The County of Granville is a cadastral county in South Australia’s Flinders Ranges region, proclaimed in 1876 and named for Granville Leveson-Gower, second Earl Granville and a former Secretary of State for the Colonies. Its towns include Cradock, Carrieton and Hawker.
Key Facts
| Label | Value |
|---|---|
| State | South Australia |
| Region | Flinders Ranges |
| Proclaimed | 22 June 1876 |
| Named after | Granville Leveson-Gower, 2nd Earl Granville |
| Area | 3,030 km² |
| Principal towns | Cradock, Belton, Carrieton, Hawker, Yanyarrie |
| Local government areas today | District Council of Orroroo Carrieton, Flinders Ranges Council |
Parishes in Granville County
The county’s surveyed hundreds, listed alphabetically:
- Hundred of Bendleby
- Hundred of Eurilpa
- Hundred of McCulloch
- Hundred of Uroonda
- Hundred of Wirreanda
- Hundred of Yanyarrie
- Hundred of Yednalue
Towns and Localities Today
Carrieton, in the Hundred of Yanyarrie, and Hawker, near the county’s northern edge, are the main service towns, with Cradock and Belton smaller rural settlements serving the surrounding sheep and cattle country. Local government began here in 1888 with separate district councils at Carrieton and Hawker, later merged into today’s larger councils. Wool and cereal growing remain the county’s main industries, alongside tourism drawn by the Flinders Ranges further north.
Geography
Granville sits in the southern Flinders Ranges and borders the counties of Blachford, Hanson, Derby, Newcastle, Lytton, Frome, Dalhousie and Herbert. It is hillier and drier than the cropping country further south, given over mostly to pastoral grazing. At 3,030 km², it sits astride the Goyder Line, the rainfall boundary that historically marked the limit of reliable cropping in South Australia.
History
The county was proclaimed on 22 June 1876, named for the Earl Granville, who had left his post as Secretary of State for the Colonies a few years before. Its seven hundreds were surveyed between 1877 and 1886, later than most South Australian counties, reflecting how far pastoral settlement had to push before it reached this part of the Ranges. Some of that land later reverted to pastoral leasehold once wheat farming proved unreliable this far into the Ranges. Hawker, on the county’s northern fringe, later became a rail terminus and remains the gateway town for travellers heading into the Flinders Ranges.
FAQ
Where is the County of Granville?
It lies in the southern Flinders Ranges of South Australia, around Cradock, Carrieton and Hawker.
What towns are in the County of Granville?
Cradock, Belton, Carrieton and Hawker are its main towns.
Is the County of Granville still used?
Cadastral counties like Granville remain part of land titles and property descriptions in South Australia, but they have no government function today.