The County of Fergusson is a cadastral county on South Australia’s Yorke Peninsula, proclaimed in 1869 and named for Sir James Fergusson, the colony’s eighth governor. It covers the peninsula south of Price, bordering the County of Daly.
Key Facts
| Label | Value |
|---|---|
| State | South Australia |
| Region | Yorke Peninsula |
| Proclaimed | 18 February 1869 |
| Named after | Sir James Fergusson, Governor of South Australia 1869–1873 |
| Area | 4,830 km² |
| Local government areas today | Yorke Peninsula Council |
Parishes in Fergusson County
The county’s surveyed hundreds, listed alphabetically:
- Hundred of Carribie
- Hundred of Coonarie
- Hundred of Cunningham
- Hundred of Curramulka
- Hundred of Dalrymple
- Hundred of Kilkerran
- Hundred of Koolywurtie
- Hundred of Maitland
- Hundred of Melville
- Hundred of Minlacowie
- Hundred of Moorowie
- Hundred of Muloowurtie
- Hundred of Para Wurlie
- Hundred of Ramsay
- Hundred of Warrenben
- Hundred of Wauraltee
Towns and Localities Today
Maitland is the largest inland town and the peninsula’s main service centre for this part of the county. Yorketown, Minlaton and Curramulka anchor the southern hundreds, while Ardrossan, Price, Edithburgh and Port Victoria serve the coastal farming and fishing communities on either side of the peninsula.
Geography
Fergusson covers Yorke Peninsula south of the boundary of the County of Daly, roughly at Price, and includes Wauraltee Island off the west coast. Ardrossan and Port Victoria sit on the Spencer Gulf and St Vincent Gulf shores respectively, with the county’s centre given over to cereal cropping. Its 4,830 km² makes it one of the larger Yorke Peninsula counties, spanning almost the full width of the peninsula at its broadest point.
History
The county was proclaimed on 18 February 1869, named for Sir James Fergusson soon after his arrival as governor. Its 16 hundreds were surveyed through the 1870s and 1880s as wheat farming spread down the peninsula from the Daly and Fergusson boundary, with grain shipped out through small ports like Ardrossan and Port Victoria. Yorketown and Edithburgh grew around salt lakes and gypsum works further south, industries that supplemented farming through the early 20th century.
FAQ
Where is the County of Fergusson?
It covers Yorke Peninsula south of Price, adjoining the County of Daly to the north.
What towns are in the County of Fergusson?
Maitland, Yorketown, Minlaton, Ardrossan, Curramulka, Edithburgh and Port Victoria are its main towns.
Is the County of Fergusson still used?
Cadastral counties like Fergusson remain part of land titles and property descriptions in South Australia, but they have no government function today.