1886
The first historical records about the town of Yunta SA are written in 1866, in early records Yunta was spelt as Yanta. In 1866 the district is understood to have been a part of the Tattawppa and Yanta run.
Image: A Christmas post card with a black and white scotch written in 1870. Sourced from the South Australia State Library
1887
In the year 1887 the Yunta township was established after the discovery of gold in 1886. Approximately 5,000 miners travelled through Yunta during the towns early establishment. A large proportion of the miners are associated with the Australian gold rush which occurred between 1851-1871.
Image: Painting of gold mining Ballarat (1853)
1887
In the year 1887 the Yunta township was established after the discovery of gold in 1886. Approximately 5,000 miners travelled through Yunta during the towns early establishment. A large proportion of the miners are associated with the Australian gold rush which occurred between 1851-1871.
Image: Painting of gold mining Ballarat (1853) by ST Gill. Sourced from the National Museum, Australia.
1888
Evidence suggests that the Yunta Hotel was established in 1888. However, there are a some accounts that state the hotel was opened earlier to this date. The first proprietor of the Yunta Hotel was a man named William Reiken.
Image: A photograph of the Yunta Hotel taken in the early 1900's. Sourced from the South Australia State Library
1890's
In the early 1890's Yunta became a busy railway town. Yunta provided a link between Broken Hill and the capital city of South Australia Adelaide.
Image: This is a photo of a railway guard on his lunch break that was taken in Peterborough SA (1920's). There are no known pre-1900 images of the Yunta railway line.
1920's
This is an image of the Yunta Races which is believed to have been taken in the 1920's. By the 1920's Yunta was a flourishing outback town. The Yunta Races continue to take place annually in Yunta.
Image: A photograph of an event at the Yunta race course. Sourced from the South Australia State Library.
1934
Famed outback trucking and mail contractor Harry ding established the base for his services in Yunta.
Image: This photograph was taken in 1948, the photograph shows H.E. Dings second mail truck on a Southern Run to five sheep stations near Yunta. Sourced from the South Australia State Library
Yunta and mining
In October 1886 Thomas Brady and Thomas Smith discovered gold on a property near Yunta. Not long after the discovery, 5,000 miners appeared on the goldfield. For the next ten years or so Yunta became a destination for gold prospectors. Miners have also travelled to Yunta with the hopes of discovering copper and various mines for slate have been recorded in the region.
Image: Tents placed at a gold mine near Yunta, SA. Source: South Australian State Library.
Ding, Henry Edgar (Harry) (1907-1976)
Henry Edgar Ding was an outback trucking and mail contractor known for the establishment of a Trucking business based out of Yunta, South Australia.
In 1921 Harry began transporting supplies to outback sheep stations via horse and cart. 1922 Harrys brother Edgar bought a Model-T Ford buckboard which used to transporting supplies and passengers
By the year 1926 Harry officially started his trucking business with an old 2-ton Chevrolet. With the purchase of a ½-ton Leyland in 1932 Ding's business began to flourish. Two years later Ding bought a garage-store in Yunta establishing the base of his transportation business.
Harrys business peaked in the early 1940's. By this time the Guinness has twenty trucks, nine mail run contracts and depots at Marree, Lyndhurst, Hawker, Olary and Yunta.
Dings business is known to have been interrupted by the event of World War Two in which maintaining trucks became considerably more difficult. In 1944 Harry moved to Wilcannia in New South Wales and gradually sold off his depots.
Ding wrote a biography called 'Thirty Years With Men' (Walcha, 1988).
Information sourced from: Australian Obituaries and Biographies:Written by Hans Mincham. Image: H.E. Ding standing in front of his mail truck, on route to Martins Well, sourced from the South Australia State Library.
If you would like to read a more detailed biography of H.E Ding, click the link below.
The History of Graziers, Australia & Yunta
Yunta, Goyder's Line & farming
With scarcely 30 years of knowledge about a new country farmers in Australia required reliable knowledge before embarking on their new farming enterprise in South Australia. In 1865 George Goyder was asked to map the boundary between the areas in South Australia that had adequate rainfall for cropping and areas that were suitable to grazing only.
Ample rainfall from 1867-1875 alongside the popularised belief that rain follows the plough prompted farmers to ignore Goyders warnings and settle in the North. A few years later a significant number of farmers were forced to abandon their properties due to low-rainfall and drought. Goyder was proved to be right!
It is not known exactly when farming families first established themselves in Yunta. An approximate date points to the year 1853, in which a farming family with the last name of 'Fuller' is understood to have settled at a station near Yunta. It is now known however, if the Fuller family was the first family to have established themselves in the region.
Image: Merino sheep displayed for camera, South Australia. Appx date, 1914.
Merino Wool & Australia
In 1797 the first Merino sheep landed in Australia, unlike the previously introduced breeds the Spanish flock was suitable to the harsh environment. The first flock of sheep arrived with the first fleet in Australia in 1788 the flat-tailed meat sheep collected from South Africa perished in the harsh Australian Environment. Approximately 10 years later in 1797 the first Merino sheep landed in Australia, this breed imported from Spain appeared to be more suitable for the harsh Australian Environment. In 1807 the first Australian-produced wool fleece was sold in England. Through farmers careful selective breeding authentic Australian Merino wool became prized for its fine properties. By the late 19th Century Wool became a major Australian export.
This Photograph is one of a series of four believed to have been taken on Koonamore station by Loris Joseph Cantwell. The photos were approximately taken in the year 1920.
This photograph was taken on a sheep station near Yunta South Australia. This image shows some unknown individuals loading bales of wool onto a truck.
Image credit: State Library of South Australia
This is a photograph of a large shearing shed. The image shows people moving wool bales in preparation for transportation & sale.
Image credit: State Library of South Australia
This photograph shows two trucks with open cabins. Each truck is pulling two trailers with a load of wool bales in a convoy.
Image credit: State Library of South Australia
This image is of two trucks that have been loaded with wool bales, in front of a shearing shed.
Image credit: State Library of South Australia.