disappeared. Although the 1933 built school was demolished it operated until 1976 and a small stone cairn makes its site. Karcultaby Area school opened in 1976.