Two Wells. Petticoat Lane and its mural.
Two wells.
When the Two Wells station pastoral lease land was surveyed and offered for sale in 1856 a major land buyer was Mr Drew who bought up 145 acres where the town now stands. Drew Street commemorates Mr Drew. Then in 1856 John Cowan came to the area, built a house and opened the Two Wells Hotel. It was licensed in 1860. No town but a small settlement began to emerge. The local Aboriginal wells were used as a local water supply. The town emerged in 1869 when the private town was subdivided but several buildings emerged before then. In 1865 the Port Gawler School opened but the next year it was renamed Two Wells School. A later government school which still exists was built in 1879. The government established a Post Office in 1865 and the Court House opened in 1869. The Primitive Methodists built a chapel in Drew Street in 1866 which was enlarged in 1882 and still stands. A local committee was formed in 1866 to erect an Institute but this did not happen until 1878. In 1868 John Cowan built a second hotel, which still stands, on the corner of the road to Gawler. A flour mill also opened in 1867 marking the growing existence of Two Wells. From 1869 flour could be shipped from nearby Port Gawler. The only other major building activity in the 19th century was the general stores, bakers, butchers, farrier and other commercial premises. Two Wells remained a purely Protestant town until 1963 when the first Catholic Church opened. The beautiful Anglican Church opened in 1909 to end the domination of the Methodists. The foundation stone was laid by T Browne Esquire of Buckland Park in 1908. The 1913 railway act for a line from Salisbury to Redhill (and eventually Port Pirie) saw the arrival of train services from 1915. It was not until the emigrants from war torn Europe arrived in the district around 1950 that the population grew in any significant way. Most immigrants then came from Italy and Greece.
The government gave approval for the Two Wells Liberty development in August 2013. The developer is Hickinbotham Homes, a SA company who is investing $1.2 billion in the development. Over 20 years the development will add 7,000 to 9,000 people to the population of Two Wells with about 3,000 homes. The development will include a new shopping centre and a private Catholic Xavier College Two Wells, a Reception to year 12 college as the nearest high schools are in Gawler or Balaklava. Currently Xavier College offers reception to year 10 studies for 160 students. The area is to the north of old Two Wells and a second development will extend across the railway line towards Gawler. It is relatively modest and construction began in 2018 with a current population of 400 people. The biggest issue is flood mitigation from the Light River. The local council is Mallala Regional Council. Probably because of this big growth (1,400 people) in the population of Two Wells a major new shopping centre is planned for the old town. Drakes in 2025 announced the development of a $150 million supermarket and shopping centre in injunction with Adelaide Plains Council which has headquarters in Mallala. The new shopping centre will be opposite the Two Wells Hotel and the current old oval area. Average houses cost in Two Wells Liberty range from $850,000 to $950,000. Street names include libertarians like Adam Smith (natural liberty), Frederic Bastiat ( French liberal), Emmeline Pankhurst, Mary Lee ( SA suffragette), Catherine Helen Spence, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, John Locke (philosopher), Wilberforce ( anti-slavery), Buchanan and Washington( American Presidents), George Mason ( American revolutionary), John Lilburne ( 1640s religious liberty) etc.
Two Wells. Petticoat Lane and its mural.
Two wells.
When the Two Wells station pastoral lease land was surveyed and offered for sale in 1856 a major land buyer was Mr Drew who bought up 145 acres where the town now stands. Drew Street commemorates Mr Drew. Then in 1856 John Cowan came to the area, built a house and opened the Two Wells Hotel. It was licensed in 1860. No town but a small settlement began to emerge. The local Aboriginal wells were used as a local water supply. The town emerged in 1869 when the private town was subdivided but several buildings emerged before then. In 1865 the Port Gawler School opened but the next year it was renamed Two Wells School. A later government school which still exists was built in 1879. The government established a Post Office in 1865 and the Court House opened in 1869. The Primitive Methodists built a chapel in Drew Street in 1866 which was enlarged in 1882 and still stands. A local committee was formed in 1866 to erect an Institute but this did not happen until 1878. In 1868 John Cowan built a second hotel, which still stands, on the corner of the road to Gawler. A flour mill also opened in 1867 marking the growing existence of Two Wells. From 1869 flour could be shipped from nearby Port Gawler. The only other major building activity in the 19th century was the general stores, bakers, butchers, farrier and other commercial premises. Two Wells remained a purely Protestant town until 1963 when the first Catholic Church opened. The beautiful Anglican Church opened in 1909 to end the domination of the Methodists. The foundation stone was laid by T Browne Esquire of Buckland Park in 1908. The 1913 railway act for a line from Salisbury to Redhill (and eventually Port Pirie) saw the arrival of train services from 1915. It was not until the emigrants from war torn Europe arrived in the district around 1950 that the population grew in any significant way. Most immigrants then came from Italy and Greece.
The government gave approval for the Two Wells Liberty development in August 2013. The developer is Hickinbotham Homes, a SA company who is investing $1.2 billion in the development. Over 20 years the development will add 7,000 to 9,000 people to the population of Two Wells with about 3,000 homes. The development will include a new shopping centre and a private Catholic Xavier College Two Wells, a Reception to year 12 college as the nearest high schools are in Gawler or Balaklava. Currently Xavier College offers reception to year 10 studies for 160 students. The area is to the north of old Two Wells and a second development will extend across the railway line towards Gawler. It is relatively modest and construction began in 2018 with a current population of 400 people. The biggest issue is flood mitigation from the Light River. The local council is Mallala Regional Council. Probably because of this big growth (1,400 people) in the population of Two Wells a major new shopping centre is planned for the old town. Drakes in 2025 announced the development of a $150 million supermarket and shopping centre in injunction with Adelaide Plains Council which has headquarters in Mallala. The new shopping centre will be opposite the Two Wells Hotel and the current old oval area. Average houses cost in Two Wells Liberty range from $850,000 to $950,000. Street names include libertarians like Adam Smith (natural liberty), Frederic Bastiat ( French liberal), Emmeline Pankhurst, Mary Lee ( SA suffragette), Catherine Helen Spence, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, John Locke (philosopher), Wilberforce ( anti-slavery), Buchanan and Washington( American Presidents), George Mason ( American revolutionary), John Lilburne ( 1640s religious liberty) etc.